Biography

Bethany Altschwager is an artist and licensed creative arts therapist. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College, a Master of Professional Studies from the School of Visual Arts, and a Doctorate of Art Therapy from Mount Mary University. While art has always been an important part of her life, it was her early experiences with darkroom photography that inspired her career in the arts. She started as an art educator teaching photography, graphic design, and general arts to children and teens before pursuing art therapy professionally. She now uses the creative process to support adults experiencing mental health challenges to express themselves, cope with stress and stigma, and develop a greater understanding of thoughts, feelings, and layers of identity.

Artist Statement

The Street Layers series started in 2015 when I was in the process of obtaining my creative arts therapy credentials. I worked multiple jobs, seven days a week, sometime three different places in a single day. I started photographing graffiti and textures I found on the streets en route to each position to try to stay oriented and grounded. At the end of the day, I collaged photographs from each location into a single image. On the surface, the titles appear to be plausible cross streets in New York neighborhoods. In reality, the titles represent new, liminal spaces that I’ve created through my experiences and do not exist in physical reality.

For me, these images represent the confluence of time, space, and the cycles of renewal and decay. Preserving images of that which, by its nature, will be washed away, painted over, reconstructed, repaired, or torn down highlights the tension between holding on and letting go. Images in these layers break apart so they can come back together in new configurations. I have continued this practice on and off over the years as a form of visual journaling to document detours, adventures, and changes both personally and professionally.

Exhibitions

2025 Current Mood, HMVC Gallery, New York, NY (virtual) 

2025 Beneath the Surface, Pictor Gallery, New York, NY (Juried)

2025 New Beginnings, Icarus Brewing Winter Art Gallery, Brick, NJ

2024 Member Art Show, American Art Therapy Association National Conference, Pittsburgh, PA

2017 Snap to the Grid, L.A. Center for Digital Arts, Los Angeles, CA

2016 Employee Art Show, Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center, Bronx, NY

2013 Through the Looking Glass, School of Visual Arts MPS Art Therapy Department (Juried), New York, NY

2012 See My Voice, Hear My Visions, School of Visual Arts MPS Art Therapy Department (Juried), New York, NY

2011 The Empty Bowls Project, The Ethel Walker School, Simsbury, CT

2010 Unseen Until Now, Artwell Gallery (Juried), Torrington, CT

2010 Members and Friends, Gallery on the Green (Juried), Canton, CT

2010 Young Artists, Pia Sjolin Design Gallery (Juried), Canton, CT

2010 The Sketchbook Project, Arthouse Co-op, Brooklyn, NY

2010 The Self Portrait Project, Arthouse Co-op, Brooklyn, NY

2009 Digital Playground, Ethel Walker Bell Library Gallery (Solo Exhibition), Simsbury, CT

2009 Inspired, Artwell Gallery, Torrington, CT

2009 Ceramics, Glass and Crafts, Artwell Gallery, Torrington, CT

2009 Landscape and Still Life, Artwell Gallery, Torrington, CT

2008 Ethel Walker Faculty Show, Ethel Walker Bell Library Gallery (Curated & Showed), Simsbury, CT

2008 Edge, Artwell Gallery (Invitational), Torrington, CT

2008 Free for All, Artwell Gallery, Torrington, CT

2007 A* Space Independent Study, Sarah Lawrence College (Solo Exhibition), Bronxville, NY

2007 Guerrilla Media Show, Sarah Lawrence College (Solo Exhibition), Bronxville, NY

2007 Sarah Lawrence College Open House, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY

2006 Sarah Lawrence College Open House, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY

2005 Alumni and Student Photography, Northwestern CT Community College, Winsted, CT

2005 Student Art Week, Northwestern CT Community College (Curated & Showed), Winsted, CT 

Media

Current Mood: HMVC Virtual Group Show (February 1-28, 2025)

Through the Looking Glass (February 9 - March 9, 2013)