1st International Colloquium on Arts and Therapy

Arts is our lucid mirror to what we express and who we are as a person. In this 1dt International
Colloquium on Arts and Therapy aims to bring more global dimensions to curricula and
research.This is the day where the said event raise awareness of physical and mental health
that our mind and spirit can be healed using the healing power of Arts. In the meaning of Ikat ,
a style of ancient weaving that uses a resist in dyeing process , simply iCAT means to bind
together two disciplines which is the visual, music, theater and psychology.It really makes me
proud of how the music and dance ministries shows us, the audience, the culture that some
Filipinos have forgotten or maybe unrecognized by our generation. The performance of Kaloob
- Philippine Music and Dance Ministries gracefully depicted the golden culture, excellence and
values of being a filipino.

For the first speaker Alice Peñares discussed about The Arts : Healing Mind and Spirit in a
Disruptive world where she have show the disruptive events that occured in Philippines that
has a great impact to the mind of the youth and citizens. She also enumerated the groups who
help many people with disorders and helpless using arts. Using many types of arts, visuals,
performance and music, the people receives sympathy and comfort through expressing on
Arts.I remember the quote that she mentions, "All are good,everything has its own individuality
that makes for the uniqueness of each person".The second speaker Lertsiri Bovornkitti
discussed about Art therapy. Art Therapy first bacame an alternative psychotherapy practiced
as non-verbal communication. It is also a therapeutic device to combat psychological problem
of a child experiencing depression. Art Therapy requires knowledge of visual arts. This is very
important for us to know that Art Therapy is helpful for our education. As he quoted, 'Education
is very important, students well being is equally important'.

Experiencing a work of art with a decidely aesthetic character gives us pleasure, makes us feel
more alive because it holds together seperate parts into a seamless,integrated whole.This
gestalt is satisfying to behold because it is an image, reflection of the creative intuition within
us, that gives us the power of perception or awareness itself.Without this integrative faculty,
there is no perception at all. All art, we may observe, are made higjly perceptible by their
inherently holistic character. The whole sessions really helped me as a student to become
health conscious and revitalize my perception about arts, that arts isnt just about skills but a
therapeutic device that helps a lot of people as well as me that also experiences stress and
anxiety. Arts became my inspiration and comfort zone but at the same time it is the reason why
I sometimes feel sad and disappointed because I do not have self-esteem and guts.