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Art Therapy with Olga's List

by Davis Rennella



On November 2nd and 3rd, 2024, Olga’s List organized an Art Therapy workshop for Ukrainian Refugees at the Arlington Center for the Arts. The event aimed to provide an emotional outlet for the complicated histories of displaced Ukrainians and to form a sense of community around the experiences that they’ve endured. 


With funding from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation Catalyst Grant, Olga’s List brought in two professional art therapists, Sarah Vollmann and Sharon Strouse, to lead the event. Sarah is a faculty member of the Portland Institute, and the associate director of the Young Widowhood Project; her private practice and research focus upon grief, traumatic loss, and the impact of loss upon family systems. Sharon is Associate Director for the Portland Institute, and her private practice and mentoring focuses on traumatic loss, specifically with parents who have lost a child, suicide bereavement, and military family loss. Together they offered gentle possibilities for attendees to process memories and emotions at their own pace. Their approach and offerings within the open art therapy studio provided safety, containment, and opportunities for expression and exploration. The art therapy approach also transcended language barriers, allowing for the articulation of trauma, mourning, and hopefulness. 


While the session's content and the identities of participants are confidential, we can share that people of all ages attended and participated, including families with small children, adolescents, and solo adults. Participants reported that they had very positive experiences. Some who attended the first day of the event came back on the second, to deepen their explorations and further engage in the open art therapy studio. Different attendees expressed that there was a “relaxing atmosphere” in the room and that going to art therapy was “a magical experience.” They created dolls, masks, model houses, and various other art pieces, and discussed the meaning behind their creations with Sarah and Sharon, with translation help  from members of Olga’s List. Some of the work referenced back to their cultural roots and ancestry, connecting the participants to a heritage that they are forced to live far away from. 


Olga’s List is happy that the event was a success, and hopes to make art therapy an ongoing service for the Ukrainian refugee community in Massachusetts. Our clients have faced challenging and painful circumstances, and making them feel at home after being forced to leave their native land means more than simply providing food stamps and legal advice. Art therapy gives our clients the opportunity to heal, engage in self-care, and continue processing the turmoil that has been affecting them in so many ways. 



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