Jean Davis

Jean Davis is a professor of art therapy, a licensed creative arts therapist, and a visual artist dedicated to the transformative power and healing properties of creativity. Bridging psychology, environmentalism and art-making, she creates spaces where art becomes a pathway to wellness, connection, and understanding.

Jean is a Full Professor in the Graduate Creative Arts Therapy Department at Pratt Institute, where she has taught since 2000 and served as Chairperson for four years.  During that span, she has led a multitude of graduate courses, mentored hundreds of art therapists and contributed to the growth and evolution of the field of creative arts therapy.

Over three decades of clinical and managerial experience, Jean has supported children, adolescents, adults, and families in settings such as psychiatric hospitals, day treatment programs, schools and a homeless shelter for women coping with mental health issues.  Throughout this time, she maintained a robust private practice serving adults, families and couples.  Constantly underpinning these efforts is her enduring commitment to bringing light, relief and comprehension to those contending with the vexations of mental illness.

Jean is a pioneer in the seminal practice of Environmental Art Therapy, which examines the profound relationship between ecology and human expression.  Through teaching, research, workshops, retreats and conferences, she has expanded the field’s understanding of how the intertwining of nature and creativity can foster resilience, reflection, and renewal.

Jean’s writings have been featured in The Arts in Psychotherapy, Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, Environmental Expressive Therapies: Nature Assisted Theory and Practice, and numerous other publications. She has served on the editorial board of Ecopsychology and has received research fellowships and institutional grants supporting interdisciplinary work at the intersection of art, sustainability, and mental health.

In 2021, Jean co-founded Resurrect Studio, a contemporary glass art studio.  She and her artistic partner, Nancy Wu, convert century-old New York City landfill glass into sculpture that honors history, memory and spirit. Their artwork has been exhibited widely, including at the Venice Glass Week, the Brooklyn Museum, ArtExpo New York, Glass Art Society exhibitions, and museums and galleries throughout Portugal, Costa Rica, Germany, and the United States, and the practice has been featured in New Glass Review, Glass: The UrbanGlass Quarterly, Ecopoiesis Journal, and numerous other publications.