I began this line of research into art therapy and contemporary art during my graduate studies, seeking out some way to connect what I did in my studio to the work style that I was developing. Outsider art seemed to be the logical first step in resituating art created in a therapeutic context into a contemporary dialogue, and, hence, I became intimately familiar with all of the problems of definition and terminology that plague outsider art – and the parallel concerns that also apply to the contemporary idea of art therapy.
The focus of this book boils down to artmaking and art appreciating – and what these ideas mean in a historic and contemporary context. Ultimately, it is ideas of cultural normalcy that end up influencing ideas of art, and ideas of what sick and healthy mean – and what effect these labels can have on the individuals they are applied to.
I’ll speak plenty on my decision to use the term outsider – but it is worth admitting that even though I find it good enough and necessary to use in this context, it doesn’t mean that “outsiders” don’t deserve recognition and a place on the inside. By starting to reconcile some of the issues stratifying art therapy from contemporary art – lines of inquiry begun by Susan Hogan (2001), Cathy Moon (2002), and Linney Wix (2000, 2009, 2010) – my hope is that the gap closes, and more people are able to connect with art, both making and viewing, in a meaningful way.
The majority of the artwork featured in this book comes from active, living artists working in studio programs – an important topic in reconciling contemporary art and art therapy. A special thank you to LAND Gallery in Brooklyn, NY; Housing Works in Brooklyn, NY; NIAD Art Center in Richmond, CA; Pyramid Inc. in Tampa, FL; Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, CA; and to all of the featured artists, for sharing their incredible work with the world.