Retrospective exhibit reflects phases of Kapitan’s life

Artmaking has accompanied Lynn Kapitan through all her various roles at Mount Mary, and her exhibit in the Marian Gallery showcases the range of these experiences.

Kapitan, professor and director of Mount Mary’s professional doctorate in art therapy, is preparing to retire at the end of the academic year, her exhibit in the Marian Gallery visually captures the creative energy of her 35 years here.

The theme of balancing day-to-day life and creativity can be seen throughout the exhibit. The largest object that proves her point is her very own desk, which was transported from her office in Fidelis Hall, across campus and into the gallery for this exhibit. Artifacts from her career, such as a gavel from her tenure as president of the American Art Therapy Association, sit alongside hand-bound journals of her sketches and watercolors.

Kapitan joined Mount Mary in 1985 as the director of the pre-master’s art therapy institute, and then founded and directed the master’s program and subsequently the doctorate in art therapy.

One wall is dedicated to the drawings she created during faculty and other meetings. Having her sketchpad enabled her to focus better and tap into creative and visual thinking. Some of them still have the ragged edges from the spiral-bound notebook. These are mounted to the wall – appropriately – using office supplies such as push pins and binder clips.

Kapitan has held an active presence in art therapy, both nationally and around the world, writing, editing academic journals and actively contributing to the emerging field. She established a professional relationship with Cantera, a non-governmental organization in Nicaragua almost two decades ago. In addition to her research and consulting work there, she brought many art therapy students to intern and work in urban and rural communities throughout the country.

Her art from these experiences captures the sense of turmoil and hope she has encountered. One piece, “Managua, Nicaragua (December, 2018): Refuge,” displays an image of a peace vigil, framed by a news account of community violence. This news account is sliced into thin slats and painstakingly stitched together, showing the fragmentation of Nicaragua’s postwar, post-conflict society and efforts to mend it again.

Kapitan will hold an artist lecture at 5 p.m.

Learn more about Lynn Kapitan’s accomplishments at Mount Mary here. Wednesday, Nov. 4 via Zoom (password  9WB3bf). The exhibit will be on display in the Marian Gallery through Friday, Nov. 20.