Arla Patch collection, 2012

Full finding aid (pdf)

Collection Scope and Content

The collection contains an essay Patch wrote for the Lewiston Sun Journal.

Biographical/Historical Note

Arla Patch is an artist, writer and “creativity midwife.” Using art as a tool for healing and personal transformation, she has worked with cancer survivors, teenagers and those recovering from sexual abuse, domestic violence, and substance abuse. Patch grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania until her family moved to Southeast Asia. She graduated from high school in Bangkok, Thailand, then attended Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA and Rome, Italy. She completed her graduate work at Indiana University, Bloomington.

She is the author of two books: A Body Story and Finding Ground: Girls and Women in Recovery. Patch’s interest in healing also led to her involvement with the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She is continuing to work on indigenous rights education in Pennsylvania, where she now resides.