Participant Biographies and Project Descriptions
Bonita Maffei
An artist since her early years at Chouinard's Art Institute, in Los Angeles, Bonita’s background is as colorful as her paintings. For over 20 years, she traveled through Europe, studied painting, exhibited and sold her art in England, Germany, South Africa, and the USA. Believing passionately in the value of the arts in the community, Bonita expanded her experiences and for twelve years she lived and worked with the Camphill Communities for developmentally disabled children and adults, teaching art, Eurythmy and Therapeutic Eurythmy. Eurythmy, from the Greek, meaning ‘joy of movement’ or ‘beautiful rhythm’ is an expressive art and movement therapy. Bonita has been instrumental in founding several Eurythmy performing groups, the Association for Therapeutic Eurythmy in North America and also has taught Eurythmy classes and workshops to students at Waldorf Schools and international universities. In addition to her art degree Bonita holds diplomas in Eurythmy Teaching and Therapeutic Eurythmy from Germany, Switzerland, and London.
Bonita’s background as a visual artist and her extensive work at the Camphill Communities, is directing her efforts to teach art and group Eurythmy and individual Therapeutic Eurythmy classes to developmentally disabled adults in North County San Diego. Her art lessons in painting and drawing, and Eurythmy classes are offered to individuals at Community Interface Services in Carlsbad. In her many years of practice, Bonita has observed both subtle and dramatic therapeutic effects on developmentally disabled children and adults with whom she has worked—compelling improvement of health, a rise in levels of concentration, a keener sense of social awareness, and overall feelings of harmony and well being. Her goal for the individuals she will work with is to stimulate, enrich, and bring about a more peaceful state of being through the imaginative exploration of color and artistic therapeutic movement. “It is my hope, she states, “that their inner life of soul will be nourished in a new way, and that they will experience joy in the process.” Eurythmy has the possibility of stimulating the mind and spirit, and harmonizing the physical body in ways these adults would otherwise not experience.
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