Seema Bacon

Beginning her education at Arizona State University, Seema P. Bacon went on to receive her BFA, with emphasis in painting and drawing, from SAIC in 2005. Her clinical training includes working with substance dependent adults at Chicago Lakeshore Hospital, but her primary focus was working with abused and neglected children in substitute care. This was through the Special Services Unit, an in-house, specialized program, part of the Probation Department of the Cook County Juvenile Court. While at SAIC, she provided services as a certified rape crisis counselor and medical advocate through Rape Victim Advocates.

Image: Seema Bacon, “What does it mean to fly?”, 2006. Hand sewn cloth and found materials, 13” x 8”.

Sara Bennett-Steele

Sara Bennett-Steele received her BFA in Media Arts with an emphasis in Photography from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) in 1997.  While at MCAD she worked with Source Ministries, counseling young artists.  During the course of the MAAT program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago she did her internships at The University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital, Deborah’s Place, and Lieberman Geriatric Health Centre.

Image: Sara Bennett-Steele, "Words come out your eyes", Stamp Series, 2006. Ink, text, and marker,1.5"X 1.5"

Robert Caswell

Robert Caswell graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BFA in Studio Art. His art therapy internships through SAIC have been at Allendale Association, Loretto Hospital, and Trilogy, a community mental health agency serving adults with psychiatric illnesses in Rogers Park. Robert has several years of experience in the mental health field, and he helped to create a new art therapy program at Trilogy.

Image:  D.W., “Separateness and Togetherness”, 2006.  Marker on paper, 12" x 18".

Eunhye Chung

Eunhye Chung studied Fine Art and Art History from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. After earning her BA and studying Art History at the graduate level at Queen’s, she studied digital media design at the International Academy of Design in Toronto. From there she went on to become a curator for Art Center Nabi, an important new media and digital arts gallery in Seoul, South Korea. After working there for 4 years, she decided to return to North America to pursue her interests in therapeutic practices. Currently, she’s in the United States studying for an MA in Art Therapy. Her clinical experience includes playing piano at an Alzheimer unit in Canada, teaching yoga to adults with schizophrenia at a day hospital in Korea, interacting with autistic children through The Institute for Therapy Through the Arts, and working with adults with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses at Loretto Hospital. She has traveled extensively, and, last summer, trekked through the Annapura region of the Himalayas in Nepal and volunteered at the Mission of Charity in Calcutta, India.

Image: details, "Obsessive Circles," 2006. Pen and pencil on bills, paper tower, notepad, and various paper, dimension variable

Madelene Griffin

Madelene Griffin received her BFA in Visual Arts from Brown University in 2002. While at SAIC she worked with adults in the psychiatric unit of Loretto Hospital in Chicago. During her second year she helped develop an art therapy program for adolescent boys as part of their substance abuse treatment at The Gateway Foundation in Lake Villa, Illinois.

Image:  Madaline Griffin, “Skylit Branches”, 2006.   Digital photograph.

Rebecca Israilevich

Rebecca Israilevich graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2004 where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting and a minor in Sociology.  While at SAIC Rebecca has received clinical art therapy training with adults in a residential mental health setting and children in both community and school settings.  She is currently at St. Vincent de Paul Center.

Image:  Becca Israilevich, “The Artist”, 2007.  Plaster and paint, 5.5” x 8”.

Maria Lewis

Maria Lewis received her B.A. in Studio Art with a minor in Theatre from Scripps College in Claremont, California, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. During her graduate study at SAIC, she interned at Pilsen Little Village Community Health Center, Lieberman Geriatric Health Center, and on the Pediatrics Unit at the University of Illinois Chicago Medical Center.

Image:  Section from elevator wall mural

Julie Ludwick

Julie Ludwick received her BHA in fine art and psychology from Carnegie Mellon University in 2005.  During her graduate study at SAIC, Julie gained clinical experience at Lieberman Geriatric Health Center and worked with children who are affected by physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral challenges at Equestrian Connection.

Image: Julie Ludwick, “Compare”, 2006.   Oil Paint, 2’x 2’..

Joe McGrath

Joseph J. McGrath is a graduate student of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, in the Masters in Art, Art Therapy program.  His artwork has been exhibited at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City, as well as, Gallery 2 and the Open Studio Project in Chicago, and the Naperville Cultural Center in Naperville, IL.  Joe is currently doing his fieldwork placement at Lutherbrook Children and Adolescent Center, a residential facility and therapeutic day school.  He has had a deep appreciation for art since early childhood and continues to utilize various media into his current art making.  Joe’s strengths as an artist include: drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, animation, and graffiti and often tend to reflect a Science Fiction-Fantasy theme.

Image: Joe McGrath, “The Road to Destiny”.  Rapidograph ink and digital colorization, 6”x6”.

Michael Ryan Noble

Michael Ryan Noble earned his BFA, with an emphasis in Sculpture, at the Academy of Art College, San Francisco.  He was an art therapy intern at Loretto Hospital in the men’s psychiatric unit, and he worked with young male substance abusers in a residential/educational facility at the Gateway Foundation.

Image:  Digital photograph of internship site.

Laura Reed

Laura Reed received her BA in Studio Art, with a minor in Psychology, from the University of Vermont in 2005. While in the Art Therapy program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Laura gained clinical experience working with adults with mental illness in the Partial Hospitalization Program at Saint Anthony Hospital. She also worked with children and adolescents at Marillac House through a nonprofit organization known as Young Expressions.

Image:  Laura Reed, “Emergence of Self”, 2007. Ink and watercolor on paper, 6” ½” x 11” ½”

Ashley Samson

Ashley Samson earned a BS in Art Therapy and Studio Arts as well as a Psychology minor from Edgewood College in 2004, where as an undergraduate student she gained experience as an art therapy intern at a day treatment center working with adolescent youth. While at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ashley continued her clinical experience at the Awakening Center, which specializes in the treatment of eating disordered behaviors. In addition, she also worked with Ryno Kid Care, which supports families of children who have severe medical illnesses, and Hephzibah Children’s Home, which is a residential treatment facility for children and adolescents.

Image: "My Sacred Lotus Pond" , Earthenware and found object, approx. 8" x 8" x 8"

Tori Tinsley

In 2003, Tori Tinsley graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Michigan School of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and drawing. While earning her Master of Arts in Art Therapy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Tori interned at Lakeshore Hospital, which serves adults struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, and at Connection Arts Chicago, which provides free art therapy programs to underserved youth throughout Chicago.

Image:  Tori Tinsley, “Decorative Stitches”, 2007.   Digital photograph.

Andrea Velázquez

 Andrea Velázquez was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico. For her undergraduate education she received a degree in Industrial Design at the Universidad Iberoamericana in 2004 in Mexico City. In 2005 she moved from Mexico City to pursue her dream of becoming an art therapist. At SAIC, she has worked as an art therapy intern at Pilsen Little Village Community Mental Health Center, Inc. with a population of adults with mental illness and Latina adolescent mothers. She also did an internship at Reintegra a non-profit organization in Mexico City that works with adolescent boys that are under legal terms or coming out of the correctional system.

Image:  A.A., “Torture-Logic”, 2006.  Acrylic paint on poster board, 18” x 24”.

Maia Wheeler

Maia Wheeler received her BA in Psychology from Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia in 2004.  While attending The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, she gained clinical training from Northwestern Memorial Hospital, developing her therapeutic skills on the Oncology/Hematology unit; as well as The University of Chicago, Comer Children’s Hospital working with children with various diagnoses.    
Maia Wheeler, “Iris XIII”, 2007.  Watercolor and Ink, 12” x 18”

Holly M Wherry

Holly M Wherry earned her BFA in Studio Art from the University of Iowa and La Sorbonne in Paris. She participated in the Teach for America program that lead her to teaching in an underserved school in New York City, where she earned a Master of Science in Teaching from Pace University.  Her internship experience while at SAIC included working with incarcerated men and women with mental illness at Cook County Jail, children with developmental disabilities at SPJ Sadhanna School in Mumbai, India, and at the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center with children who have been sexually abused.  
Image:  Holly Wherry and Anonymous Mother, “Courage”, 2007.  Oil paint on apron, 20” x 28”.

Meg Wolf

Meg received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art with an emphasis in Ceramics from California State University, Chico.  Since beginning her Masters program Meg has had the opportunity to explore art therapy at a variety of locations including: a group home for adolescent boys, the oncology floor at Northwestern Memorial hospital, a cancer support center, and a community counseling center for adults with mental illness.

Image:  Meg Wolf, “Dry”, 2007.  Acrylic paint and modeling paste on wood, 7” x 9.25”

Jave Yoshimoto

Jave Gakumei Yoshimoto received his BA in Fine Arts at the University of California Santa Barbara in 2004.  Prior to arriving at SAIC, he worked with developmentally disabled adolescents at Devereux Foundation.  In Chicago, he worked as art therapy intern at St. Anthony Hospital, and at Open Studio Project in Evanston, IL.