Slippery Rock University senior Alexa Rivero is driven to help people express themselves in ways that words alone cannot. Through an internship with Creative Citizen Studios, Rivero gained hands-on experience and refined her vision of how she can help others by combining art and psychology.
Rivero, a senior art major from Uniontown (Laurel Highlands HS), worked one-on-one with adults with disabilities to express themselves through art during her three-month summer internship at CCS. For more than a decade, the Pittsburgh-based art studio has hosted weekly art classes, workshops and exhibits to bring people of all abilities together, primarily working with artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“We are helping people start with art and turn that into communication,” Rivero said. “The big idea is being there to make decisions with the artists, not for them. We’re all just humans creating art is how I look at it.”
Rivero first heard about the opportunity with CCS through Barbara Westman, SRU professor of art, who encouraged Rivero to apply last semester. But Westman was not the only connection to SRU. Rivero’s manager at CCS, Myah Merhaut Werkmeister, ’19, graduated from SRU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and oversaw Rivero’s training in sensitivity and support techniques.
“Alexa has been a great fit for the CCS intern team,” Werkmeister said. “She is responsive to physical and behavioral needs of artists and is not afraid to ask questions if they arise.”
One example of how Rivero brought CCS’s ethos to life was in the form of a screen-printing series at CCS’s Millvale location. Working mostly with artists without aides, Rivero assisted them in creating portraits of local visiting animals on a fabric medium, further connecting artists to the community. Although she received vital professional development in her desired field of art therapy, Rivero said the personal growth she saw in individuals was most impactful.
“Art therapists are assisting people in a nonvocal way through art and creation, so having this opportunity helped me so much,” Rivero said. “The unique connections with people were one of my favorite parts. You see a lot of the same people and get to learn so much about them through their work.”
In addition to working with artists, Rivero also gained experience helping manage the CCS social media channels to display and sell artists’ work, expanding her professional skillset. Her connections with local artists, museums and galleries expanded her long-term goal of opening a studio that promotes the wellbeing of artists from all abilities and backgrounds.
“Although I want to go into counseling first, my internship cemented for me my goal of someday having my own studio space and workshop with mediums of art that can help people,” Rivero said.“I thank Barbara Westman for showing me this opportunity and really giving me this chance. I wouldn’t have been half as prepared without my classes at Slippery Rock University. It’s a privilege because you get the experience you need in your future opportunities through attending SRU.”
More information on the art program at SRU is available on the program’s webpage. More information about Creative Citizen Studios is available on its website.
