Rita Simon Collection

Simon, Rita Mary (1921-2008)

Date:: 1944-1999

Reference:: PP/RSI

Archives and manuscripts

Collection contents

Rita Simon CollectionPP/RSI
- Paper recordsPP/RSI/A
- Patient artworksPP/RSI/B

About this work

Description

The Collection comprises two parts: artworks created by Rita Simon's patients during their art therapy session with her and associated archival material comprising patient case files and papers regarding the art therapy profession. This latter set of papers also includes records regarding the British Association of Art Therapists and Northern Ireland Group for Art as Therapy.

The majority of artworks are arranged into "Sequences" and "Styles". "Sequences" contain sets of artworks by specific patients showing the development of their art style according to Simon's theory of styles. "Styles" contain examples of the different styles in Simon's theory.

Publication/Creation

1944-1999

Physical description

961 artworks, 4 boxes, 1 o/s folder

Contributors

Simon, Rita Mary (1921-2008)

Arrangement

The Collection is arranged into two sections: Section A: Paper records and Section B: Patient artworks. Original file titles have been retained.

Acquisition note

Material deposited by Rita Simon in 1997.

Biographical note

Rita Mary Simon was born in 1921. She was one of the leading figures in the profession of art therapy in the UK and internationally. She worked for the National Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis, for medical consultants and for psychiatrists of different schools. In the 1950s and from 1969 to 1984, she lived in Northern Ireland and introduced art therapy to the social and psychiatric services. She was one of the founder members of NIGAT (the Northern Ireland Group for Art as Therapy) and was also a founder member of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT). In the 1960s she introduced art therapy at the Cheadle Royal Astell Day Hospital in Cheshire. From 1975 to 1983 she provided regular short residential courses in art therapy in Belfast where she also ran small art therapy groups such as a children's art group in a troubled suburb of Belfast. Between 1975 and 1995 she published two books and eighteen papers. She died on 4 May 2008.

Related material

Rita Simon: Symbolic Images in Art as Therapy (1997).

Rita Simon: The Symbolism of Style: Art as Therapy (1992)

Terms of use

This collection has been catalogued and is available to library members. Some items have access restrictions which are explained in the item-level catalogue records.