Debra Bryant

Project title: Is co-creation and parallel artmaking among refugee background youth in group art therapy effective in reducing social isolation?

Debra is a practicing artist with degrees in the Visual Arts in Fine Arts and Art Education. She has extensive experience art teaching in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and to adults across Australia and the UK. She currently works in an adult mental health hospital running art groups and is on art therapy student placement at an Intensive English language transition secondary school, treating refugee background youth. With her current positions, as well as previous experiences teaching students excluded from mainstream schooling due to their challenging behaviours, Debra observes how the artmaking process positively impacts others’ health and wellbeing. In particular, how artmaking alongside others positively affects self-esteem, mood, and behaviour, leading to her discovery of art therapy.

Debra enjoys experimenting with all types of media and techniques, with a passion for collage, screen printing, stained glass, pop art, Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Artmaking is a time where Debra switches off, finds calm and balance and processes her thoughts.

Debra’s research builds on her inquisitive nature of the positive effects of artmaking with and alongside other people. With an opportunity to conduct her research at her placement site, Debra created a six-week art therapy program designed to reduce social isolation and increase connections between refugee background youth, through creating art both individually and collaboratively.

Debra found the research process a challenging, yet interesting and rewarding journey. Being her first research project, it was an eye-opening learning experience. Her artworks portray her research journey, from confusion and procrastination, to brainstorming ideas, to an overwhelming and confusing period of navigating through the struggles and convoluted ethics process. In subsequent artworks, she reflects on her experiences from gathering and recording data. This led her to new ways of communicating and collaborating with a diverse range of people. As Debra implemented the art program intervention, her artworks became freer. Debra has captured her research process as a vivid display. This includes some pieces so chaotic you don’t know where to look, to other pieces that are calming and whimsical. Several of Debra’s pieces feature artworks created during her art therapy placement role, created alongside students in sessions. These artworks were then cut up or ripped and repurposed in the new piece. Debra describes this as representing the power of creating with or alongside another person.