Art in Social Work Practice: Visual Art as a Framework for Action and Intervention for Women-specific Social Work

Abstract

Creative-artistic approaches form frameworks for action and varying potentials for the profession-immanent field of women-specific social work in Germany. Within group settings women can share their experiences, receive support, experience community and social participation as well as self-efficacy through artistic activity. But what about the preconditions, (institutional) circumstances, accesses and actual states of such practice projects? What motivations, artistic contents and means as well as (social work) goals are pursued and, above all, what (support) potential, beyond regular, social work measures, is hidden in creative-social work practice projects for women? Answers to these questions enable on the one hand a deeper understanding of the benefits and chances of art within social work with women, on the other hand they offer suggestions for future practice projects in the German social landscape in order to (further) improve the situation of women and to address society. The presentation deals with the above-mentioned questions on the basis of first collected data from expert interviews (social workers/ socially-engaged art and culture workers - generated via research and snowball system) from the qualitative study on creative-artistic practice projects in the context of social work with the target group of women. The evaluation is done by means of Grounded Theory in MAXQDA. So far, it appears that artistic offers in the context of social work with women aim to empower them, to contribute to communication, agency and self-efficacy, but also to support them in their specific (multi-)problems or needs and to make them visible to society.

Presenters

Marie Neele Ansmann
PhD student - Social Worker/ Art Historian/ Art Educator, Art Education, Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt/ KSH Munich, Bayern, Germany

Details

Presentation Type

Poster Session

Theme

The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life

KEYWORDS

Art, Art in Social Work practice, Social Work, Germany, Women

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