Behind Art Therapy Lab

Art Therapy Lab is founded and directed by Julia Volonts, a licensed and board-certified art therapist, artist, and educator.

Julia graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a Master of Professional Studies in Art Therapy. After obtaining her credentials and working across both private and public sectors, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct art-based research in Latvia, exploring response art, intergenerational trauma, and identity. This experience influenced her interest in international art therapy, community-based practice, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

She is curious about the role of art therapists within the broader landscape of arts in health and public health, with a focus on offering ethical and socially responsible community care.

Our Story

Art Therapy Lab began during the pandemic with The Art of Being Alone, an international collage project offered in collaboration with Paris Collage Collective. This initiative demonstrated how art as a theraputic tool could reduce isolation and create connection around the world.

Since then, ATL has grown into a platform that offers virtual groups and workshops, a summer residency in Latvia, and mentorship opportunities for art therapists, arts-in-health practitioners, and creative professionals interested in the intersections of art therapy and arts in health.

Collaborators & Partners

We are grateful to work with individuals and community spaces that share our interest in how art heals. Together, we have developed projects ranging from online workshops to summer residencies, all designed to bridge art, mental health, and community.

  • Current Collaborators:

    Studija Space

    Paris Collage Collective

    School of Visual Arts NYC — MA Art Therapy Program

    Previous Collaborators:

    European Federation of Art Therapy

    Riga Stradins University

    LGBT House Riga

    New York Creative Arts Therapists

    International Summer School of Photography (ISSP)

    MARTA Centre for Women

    CUT OUT Contemporary Ukrainian Collage Collective

    Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art

  • Examples of non-clinical settings we have partnered with to example the type of programming we do:

    • Art Therapy Lab International Residency with Studija Space

    • CUT IT OUT Collage-as-Therapy Series with Paris Collage Collective

    • CREATE FOR UKRAINE 2x social action fundraiser with Kyiv Collage Collective & CUT OUT Contemporary Ukrainian Collage Festival

    • Create & Connect: Art Therapy Group programming for LGBT House Riga with School of Visual Arts NYC Art Therapy Program

    • Creatively Feeling: An Artful Approach to Mental Health and Healing with International Summer School of Photography (ISSP) and Northern Dimension Partnership of Culture

    • CUT & PASTE Open Studio Workshop Series with Paris Collage Collective

    • SURVIVAL KIT: Art Therapy Group for Teens with Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art (LCCA)

    • YOUR VOICE, YOUR CHOICE social action fundraiser for women’s reproductive rights

    • CREATE YOUR VOICE workshop for LGBT House Riga with School of Visual Arts NYC Art Therapy Program

    • The Safe Space Art Therapy Project with MARTA Centre for Women & U.S Embassy of Riga

    • THE ART OF BEING ALONE with Paris Collage Collective

  • Latvia Culture Capital Foundation Grant 2023-present

    Project: Art Therapy Lab International Summer Residency in collaboration with Independent Curator, Maija Rudovska of Blind Carbon Copy & Founder of Studija Space

    Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture, The Art of Staying Healthy Project Grant 2021-2022

    Project: Creatively Feeling: An Artful Approach to Mental Health & Healing in collaboration with ISSP Latvia

    U.S Embassy of Riga, Small Grants Program, 2020-2021

    Project: The Safe Space Art Therapy Project in collaboration with MARTA Centre for Women

    The Fulbright Program, Research Grant, 2019-2020

    Project: Processing intergenerational Trauma through Response Art

Looking Ahead

While ATL is a small, grassroots level operation, we see ourselves as a sprout with the potential to grow into a space for researchers, artists, and future thinkers in the field of art therapy and arts in health. Our hope is to create room for dialogue around ethics and social responsibility in the arts, and to explore how art therapy, arts in health, and other practitioners can work together to provide care.

We envision guest facilitators, symposia, publications, and exhibitions that continue to expand access and increase visibility for art therapy worldwide.