A licensed art therapist on 32nd Street is adding a therapeutic twist to Newport Beach's inaugural Art Week, offering daily creative sessions aimed at helping children decompress through art.

Diana Shabtai, Psy.D., ATR-BC, will lead "Soothing Self-Care Summer" classes at her Art Therapy OC studio, 432 32nd Street, from Sunday, Aug. 9 through Saturday, Aug. 15. Each two-hour session runs 3–5 p.m. and costs $40 per person, with a 10% discount available. Tickets are sold at arttherapyOC.com.

The sessions are billed as expressive self-care therapeutic art classes for kids, according to the city's event calendar. They're part of the city's broader Art Week lineup, which the Newport Beach Arts Commission organized. The Newport Beach Arts Foundation is supporting Art Week this year in lieu of its annual Art in the Park event.

Shabtai founded Art Therapy OC in 2012 in the neighborhood where she grew up. The studio features colorful wall murals, hundreds of art supplies and a therapy dog named Mr. Snickers, according to a 2024 Orange Coast Magazine profile. Art Therapy OC has been voted OC's "Best Creative Kids Camp" and "Best Art Class" five years running, according to the studio's website.

Her approach centers on process over product. "The purpose of art therapy is not to create a masterpiece, but rather, what is most important is the mindful release you feel while doing it," Shabtai told JLife OC in 2018.

Art Therapy OC describes its work as a holistic alternative to talk therapy. Shabtai holds a doctorate in marriage and family therapy and is a board-certified art therapist with degrees from Long Island University and the California School of Professional Psychology in Irvine.

The "Soothing Self-Care Summer" sessions are one piece of a packed Art Week schedule. The celebration opens Sunday, Aug. 9 with a Pacific Symphony concert from 6–7:30 p.m. at the Newport Beach Civic Center and closes Saturday, Aug. 15 with the 59th Annual Newport Beach Art Exhibition at the same location.

Advanced scheduling and payment are required to reserve a spot. Parents can reach Shabtai at 949-751-7698 or [email protected].

Upcoming Art Week events in Newport Beach:

  • Sunday, Aug. 9–Saturday, Aug. 15: "Soothing Self-Care Summer" therapeutic art sessions for kids, 3–5 p.m., 432 32nd Street. $40/person. arttherapyOC.com
  • Sunday, Aug. 9: Pacific Symphony concert, 6–7:30 p.m., Newport Beach Civic Center, 100 Civic Center Drive. Free.
  • Saturday, Aug. 15: 59th Annual Newport Beach Art Exhibition, Newport Beach Civic Center.