Artist Statement

‍

Artmaking to me has been a lifelong friend that has helped me process thoughts and cope with emotions. It has been a means for reflection, engagement with the world, and exploration of creative possibilities. During the year(s) when COVID-19 brought physical restrictions, emotional confusion, and sustained changes to our lives, artmaking was a way to connect with myself, my family, and professional community. I found self-regulation by allowing myself refuge in my artistic practices.  Art served as a sanctuary sometimes simply as a form of distraction and keeping our hands busy. At other times, artmaking was about externalizing our complex emotional landscapes. Much of my own research on the therapeutic aspects of artmaking (e.g., improved mood, reduced stress, gaining perspective, feeling positive emotions, self-efficacy and creative agency) are inspired by my experiences of what artistic practice has meant for my own health and well-being.  

The forced living online in the pandemic years, made me want to work in the physical world with natural media more than ever. Being outdoors is now an essential part of my every day living. I gather natural materials and renew them into new forms and expressions. In the last several years, my artmaking has taken an intentional turn towards mixed media (wood from my backyard in particular) inspired by natural materials and nature metaphors. Instead of traditional canvases, I have increasing been using elements of nature as both the theme and the base for my art. Natural materials represent to me the transient beauty and anonymity of everyday lives as well as the paradoxically universal uniqueness of all beings.

‍

Artist Bio

‍

I am an artist with multiple professional identities including as an art therapist, educator, and researcher in healthcare and community settings. In my current professional roles, I am Professor and Chair of the Creative Arts Therapies at Drexel University. In my Health, Arts, Learning and Evaluation (HALE) research lab, I examine the physiological and psychological health outcomes of visual and narrative self-expression. I have published over 80 peer-reviewed papers and two books, namely The Expressive Instinct (Oxford University Press) and Arts-Based Psychosocial Support for Children and Families Living in Adversity (Routledge Press). My research has been continually funded since 2008 by federal agencies like the Department of Defense, Department of Education, National Endowment for the Arts as well as foundation and academic centers and has been featured by NPR, CNN, The New York Times as well as a range of media outlets worldwide. I examine how art therapy helps mitigate distress in conditions like post-traumatic stress among military service members, post-menopausal women’s health, and, chronic stress among patients and caregivers in pediatric hematology/oncology units. Additional international research projects include examining the therapeutic underpinnings of indigenous and traditional artforms.

Living out my research interests, I have been a lifelong visual artist and my art explores the intersection of identity and representation of emotion. My visual aesthetic is deeply inspired by nature and textiles. In particular, my roots as a textile designer in India inform my aesthetics and color preferences. By actively engaging in art making practices ourselves, I highlight the importance of arts-based heuristic exploration as a valid resource to encourage compassion and effective communication amongst individuals and groups. Through our private and collaborative creative works, I explore and honor these social intersections to hold the unity of opposites, question normative points of view, promote compassion, invite positive emotions, and identify art making as a viable resource for one’s own healing.

Dr. Kaimal has a doctorate from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Master of Arts from Drexel University and Bachelor's in Design from the National Institute of Design in India.

‍

Education and Professional History

‍

Harvard University, Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA
Doctorate in Human Development & Psychology, 2007

Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Master of Arts in Art Therapy, 2001

National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India
Bachelor of Arts in Textile Design, 1996

‍

Professional Experience

‍

September 2024 - Present
Drexel University: Professor, Creative Arts Therapies Department

September 2022 – June 2024
Drexel University: Assistant Dean: Division of Human Development and Health Administration

October 2021 - Present
Drexel University: Interim Chair, Creative Arts Therapies Department

March 2021 – September 2022
Drexel University: Assistant Dean for Special Research Initiatives

January 2008 – August 2013
Temple University: Senior Research Associate

March 2004 – December 2007
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: Research Project Manager

May 2001- January 2002
Harvard University Kennedy School of Government: Research assistant

December 1996 – February 1998
Span India Private Limited: Designer

‍

Selected Invited Lectures and Talks

‍

Kaimal, G. (June 1^st, 2024). Re-imagining creative mental health. Invited panelist at Brain mind summit, New York City, NY.  

Kaimal, G., (June 10^th, 2024). Arts and health. Invited panelist at PA Presenters conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Kaimal, G., (November 16^th, 2023). Art therapy, PTSD and TBI and responses to visual imagery. Invited presentation at the Creative Forces Summit, Bethesda, MD.

Kaimal, G. (December 5th, 2023). Art therapy and the brain. Invited lecture for the Dana Foundation, Brooklyn, NY.

Kaimal, G. (March 16^th, 2024). Survival of the most imaginative: How creative self-expression helps us survive and thrive. Emporia State University, Emporia, KS.

Kaimal, G. (March 20^th, 2024). The expressive Instinct: How creative self-expression helps us survive and thrive. Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.

Kaimal, G. (October 6^th, 2021). Critical issues: arts, health and well-being. Keynote lecture at Hope College, MI.  

Kaimal, G. (February 25^th, 2020). Why art therapy works. Business Council for the Arts. Dallas TX.  https://ntbca.org/why-art-therapy-works

Kaimal, G. (November 6^th, 2020). How art can heal. Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honors society annual conference.

Kaimal, G. (October 22^nd 2020). Survival of the most imaginative: How creative self-expression helps us survive and thrive. Valery Daniels Memorial Lecture at School of Visual Arts, New York.

Kaimal, G. (2022). Art therapy and well-being. National Science Foundation meeting, Doha, Qatar, April 29^th 2024.  

Kaimal, G. (2022). How creative self-expression helps us survive and thrive. Findings from indigenous and traditional arts practices. Invited lecture and at the University of Haifa, Israel June 29^th, 2022.

Kaimal, G., (2021). “How art therapy helps us survive and thrive.” Invited session at the Art therapy conference in Budapest, Hungary.

‍

Bibliography

‍

See full list of peer-reviewed papers on artist website

‍

Books

‍

Kaimal, G. (October 2022). The Expressive Instinct. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Kaimal, G. & Hommel, S. (2024, Editors). Arts based approaches to global health among children living in adversity. New York, NY: Routledge

‍

Affiliations

‍

Drexel University

American Art Therapy Association

Refereed/Juried Art in Group Exhibitions

2024
Creative Arts Therapies 50^th Anniversary, Pearlstein Gallery, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

2021
Flora, Group exhibition at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Hospita, Philadelphia, PA

Silent Screams, Artwork Representing the Pandemic, Online Exhibition

2019
Art at The Civic, Curated Permanent Collection, Philadelphia, PA

Exhibition, Villa Maria Academy, Malvern, PA

Portals, Esther Klein Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Exhibition and Lecture

2014
H1B, Exhibition in Collaboration with the Smithsonian Asian and Pacific American Center and Twelve Gates Arts

Art Therapy Alliance 360, Feature on Mandalas

2013
Library of Life, Art in City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
One of 40 artists selected from over 200 submissions

Interconnections: The Art of Social Change, Asian Arts Initiative, Philadelphia, PA

2012 - 2013
Featured Artist, Bread Poppy Art Pack, Hudson Valley Seed Library, one of 20 artists selected from over 200 submissions

The Art of the Heirloom Exhibitions

• The Seedbank Heirloom Expo (September 2012), Petaluma, CA

• Arts Center of the Capital Region (January 2013), Troy, NY

• The Horticultural Society (February, 2013), New York, NY

• Philadelphia Flower Show (March 2013), Philadelphia, PA

Art for Science Sake, Los Alamos, NM

2012
Finalist, Art for Science Sake Exhibition, Los Alamos, NM

‍

Honors & Awards

2024
Creative Arts Therapies 50^th Anniversary Art Show, Pearlstein Gallery

2023
Provost’s Award for Outstanding Scholarly Productivity, Drexel University

2022
Freddie Reisman Award for Faculty Creative and Scholarly Works, Drexel University

2019
International Travel Award, Drexel University

Most Active Artist Award, Pennsylvania Art Therapy Association

2018 - 2021
Faculty Senate Representative, Drexel University CNHP

2018
Listed Among 100 Women in Science, Taylor and Francis Publishers

Best Paper (authorship) Award, Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal

2017Faculty Summer Research Award, Drexel University

Nominated for Excellence in Teaching Award Drexel University, CNHP

2016
Global Classroom Award, Drexel University

2016-2018
Assessment Fellow, Drexel University

2015
AATA Research Award, American Art Therapy Association

2014
Career Development Award, Drexel University

2004
Dissertation Support Fund, Harvard University Graduate School of Education

2005
Advanced Doctoral Grant, Harvard University Graduate School of Education

2003
Gender Studies Doctoral Research Award, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Dean’s Award (for Doctoral Students), Harvard Graduate School of Education

2001
Alpha Eta Honors Society, Elected Member‍

Sherry Jaspan Lyons Award for clinical excellence in therapy with children and adolescents, Drexel University

Award for overall Outstanding Achievement and Scholarship, Drexel University

‍Best in Show, Abington Memorial Hospital Community Art Show, PA

‍

Co-Curated Exhibitions

2024
Creative Arts Therapies 50^th anniversary art show, Pearlstein Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2019
Portals, Esther Klein Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Group Exhibition and Lecture

‍

Commissions

Featured Artist, Bread Poppy Art Pack: Hudson Valley Seed Library
One of 20 artists selected from over 200 submissions

‍

Collections

Range of private collections and homes