ABSTRACT

Drawing on nearly a century of combined experience in clinical practice, program development, scholarship, teaching, and international collaboration, this article traces the intellectual, ethical, and geographical arc of the authors’ work through what we describe as “a century in the circle.” This “century” represents not only the passage of time but a living continuum of relationships, influences, and shared creative inquiry shaped by colleagues, mentors, students, friends, and communities across the world. Framed through the lens of expressive arts, the article reflects on the evolution of arts-based approaches to healing, education, community engagement, and intercultural dialogue within rapidly changing global contexts. Portions of this article were originally presented as part of a keynote address at the International Symposium of Creative Arts Therapies presented by Inspirees Institute and Orpea, China, on May 29, 2026. Rooted in foundational theoretical and pedagogical lineages and extended across diverse global contexts, we view our work in the creative and expressive arts as not simply as methods or applications but as relational and civic practices essential in contexts of conflict, rupture, and transformation. Carried across generations and geographies, this work is continually reshaped through dialogue, exchange, and lived experience. The article explores key themes across our work: trauma as something to be witnessed rather than erased; resilience as creative transformation; the ethics of caregiving and containment; and community and ritual as sites of collective healing. It also reflects on the global circulation of arts-based knowledge and the role we have played in the evolving recognition of the arts in education, community health, and therapy. We conclude by considering the ongoing legacy of mentorship and field-building, one that remains, by design, open, relational, and always in motion.