Impressions over time: Community progressive murals in an outpatient HIV/AIDS clinic

This paper describes the process and impact of community progressive mural-making in an HIV/AIDS outpatient clinic. The words and drawings in these murals were the spontaneous expressions of the patients, their families, and the staff at the clinic. Six murals were created over a period of seven months and were housed in the lobby of the clinic. The project revealed unique insights into the inner experiences of the individual patients, and into the culture of the HIV/AIDS clinic community. This paper highlights the parallels between group dynamics, the group art therapy process, and the development of a community culture through the creation a symbolic therapeutic group in a progressive mural.