Arteterapia. Papeles de arteterapia y educación artística para la inclusión social
The annual journal Arteterapia. Papeles de arteterapia y educación artística para la inclusión social (ISSN 1886-6190, ISSN-e 1988-8309) is a pioneering publication both in Spain and in Latin America featuring studies that tackle different aspects of art therapy (clinical, educational, social and cultural) and any fields seeking greater social inclusion through artistic media and artistic education. Consequently, it is intended for anyone from the fields of art, psychology, medicine, psycho-analysis, social education or plastic arts who are interested in artistic education as a means of human development and inclusion. Its dossiers look at emerging topics and new spaces where art is understood as a means of psycho-social development.
In order to support the global exchange of knowledge, the journal Arteterapia. Papeles de arteterapia y educación artística para la inclusión social is allowing unrestricted access to its content as from its publication in this electronic edition, and as such it is an open-access journal. The originals published in this journal are the property of the Complutense University of Madrid and any reproduction thereof in full or in part must cite the source. All content is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 use and distribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This circumstance must be expressly stated in these terms where necessary. You can view the summary and the complete legal text of the licence.
We are diverse: social and educational transformation through ceramic murals with teenagers
Collaborative ceramic murals have emerged as an educational resource for promoting social values and collective construction in school contexts, although their application in art education with adolescents remains poorly documented. This study explores the expressive and pedagogical potential of the collaborative ceramic mural through a project developed in an Arts-track Secondary Education school. The research adopts a qualitative and interpretive approach with a field design and participatory perspective, involving a sample of students who took part in an Arts-Based Project Learning (ABPL) initiative combining artistic mediation techniques with collaborative activities encompassing design, production, glazing, firing, and installation. The project strengthened group cohesion, individual and collective expression, and critical reflection on diversity and belonging. Participating students developed technical and social skills, demonstrating shifts in attitude and engagement, and the mural became a tangible symbol of identity and respect for difference, with positive impacts on the school climate and the wider educational community. The experience confirms that the collaborative ceramic mural goes beyond its technical value to function as a social and emotional mediator, fostering meaningful learning and a sense of belonging among students.
Copyright (c) 2026 Arteterapia. Papeles de arteterapia y educación artística para la inclusión social
Stop-motion as a tool in art therapy. Description of two experiences: in group setting with incarcerated adolescents and an art response derived from an intervention with older adults in nursing homes
This paper provides a descriptive account of two stop-motion audiovisual productions, directed by two art therapists in separate parallel processes involving specific groups. Despite their differences, both groups share similar social problems such as stigmatisation, isolation, feelings of abandonment and negative social perceptions. Firstly, we present the creative process of a group of young people deprived of their liberty who, taking advantage of this new space for expression without verbal demands, accept the proposal to create through symbolic language in order to communicate their situation and the common perception of the reality in which they live. The animation entitled One life... one bag is presented below. It is a creation of response art as artistic activism based on the story, within the art therapy space, of a group of older people living in a residence. This animation reflects their emotions and experiences in an environment that they do not feel is their own, where time seems to stand still and where emptiness, sadness and loneliness prevail. Finally, the study explores the common ground between this audiovisual medium and art therapy. In this context, creators utilise the medium to raise awareness of their issues and needs, thereby validating its use within art therapy processes. The study also recognises the medium’s integrative potential for working with marginalised groups in an inclusive society
Art therapy as a non-pharmacological intervention for older people: applications, challenges and challenges in the face of an ageing population
Recent demographic changes in the Spanish population suggest that older adults are a priority group for research into strategies aimed at promoting healthy aging and well-being. This paper outlines the characteristics and challenges associated with this life stage, and explores the potential benefits of various art therapy-based interventions. Furthermore, it emphasises the importance of brain healthcare and enriched environments in promoting healthy ageing and preventing cognitive decline and dementia. It also explores the relationship between art and health, proposing artistic approaches, particularly art therapy, could promote the physical, mental and emotional health, as well as socialisation, of older adults. This paper presents some examples of such applications. Finally, it reviews the published literature on art therapy-based interventions aimed at older people, focusing on Spanish publications. Based on this review, the potential benefits of art therapy (both in the field of prevention and intervention) are analyzed, and different processes associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases are addressed. The study concludes by discussing the potential usefulness of various art-based interventions using responsive art and artistic activism, with the aim of challenging stereotypes and negative perceptions associated with ageism related to ageing.
The power of art in vulnerable contexts: impact and lived meanings of a community art intervention with adolescents in Bogotá (Colombia)
This article analyzes the impact of a community art intervention project developed at the Children and Youth Center for Community Development (CINJUDESCO) in Bogotá, Colombia, aimed at socially vulnerable adolescents. The initiative, promoted by the Granjas de San Pablo Neighborhood Association, integrates various artistic practices—literary rap, urban dance, freestyle soccer, and muralism—conceived not only as recreational activities but also as strategies for comprehensive support for the young people's life plans. The research, guided by the principles of evaluative research and based on a mixed-methods design of a parallel convergent type, used intentional non-probabilistic sampling. An evaluation questionnaire was administered to the center's director, a focus group was held with the management team and the trainers of the different artistic practices, and two in-depth interviews were conducted with participating adolescents. The results show that community-based artistic intervention has a positive impact on areas such as selfesteem, emotional regulation, and creativity, while promoting a sense of belonging and social cohesion in the environment, consolidating CINJUDESCO as a safe and transformative space for young people. Overall, it is concluded that art, understood as an educational and community tool, contributes to the development of resilience and peacebuilding in areas marked by exclusion and social inequality.
A House in Tension: Boundary Spanning and Resistance in the Origins of North American Art Therapy
This article traces the origins of the art therapy profession in North America, beginning with its early 20th century forerunners and branching out into webs of influence across the continent that produced the uniquely multicentered, pluralistic nature of the field today. Born in the boundary-spanning overlap between the domains of art, education, and psychology, art therapy was formed in the turbulent exchange of dominant and resistant energies that characterize social ecotones. These tensions can harden boundaries or catalyze creative adaptation. Polarizing conflict that arose in the founding of the profession in North America is described and put into the context of art therapy’s hybrid nature, which may illuminate similar struggles that have accompanied art therapy throughout the world. Origin narratives are a source of valuable insights for art therapists: for locating the lineage of their own professional identities and beliefs, and decentering that which no longer serves in order to open up spaces for new or alternative possibilities.
Community art therapy and socionatural disasters
This paper discusses art therapy and arts in well-being in disaster situations from a psychosocial perspective. Arts in well-being is applied here as an umbrella term that includes actions by artists, cultural agents, educators, and artistic mediators in the field of community protection from cultural approaches to disasters. This discussion derives from the analysis of concepts present in the literature in the field of study and from community interventions in Chile. First, the notion of a psychosocial approach and community art therapy is developed; then, a discussion is held on the concepts of ‘the disruptive’, post-traumatic stress, resilience, post-traumatic growth, recovery and potential space in the context of psychosocial recovery after socio-natural disasters. In community art therapy, the boundaries with participatory arts in social action are a subject of ongoing debate. This work seeks to contribute to this discussion, especially with regard to mediatisation in the face of disruption.
Art therapy in the Basque Country: Trajectory of the profession
This work summarises the history of art therapy in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC) and Navarre over the last 20 years in order to understand the current context. To this end, different agents who have participated in the development of the profession have been interviewed, with more than 30 participants (17 art therapists, 8 multidisciplinary professionals and 8 Basque students in training). The contributions of these agents have made it possible to construct a plural narrative, structured in the following sections: Beginnings of art therapy in the Basque Country; Interventions in health, social, cultural and educational centres; and Present and future of the profession. This compilation of experiences and stories confirms that art therapy is on the way to consolidation thanks to the individual and rhizomatic work of Basque professionals. In general terms, we can conclude that the art therapists of these four provinces have managed, over the course of more than two decades, to overcome various difficulties in order to accompany a large number of people, as well as working tirelessly to make our profession known throughout the Basque Country.
The article comments extensively on the work carried out by the FEAPA (Spanish Federation of Professional Art Therapy Associations) since its foundation in 2010. It describes in detail the objectives pursued during this time, the areas where work has been done – from the development of an ethical code to actions in favor of the legalization of the profession –, and the directions towards which the group is moving. The importance of the work of substantiating art therapy practice that the FEAPA has carried out during these years is highlighted, as well as its efforts to serve as a reference and support when establishing inclusion criteria and encouraging research. The FEAPA also seeks to give the profession in Spain a rigour equal to that of other countries where its practice is officially recognized, and enjoy a more sustained historical background.
Art Therapy in Europe. A brief overview of its origins. Foundations and currents
This chapter offers a panoramic overview of the historical, disciplinary, and professional development of art therapy in Europe, from its origins to its current consolidation. It identifies the main milestones that have shaped its evolution, from the early manifestations of art’s therapeutic value to the contemporary configuration of the discipline. The article is structured into four sections addressing: the origins of art used for therapeutic purposes, the institutionalization of art therapy as a distinct practice, its expansion and consolidation within the European context, and current challenges in the professional, educational, and research fields. The conclusions highlight the significant growth of art therapy in recent decades, both in its academic and scientific recognition and in its application across social, educational, and clinical-health contexts. Its multidisciplinary nature, integrative value, and positive impact evidenced in numerous studies are emphasized. However, the need to strengthen coordination among European entities, promote professional integration, advance accreditation and standardization of training programs, and ensure greater institutional and financial support is also noted. In summary, art therapy in Europe today represents a growing field, with increasing presence in higher education, professional practice, and scientific research, contributing significantly to physical, emotional, and social well-being.
Descriptive study of doctoral theses on art therapy in Spain. A reflection of national research
Art therapy has demonstrated its value across various healthcare, educational, and community contexts. In Spain, however, its development faces challenges such as the need for greater institutional support and scientific evidence. This study analyzes the methodological and epistemological characteristics of doctoral theses in the field of art therapy in Spain, reflecting the national research landscape. It addresses their evolution, areas of application, and contributions to the consolidation of the discipline. A search was conducted in the Teseo and Dialnet databases, complemented by a manual search, using specific terms related to art therapy. Of 178 identified theses, 71 met the inclusion criteria. A list was compiled including the title, author, university, year of defense, and area of application. The theses were classified based on the type of research (primary/secondary), methodological paradigm (quantitative, qualitative, andmixed), and research designs employed, along with other relevant indicators. The results reveal a significant increase in the number of works, particularly since 2016. Qualitativeapproaches (33 theses) predominated, followed by theoretical (16), mixed (12) and quantitative approaches(9). The most common designs focus on the analysis and evaluation of clinical experiences, through casestudies (28), evaluative research (19) and narrative and participatory methods (17). Additionally, 3 randomizedcontrolled trials, 10 quasi-experimental or pre-post studies, and a number of art-based or art history researchstudies were identified, highlighting the specificity of the discipline. The research landscape reflects the gradual consolidation of art therapy in Spain. However, to strengthenits validity, it is crucial to promote studies with greater methodological rigor. Institutional support, researchtraining, and international collaboration are emphasized as key elements for future development, along withsuggestions and recommendations for further research.
Reflections on art therapy in Spanish museums. A way forward.
This paper reflects on the function of a museum today in relation to the use of its spaces and collections in the work on therapeutic processes, as well as the contributions of the arts as health and wellbeing agents. We find that art therapy in museums, as opposed to the more usual therapeutic practice such as clinical or hospital practice, has a community-based development, making the museum a stimulating and facilitating environment for the professional use of creative therapies. Nowadays, cultural institutions are more open to explore their social value, taking advantage of the emotive potential of collections and contributing to the role of art for therapeutic purposes. The article delves into the intersection between art therapy and museums, where emerge new ways of understanding these sociocultural places that favour care and health and it reviews how art therapy in museums is moving towards a specific, specialised and professionalised model.
Conceptual overview of mental health and art therapy
The article provides a conceptual overview of mental health and art therapy. In relation to mental health, we address the pillars that support it, such as the concept of rationality, the processes to achieve subjectification and the experience of the self. To do this, we take a tour of the theorization from different authors. A conceptual development is addressed about the experience and awareness of Self, subjective identity, storytelling process, creation process and mental health. In relation to art therapy, the art therapy process and projective dynamics and image creation are described. Art therapy makes the journey from surrealism to the concepts of psychoanalysis of the psyche and the creative unconscious, taking its basis in the always continuous process of creating meaning and strengthening the capacity for connection. The essential aspects of art therapy and its contribution to the evolution of the concept of mental health are also described.
Therapy in Institutional Contexts and Scientific Evidence Twenty Years of Art Therapy in Western Andalusia
This paper presents the results of a secondary research study, formatted as a comprehensive review, which critically analyzes (in relation to their respective theoretical frameworks) three art therapy programs developed in the region of Western Andalusia. These programs were selected based on the following criteria: 1) they consist of interventions evaluated using a mixed-methods approach, 2) they are longterm (lasting at least one uninterrupted year), 3) they are part of research projects with external funding, 4) they target institutionalized groups at risk of social or health-related issues, and 5) they have been adequately documented in relevant publications. The intervention programs reviewed here are: Art Therapy for children in protective care at the Ciudad de los Niños center in Huelva; Art Therapy for elderly individuals with late-onset dementia, primarily Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), residing at the San Joaquín y Santa Ana Nursing Home in San Juan del Puerto, Huelva; and Art Therapy for first-degree prisoners at the Huelva Penitentiary Center. The focus is placed on institutionalized individuals, as they face not only specific social or health risks but also social exclusion and the consequences that stem from it. This comprehensive review is conducted in two phases: one contemporaneous and one follow-up. Phase 1: the theoretical framework for comparison and evaluation is based on the state of the art at the time of publication of the reports for each program. Phase 2: the documentary framework encompasses publications released since the original reports, allowing for an assessment of the scientific impact. The ultimate objective is to contribute to the consolidation of an evidence-based, visible, and scientifically-aligned art therapy practice. As demonstrated by the three programs compiled here, art holds part of the answers that institutionalized groups seek from society.
20 years of Art Therapy. A journey in images
Twenty years have passed since the birth of the journal Arteterapia. Papeles de Arteterapia y la Educación Artística para la Inclusión Social, and since then each issue has opened with a cover that precedes the articles and reviews. This article offers a look into the past that shapes the present of a discipline: art therapy. Twenty images that, through each cover, accompany articles that provide meaning and rigor to a practice that was little known in Spain in its early days, but whose visibility has grown alongside the discipline, to the point of establishing itself as a professionalized field with strong scientific rigor. Images that invite creation and reflection on art and its possibilities within the world of therapy—on the power of a predominantly visual language that moves along the border between what is given and what is possible.
Collaborative art, citizenship and childhoods: Cultural democracy and participatory design in the generation of common space
This article analyzes the work Espacio Público III, The Power of Representation by Ángela Ramírez Sanz, focusing on the interrelation between art, politics, and democracy. The project proposes the construction of new architectural spaces that emerge from a deliberative community and democratic process within rural environments, under a transdisciplinary approach that integrates these dimensions. Its innovative character is reflected in the participation of children and the co-construction of community spaces, highlighting the latter as a dynamic and transformative concept within contemporary political theory. The central hypothesis argues that Espacio Público III articulates an effective convergence between education, politics, and democracy, generating transformations in both the aesthetic and organizational spheres. This work not only redefines everyday experience through the creation of new spatialities, but also uses art as a key tool for the construction of social meanings, the strengthening of citizen participation, and the reconfiguration of community structures. Consequently, the analysis of this project reveals how artistic practices can play a fundamental role in shaping collective identities and building more inclusive and participatory societies.
A study on artistic empowerment through clay - a case study in a social service center for sensory disability in Indonesia
This study investigates the process of artistic empowerment facilitated through clay-based art practices among individuals residing in a social service institution in Indonesia. Using a qualitative case study approach, nine participants engaged in a structured series of tactile clay activities designed to enhance selfexpression, creativity, and emotional well-being. Data collection methods included participant observation, visual documentation, reflective journaling, and semi-structured interviews. The findings demonstrate that clay art provided a nonverbal medium through which participants articulated personal experiences, developed confidence, and built a sense of agency. Engagement with clay fostered therapeutic benefits, encouraged self-discovery, and strengthened interpersonal connections within the institutional environment. The study highlights the transformative potential of art-making as a tool for empowerment among marginalized groups and suggests its integration into social care programming. These insights contribute to broader discourses on inclusive art practices and their psychosocial impact in institutional settings.
20 Años de la Revista Arteterapia. Papeles de arteterapia y educación artística para la inclusión social
Que veinte años no es nada. 20 Años de la Revista Arteterapia. Papeles de Arteterapia y Educación Artística para la Inclusión Social
Holt, N., Tischler, V., Corvo, E., & Vougioukalou, S. (Eds.). (2026). Routledge Handbook of Arts and Health. Routledge. ISBN: 978-1-003-42981-4
Fancourt, D. (2026). Art Cure: The science of how the arts transform our health. Cornerstone. ISBN: 9781529935530
Art, migration and social construction. For a culture of peace and human rights
The article analyses the results of the project: “Migrarte: For a Culture of Peace and Human Rights”, a learning and service experience implemented in a Bachelor's Degree in Social Education course. The project aimed to promote cultural exchange between university students and migrants associated with an NGO through artistic activities such as music, performance and visual arts. Adopting a theoretical approach based on the ideas of Néstor García Canclini and Maurice Crul, the project aimed to encourage equitable cultural exchange and challenge the power dynamics within the neoliberal socioeconomic order, using art as a means of social transformation. A qualitative methodology was employed to analyse the results obtained during the three-month project, using semi-structured interviews and participant observation as the main techniques for gathering information. The results showed that artistic practices had favoured the opening of channels of communication and spaces for dialogue among migrants, as well as stimulating critical reflection on the foundations of society. Similarly, a significant impact was observed on migrants' identity, emotional and agency processes within the intercultural context, and the value of the arts as a tool for inclusion and empowerment was emphasised.
Investigaciones sobre arteterapia y educación artística para la inclusión social
Copyright (c) 2025 Arteterapia. Papeles de arteterapia y educación artística para la inclusión social
Materialities of memory: poetics of the biographical object
This article explores the relationship between memory, materiality, and autobiographical narratives through a qualitative and multimodal investigation based on everyday objects as affective triggers. It starts from the premise that memory, rather than being a mere repository of the past, is a complex fabric woven from lived experiences, emotions, and storytelling, constantly interacting with the material objects that accompany us. From this perspective, a biographical-narrative and visual methodology is proposed to access intimate enclaves of memory through the sensory evocation produced by objects. The research focuses on school life narratives built from an intergenerational sample (ages 8 to 92), in which participants choose and narrate experiences linked to objects previously selected by the researchers. The findings show how these objects, with their varied qualities, act as mediators between past and present, activating memories ranging from learning processes and teacher characteristics to school environments and personal emotions. In doing so, they give rise to unique narratives that, far from hegemonic historical discourses, allow us to value the affective and symbolic dimension of lived school experiences through intimate storytelling. The results are presented via a website with a strong visual component, functioning as a visual-narrative repository and enabling new rhizomatic readings of the sample. This proposal highlights the value of the biographical, the sensory, and the material as pathways for constructing knowledge grounded in subjectivity and the collective, thus expanding possibilities for interpretation and representation within the field of social research.
Font, J. (2025). Tutor por sorpresa. La saga de 1999. Editorial: Serendipia, Ciudad Real, España. ISBN: 979-13-87661-19-9
Conferencia de la Federación Europea de Arteterapia (EFAT) 2025 “Between and Beyond Creativity and Destruction: The Role of Art Therapy in Affecting Personal and Social Transformation” 2-4 Julio 2025 Brunel University of London (Reino Unido)
En 2025 se ha celebrado el tercer congreso de la Federación Europea de Arteterapia. Este evento reúne profesionales de todo el mundo para debatir, reflexionar y compartir en torno a diferentes temas que nos preocupan y competen para el desarrollo de nuestra profesión. Este año, bajo el título Between and Beyond Creativity and Destruction: The Role of Art Therapy in Affecting Personal and Social Transformation se pusieron sobre la mesa los días 2, 3, y 4 de julio cuestiones sobre los límites de la creación y la destrucción para el desarrollo individual y social en el contexto de crisis actual. Fue característico la representación nacional de experiencias e investigaciones, haciendo aportaciones sobre la arteterapia y trauma, procesos oncológicos, pacientes con dolor crónico, así como la exposición de experiencias como la autoetnografía o las prácticas clínicas para el desarrollo de los másteres en España. Además, fue una ocasión para presentar a nivel internacional el informe publicado por el Comité de Investigación de la Federación Española de Asociaciones de Arteterapia (FEAPA), oportunidad clave para difundir el trabajo realizado. El evento ha sido un espacio de crecimiento y divulgación de los avances en arteterapia para la transformación social y personal, y por tercer año, una plataforma para el crecimiento de redes de profesionales a nivel internacional.
An invented community in the neighborhood towards engaged artistic mediation
From community art to engaged artistic mediation, dialogical and reflexive processes are activated as an approach to a social vision of art. Under this challenge, one Participatory Action Research analyzed the projects carried out between the learning community of Fine Arts students at the University of La Laguna and the community as place of the Taco neighborhoods (Tenerife) within the framework of the global citizen action CONviveTACO. An invented community is thus configured, where the neighborhood is offered as a learning and participation site for students through an engaged artistic mediation. The interventions reveal synergies between students and the neighborhood community, fostering the exchange of knowledge and experiences and encouraging artistic processes with a critical approach to the territory. The results achieved have a significant impact on the academic, artistic and personal dimensions of the students and consequently transcend the classroom. This experimental research concludes after two cycles, taking on the challenge of moving beyond an instrumental conception of art by fostering creative and reflective processes that highlight its transformative potential. Participation is consolidated as the methodological core of the research, in alignment with mediating practice, and the invented community is strengthened as a context for social intervention
Art, education and sustainability: towards a transformative pedagogy from art mediation
The arts mobilize knowledge and can also foster community action, improving public understanding of sustainability and raising awareness. This article presents a research, developed within the project Didactic proposals for arts education in favor of a more sustainable society, in which education, artistic mediation, art and sustainability are aligned. It proposes education and artistic mediation as ways to work on sustainability, with the aim of providing students of the Degree in Art with tools that enable the approach to the various practices related to the arts and art education from a perspective committed to our environment. To this end, we collaborate with artists and art centers and museums, generating a network in direct contact with the current art scene, and we propose an educational action. After its implementation, the results show the relevance of art in Education for Sustainable Development, demonstrating its transformative ability and the efficacy of the educational action to train a new generation of artists-educators committed to contemporary challenges.
The potential of the fanzine as a didactic tool: Exploring gender identities in initial teacher education
The aim of this study is to explore the educational functionality of the fanzine, based on its critical use, to question the gender identities constructed in the History taught. From a qualitative approach, a process of investigation of the conceptions of the students of the subject ‘Educating for gender equality’ of the Degree of teachers of Infant and Primary Education of the University of Alicante is developed, by means of a questionnaire of open questions and the analysis of their fanzine productions. The results show that the expressive and transgressive possibilities of the fanzine help to reinforce the coeducational message of the teaching of feminist history that accompanies the construction of more inclusive and egalitarian identities. In conclusion, this work contributes to highlighting the didactic-pedagogical properties of this tool for coeducation and reinforces the idea of promoting its daily use in the classroom.
Play and arts inclusive opportunities in 0-3. A case study in the municipal nursery schools of Vitoria-Gasteiz
A case study is presented whose main objective has been to reveal the key elements for the creation and implementation of play and artistic experimentation proposals that, based on the original idea of Ruíz de Velasco y Abad's “play installations”, the educational centers of the Municipal Infant School Network of Vitoria-Gasteiz have been carrying out for more than 10 years. The results, obtained through deep interviews with the schools' educators and categorized with NVivo Release software, show the characteristics for the design and implementation of these facilities; they help to define the roles that teachers must assume in the different moments, including the evaluation of what happened; and, finally, they address the communication process that is carried out with the families. The conclusions highlight that teachers promote, by offering these contexts of objects and/or materials presented in an aesthetic way, an active participation of students through pre-symbolic and symbolic play, but also through sensory and plastic exploration. Whenever their design and implementation are adequate, these proposals are respectful of the rhythms and interests of each participant by allowing them to be in the space and in the action for as long as they wish, freely and without the pressure of achieving a final product. They are, therefore, valid initiatives to develop inclusive education in early childhood classrooms.
The adult accompaniment in the Installations for Play: metaphors of life relationships with and from early childhood.
Symbolic Play Installations are a context created as an intersubjective space for relationships that offers objects in a transformable space inspired by the aesthetics of contemporary art and a psychopedagogical foundation that encompasses the history of children's relationships with their environment. In this socio-educational proposal, it is essential to value the different actions and attitudes of the adult accompanying spontaneous play in the context of the 0-3-year-old preschool. Thus, the role of this reference figure should not be limited to being a mere external observer of the game, as they are an inherent part of the different dynamics that occur in the interactions generated in any context of life and relationships. This study therefore proposes observing and defining their performance in the play space to convey the importance of their presence, corporality, gestures, availability, support, and ways of positioning themselves during the play session to accompany and recognize the symbolic actions of children. Authors such as D.W. Winnicott and B. Aucouturier have already provided fundamental ideas as an important reference for understanding their meaning. Finally, the methodological approach has adopted the action research model, following a sequence of cycles or significant moments: planning, action, observation, and reflection, fostering the participation of the entire educational community involved in the development of Symbolic Play Facilities with and from early childhood
Eco-inclusion and creativity: artistic strategies for Functional Diversity
The article examines the inclusion of individuals with Down syndrome in performance art from an ecological and social perspective. The artistic proposal Por qué Pompa se encontró con Espina, awarded by the Carmen Thyssen Museum in Málaga, introduces the concept of eco-inclusion, emphasizing the active participation of vulnerable groups in artistic creation. Based on Artistic Teaching Methodologies (MAE) and Arts-Based Research (IBA), the study employs strategies that foster self-exploration and creativity, adapting the process to individual capabilities. During the workshop, participants work with materials such as soap bubbles and glass spheres, exploring fragility and resilience through multisensory experimentation. The aesthetics of estrangement stimulate divergent thinking, allowing participants to challenge stereotypes and strengthen their identity, promoting art as a tool for social transformation and collective well-being.