An Exploration of Boundaries by Jacqueline Bachar

A methodical, eye-opening exploration of art, therapy, and its connection to identity and wellness, An Exploration of Boundaries: Art Therapy, Art Education, Psychotherapy by Jacqueline Bachar is indispensable reading for teachers, creators, and healers.

Structured as a historical review of art education and the co-evolution of therapeutic principles, Bachar highlights the critical areas where these realms overlap and support one another. Beginning with seminal developments in art education and therapeutic practice, primarily in the 19^th and 20^th centuries, the third section details the settings and conditions for the application of these principles, from community health centers to professional art schools and other facilitated spaces in between.

Examining the myriad methodologies of creative self-expression and its connection to emotional openness and self-discovery, the author frequently inserts her own views into her thorough reporting, either praising or questioning the theories, models, and trailblazing thinkers in these fields, further elucidating on each field without being ruled by a particular dogma. From Platonic foundations and Freudian analysis to Keyes’ Eclectic Approach and the “shared identity crisis” of art therapy outlined by Packard and Anderson, the text is comprehensive and clinical, but also concise and colored by keen personal opinion.

Succinctly probing the cumulative body of educational, artistic, and psychiatric research, the book is surprisingly accessible to lay readers. However, veteran scholars of art, psychotherapy, and related fields will find fresh insight and instruction, as the book offers an extensive examination of these separate but interconnected disciplines.