Who We Are

Sue Wallingford

  Naropa University, Assistant Professor, Art Therapy Program, Faculty Advisor, Naropa Community Art Studio International (NCAS-I)

 “Why I started this project involves a long story that includes a lot of people, mostly my students, and if I had more space I would tell it.  But I can say this, this project, like the namesake of one of our first fundraisers, “small resources = big possibilities,” proves that it is possible to start with very little and with the combined effort of well intended people guided by compassion and dedication, miraculous things can happen.”

Anne Howland

Naropa University, Art Therapy Program, Cambodia Clinical Support, Naropa Community Art Studio-International (NCAS-I)

“When your fear touches someone’s pain, it becomes pity, when your love touches someone’s pain, it become compassion.” ― Stephen Levine

“I aspire to be grounded and open to love on our trip to Cambodia. The spirit shines through, if provided with safety, consistency, presence and means of communication. My study of Buddhism and Contemplative Psychotherapy over the past 15 years has taught me that all beings have “Buddha Nature” or “Basic Goodness.” Open curiosity and presence create safety which allows the basic goodness of the human spirit to shine through. I hope to facilitate this safety in supporting the students, faculty, staff and participants we meet. Through connecting with ourselves in meditation and deep contemplation we are grounded and we can better hold a safe environment.”

2012-2013 TEAM

James Huffman ’14

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“Kurt Vonnegut once described artists as the canary in the coal mine, because they are so sensitive they notice and react to global issues before the ‘more robust types’ realize there is a danger. When a government chooses to exterminate the canaries, it is because they are willfully leading their people into a toxic environment. I believe art therapy is particularly important in Cambodia because it uses the creative expression condemned by the Khmer Rouge as a way to help heal and rebuild the culture of Cambodia.”

Lisa Lamoreaux ’14

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“I am very passionate about working with populations suffering from poverty, abuse, abandonment, and neglect. This service-learning trip to Cambodia will be a great opportunity for me to experience art therapy being utilized in another culture, and I am excited to see how art therapy transcends barriers of language and culture. I believe this will be a great opportunity for us to collaborate with social justice organizations in Cambodia to bring art therapy to populations who do not readily have access to art or therapy.”  

Joanna Loftus ’14

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“I believe as art therapists we have a responsibility to educate and to assist those who have been deprived of their cultural heritage. The amount of trauma the people of Cambodia have experienced is something that is truly beyond my comprehension. The destruction of the culture and art in Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge was one of the most horrible things done to this country. I hope through NCAS-I I can bring support to the children who have experienced trauma by acknowledging the role of spirituality, creativity and the needs to find wholeness and meaning in the horror of the trauma they experienced.”

Alexa Pinsker ’14

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” -Rabindranath Tagore

“It is with great joy that I welcome the opportunity to work with NCAS-I and Transitions in this service-learning trip to Cambodia. I am eager to utilize and share my skills as an art therapist in the context of mindfulness. I hope to empower survivors of sex trafficking with the healing qualities of art and empathy, which I believe transcend all borders.”

Danielle Rifkin ’14

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“With all of the struggles and trauma happening around the world, I want to be a part of the solution. I am so thrilled that this opportunity exists to bring art therapy into an international setting. I believe it will give us another opportunity to experience the healing power of art and to more fully comprehend what it looks like to do this work cross-culturally. I am hoping to bring my curiosity, passion, and mindfulness into practice, and begin to help people that are surviving so many unimaginable traumas.”

Emily Seagrave ’14

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“Thanks to those trailblazing students and professors of NCAS-I who came before me, I have the incredible opportunity to connect with social justice organizations in Cambodia where I can engage in collaborative efforts aimed at solving problems related to global issues like sex trafficking, poverty, abuse, abandonment, and neglect.  Everything I hoped for in my graduate art therapy education – engagement, social responsibility, collaboration, connection, and healing – I have found at Naropa University and within NCAS-I.”

Erin Shannon ’14

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

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Paula Ulrich ’14

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“I am so grateful for the opportunity to work on this project and go on the service learning trip to Cambodia.  I would like to say I hope to impact the people I meet, however, I believe they will affect me much more.  Through this process, I hope to learn more about myself, to increase my skills as a culturally competent counselor, to witness the power of art beyond language, and to find strength in community with my fellow NCAS-I members.  This opportunity holds wisdom and learning beyond what I can imagine.”

Bethany Wells ’14

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“My deepest desire is to be part of the collective struggle to eradicate abuse and create an atmosphere of empowerment for survivors. I am appreciative of NCAS-I and this service-learning project in Cambodia for the opportunity to combine my passion for social justice, multiculturalism, and art therapy by working cross-culturally with marginalized populations and helping to facilitate self-expression, self-esteem, and profound healing for individuals and communities.”

Emily Wilson ’14

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“I have witnessed and experienced the healing power of art therapy in my own life and in the lives of many others.  I believe in it, and I also believe in the amazing ability of all beings to connect and offer healing in relationship with each other.  I am excited and nervous as we embark on this journey of preparing for and working towards fulfilling our mission through a service-learning trip to Cambodia.  The individuals and institutions that we touch along the way will inevitably touch us and for that, I am so very grateful.  My hope is to be of service, to sit with everything that comes up with empathy compassion and grace, to love and to learn.”

2011-2012 TEAM

 Meg Hamilton ‘12

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“The opportunity to participate in the development of NCAS-I and the partnership with Transitions Global has become an invaluable component of my education. In this collaboration, I have the opportunity to engage my most persistent passions, to develop skills unique to the field of art therapy, and to explore the overlaps between social justice, healing, art, and personal growth in ways that will continue to grow and I will continue to gain from in all of my future work.”

Katie Hanczaryk ‘12

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“To me, the Naropa Community Art studio is a service-learning project where I am able to practice compassion and loving kindness to my community. NCAS-I takes the principal of the Studio to another level. In a growing global community, we are connecting to the pain and suffering not only in our backyards, but also on our whole planet. This project makes me feel as though I am utilizing my skills as a Post-Modern Art therapist, and bringing compassion and awareness to a larger community by shining light on a population that has mostly existed in the shadows.”

Katie Markley ‘12

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“I see human trafficking as one of the greatest issues of our time. In being exposed to this issue, my life has been changed and often I imagine how I will be part of the transformation.  This trip gives me hope that I can realize my role as art therapist and social activist.”

 Marissa Grasmick ‘12

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“Naropa provides an unparalleled experience for training art therapists who are deeply concerned with spreading their education across the globe to offer service to humanity in the most effective and compassionate way possible. NCAS-I aims to teach, to heal, to grow, and to inspire anyone in it’s path. By using the therapeutic benefit of art, alongside mindfulness-based training, the Naropa art therapists have their gears set towards Cambodia with the mission to engage heart-to-heart and directly confront the atrocities of trauma caused by sex trafficking.”

Tracey Kayne ‘12

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“As an emerging professional in the field of art therapy, my participation with NCAS-I and Transitions Global will provide me the opportunity to be an agent of transformation in a global context.  As an artist, activist and healer I feel blessed that I will become culturally engaged through collaboration and compassion with the power of art as a modality towards change.  I am passionate about providing a sustainable container to help relieve suffering around the world.”

 Ariana Tosatto ‘13

 Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

 “Being a part of NCAS-I has become a pivotal piece of my education at Naropa. It allows me to take the skills I am building and apply them actively towards a cause I am passionate about.”

Aimee Palladino ‘13

 Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“As a rising second year student, I feel deep gratitude that my graduate education has intersected with this important, inspirational and unprecedented learning opportunity. I believe that transpersonal psychology is inextricably connected to social action and that art therapy is both personal and universal. NCAS-I allows me to explore these professional tenets in a tangible direct way. Through this community effort, I am realizing what it means to be a heart-centered, globally engaged, deeply intentional art therapist in the world.”

Stephanie Andres ‘12

Naropa University, Transpersonal Art Therapy, NCAS-I

“I am so thankful for the chance to learn so much from my NCAS-I experience.  The amount of commitment and intention the students and faculty bring to each step of this process is truly enlightening and inspiring.  In the Naropa spirit of both first and third person experience, my education brings me to new levels of empowerment in my journey as a transpersonal art therapist.  Expanding my view from the local community to global levels allows me to realize how great the potential is that we each have in being a part of healing the world.”