MARY KATHLEEN "MICKIE" MCGRAW, ATR-BC, HLM, age 82, passed away on December 16, 2023. Beloved sister of Sheila and Patrick Foley; dearest friend of Martha Stitt; loving aunt of Patrick Foley (Julie) and Mary O'Connor (Kevin); Great Aunt of James Foley (Katie), Patrick Foley (Margaret), Maggie Schultz (Ryan), Tim Foley (Bekah), Joseph Foley (fiancee Maeve Gerrity), Kate Foley, John Paul Foley, Kevin Foley, Geno O'Connor, Annie O' Connor, and Eamon O'Connor; great great aunt of Patrick Foley, John Foley, Finnian Foley, Joseph Foley, Richard Foley, and Lucy Foley. Mickie was dearly loved by may cousins.

Mickie was diagnosed with polio when she was eleven and as a result was permanently paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Despite this, she lived a very full life. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from the Cleveland Institute of Art and a Master's Degree in Counseling from John Carroll University. She became a pioneering Art Therapist who, driven by her own life experiences, made it her life's work to share the life-enhancing role of creativity with people who are in some way confined by injury or illness.

Mickie began her career teaching art at an elementary school. After several years she joined the Highland View Hospital Graphic Arts Department where she met Dr. George Streeter.  Together, in 1967, they founded the Art Studio at Metro General Hospital, now known as The Art Therapy Studio, to help patients deal with illness and handicaps through the creative process of the arts. The program grew, offering community-based programs for patients following their release from the hospital. For the past 50+ years, the Art Therapy Studio, a not-for-profit organization, has served more than 50,000 people throughout Cuyahoga and neighboring counties in a variety of settings.

Mickie was a founding member of the Buckeye Art Therapy Association and served in many capacities during her tenure there.  She was also active in the American Art Therapy Association and worked tirelessly to pass legislation to license art therapists in Ohio. She was instrumental in creating the Art Therapy education program at Ursuline College. She became a part-time faculty member for the Graduate Art Therapy and Counseling Program and served as a consultant on art-therapy education and program development.

Over the years she has presented workshops and contributed articles on the benefits of Art Therapy to various books and journals. She exhibited her own art and participated in the Art Challenge Group.

In 2010, Mickie was awarded the Cleveland Arts Prize for her many accomplishments and leadership in the Cleveland arts community.  Mickie was also featured in the film, "Yes You Can! The Story of Mickie McGraw and the Art Therapy Studio" in 2012, documenting her groundbreaking work in the field of art therapy.

Mickie was a loving, talented and creative person who not only touched the lives of many, but brought beauty, hope and healing to all those she encountered.

Friends may call at THE FERFOLIA FUNERAL HOME, 356 WEST AURORA RD. (OH RT 82), SAGAMORE HILLS, FOR VISITATION ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 FROM 3-7 P.M. Funeral Saturday, December 23, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. at the funeral home. Mass of Christian Burial 10:00 a.m. at St. Barnabas Catholic Church. To allow all who loved Mickie to grieve together, a live stream of her Mass of Christian Burial will be available at http://tinyurl.com/McGrawMass .  Private family interment services will be celebrated at All Souls Cemetery in Chardon, OH. Mickie's life will also be celebrated in Spring, 2024 at an event to be announced later. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested in her name to The Art Therapy Studio, 12200 Fairhill Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44120.

The Art Therapy Studio
12200 Fairhill Road, Cleveland OH 44120
Web: https://swipesimple.com/links/lnk_f03da3f7