The Seton Hill University National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education, the Seton Hill Graduate Art Therapy Program and the University’s Social Work Program are co-sponsoring “Strength of the Creative Spirit: Artistic Resistance during the Holocaust” on October 25, 2017. The event features two presentations by Maryland art therapist Elizabeth Hlavek, ATR-BC, LCPAT, who has conducted research into art produced during the Holocaust.

The first presentation, which will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on October 25, is a professional workshop with Continuing Educational Credits available. The second, which will begin at 7 p.m. on October 25, is a public lecture. Both events will be held in Cecilian Hall on the Second Floor of the Administration Building on the Seton Hill University campus in Greensburg. 

During the professional workshop, Elizabeth Hlavek will identify specific themes found in Holocaust artwork, including identity formation, resiliency, permanence, and expression, and explore them through an existential lens. Issues of empathy, burnout and the role of the art therapist as witness will be considered in relation to the artwork. Hlavek will share her own experience viewing Holocaust artwork and how it has guided her art therapy practice. Participants will then have an opportunity to create their own artwork in response to the lecture, taking into consideration the elements found in Holocaust artwork.

Registration is required for the professional workshop, and 1.5 CECs are available for a $10 fee. For more information or to register, contact Dr. Dani Moss at dmoss@setonhill.edu.

During the free public lecture, Hlavek will present on artwork made during the Holocaust, sharing examples of work and descriptions of the victim/artists' tenacious process of creating. Discussion points will include why art was created and how it provided a sense of meaning to the artists. There is no registration required for the public lecture.

Elizabeth Hlavek, ATR-BC, LCPAT, is an art therapist in private practice in Annapolis, Md, who is currently studying at Mount Mary University's Professional Doctorate of Art Therapy program, where her research explores the relevance of artwork created in the Holocaust to art therapy theory and practice. Liz works primarily with adolescents and adults struggling with eating disorders and body image concerns. She previously worked at the Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt and the Renfrew Center. She also worked with state legislators to develop the first clinical art therapy license in Maryland and previously sat on the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists.