WSU Honors Student Danica Wixom Uses Art as Therapy
— by Kaitlyn Kelly
PULLMAN, Wash. – Senior humanities (general studies) and Spanish double major Danica Wixom found a creative coping mechanism in art. Since her father’s unexpected death several years ago, WSU and the Honors College have played a role in Wixom’s recovery. She manages her grief by painting colorful acrylic images that represent her faith.
A Vancouver native, Wixom decided to attend WSU Pullman after she was granted a Distinguished Regents Scholarship in 2009. With this scholarship, Wixom achieved her goal to remove the financial burden of college from her mother.
In March 2012, Wixom’s collection, “Imago Dei” or “Image of God,” was featured in the Dengerink Administration Building at WSU Vancouver. The paintings are a representation of Wixom’s Christian faith that was tested when her father passed away.
2010, 24*28, acrylic on two canvasas
Wixom says, “My paintings are a safe place for me to explore feelings of grief without being overwhelmed by them. Art helps me process my thoughts and emotions.”
The Honors College at WSU has cultivated Wixom’s passion for art and guided her research in art therapy. Pamela Lee, clinical assistant professor of fine arts and Honors College teacher, is Wixom’s Honors thesis advisor. Wixom is researching various cultural expressions of grief shown in art, a project inspired from her own experience of loss and faith.
“The Honors College has connected me with wonderful faculty members like Pamela Lee, and provided me with the opportunity to fully engage in my academic experience by giving me the freedom and the resources to simply do what I love.” — Danica Wixom
Like many Honors students, Wixom has a desire to achieve global awareness by studying abroad. During summer 2012, she will be in Granada, Spain to further her undergraduate study in Spanish. Through this trip, she hopes to become proficient in the language.
Wixom maintains balance in her life with fine arts as a pastime rather than undergraduate course of study. She explains, “I do art because I want to, not because I have to. If I made art into homework, class projects, or a career, I think I would become jaded in the experience.”
At WSU, Wixom works in the Museum of Art, the Compton Union Building (CUB) Gallery, and is a member of the Art Club. She is also involved with the Multicultural Student Services and is a student leader for Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship.
In addition to her solo exhibition at WSU Vancouver, Wixom’s work has been featured in the Oregonian newspaper, LandEscapes Literary Arts Journal, the CUB Gallery, and the ArtFest that takes place during Spring Fest at WSU. In October 2009, The Colfax Art Council selected Wixom as the Artist of the Month.
In the future, Wixom hopes to create art that makes a positive impact on the lives of others. She dreams of a career in art therapy, teaching, art galleries, or freelance artistry.
She says, “Art is a way of life: a way of looking at the world and processing and contributing to it. When people connect with my art, I feel accomplished.”