On the morning of January 4, 2026, the third expert lecture of the Jiangsu Art Fund's "Love and Beauty, Art and Innovation Talent Training" project was held. Dean Shi Duo, a senior expert in the field of art therapy in China and a long-term contributor to the popularization of art education and cross-border practice of art therapy, presented a systematic overview of the reality, feasible paths, and implementation methods of art therapy in contemporary China, focusing on "Art Therapy X Scene Intervention Exploration Practice" and "Overview of Particle Art" in two consecutive special lectures, bringing students a feast of ideas and practices that combines breadth of vision and depth of operation.

Scene Intervention - Bringing Healing Out of the Professional Space

At the beginning of the course, Dean Shi Duo faced the contemporary psychological dilemma and pointed out that in the context of "Healthy China 2030", art therapy has become an important investment in health. He proposed that the true healing power lies in "scene intervention", which means actively embedding artistic activities into daily life scenes and providing emotional support at people's fingertips when they need it the most.

He used the global practice of the "IFIC International Art Healing Emotional Biennial" led by him as an example to illustrate the thinking of "new scene curation". This exhibition collects public "emotional fragments" and constructs a collaborative "emotional connection field" in multiple places such as Qingdao, Beijing, Shanghai, and even New York. Dean Shi Duo emphasized that "exhibitions should not wait for the audience, but should go to the crowd." Combining his rich experience in curation and commercial space creation, he systematically analyzed four possible landing scenarios:

Homestay/Hotel: Implant self dialogue in leisure through "travel memory" co creation walls, etc;

Hospitals/communities: Utilize micro exhibitions, co create murals to soften the environment, and build a support network;

Commercial space: Set up interactive devices such as "stress recovery stations" to provide instant emotional regulation;

Art education institutions: Through themed exhibitions and healing club classes, emotional education is achieved as a prerequisite.

He specifically pointed out that the core of the healing exhibition is interactive devices that encourage participation (such as "emotional scales"), and their design should follow the four principles of "security, instant feedback, intuitive operation, and metaphor".

Particle Therapy - Rebuilding Order in Microscopic Creation

The second half of the course shifted towards' Particle Art '. Dean Shi Duo, with his unique perspective as a mentor for the Particle Art Advanced Study Class at Peking University, leads students from macro scenes to micro creations, pointing out that "particles are the art of organizing the soul". He discusses the ancient healing traditions of Navajo sand paintings and Buddhist mandala sand paintings, as well as the natural practices of contemporary earth artists, revealing the deep mechanism of particle healing: through repetitive and rhythmic manual arrangement, creators naturally enter a meditative state, organize their inner selves in the process of establishing external order, and gain a sense of control and calmness.

He introduced the development of particle art in China, and its concept of "everyone can create" has been widely popularized through aesthetic education courses in universities and primary and secondary schools. People use materials such as sand grains and seeds to create an 'emotional mandala', and in a focused and tranquil environment, they 'lead their hearts with their hands, allowing the form to naturally emerge'. Through repeated manual labor, restless thoughts can be sorted out, and inner peace and hope emerge. Dean Shi Duo summarized that particle art is a "process oriented" low threshold healing tool that is easily applied in various scenarios such as schools, communities, and hospitals.

Dean Shi Duo organically combines two main themes: "Scene Intervention" solves the macro strategic problems of "where to go" and "how to reach" in healing; Particle art provides a microscopic carrier of "what methods to use" and "how to experience". The two together form a complete practical system from concept to method, from field to individual.

The students provided feedback that the course combines visual and practical skills, mastering two sets of directly applicable tools: "scene curation thinking" and "granular creation techniques". Dean Shiduo's final message is to look forward to everyone becoming the seeders of local art healing practices, "using the goodwill of creation to take on indescribable emotions", so that healing can take root and sprout in daily life. The course ends with enrichment and resonance, and students move towards a broader application field with a deeper understanding of art healing and feasible tools.

Filmed by: Song Huidan/Edited by: Li Jialin/Reviewed by: Li Min

Transferred from: Warm Heart Art Enlightenment Therapy Art Therapy Research Center