| The Creative Process Helping Artists with Disabilities Hattie Larlham’s Creative ARTs Program By Phylliss Steiner
Begun in June 2007, Hattie Larlham Creative ARTs engages children and adults with mental retardation and developmental disabilities, regardless of cognitive or physical ability, in a variety of artistic activities. Inspired by the work of the Matheny Arts Access Program and ART Realizations in New Jersey, the program utilizes a variety of processes from laser pointers to show on the canvas where an artist wants to begin by using point systems, splatter techniques, and string, geometric and shaping tools. Professional artists, called trackers, work with the artists and become the arms of the individual artist to help ensure that all of their choices are met. The connection between the artists and tracker is ultimately the success of this program. It may take many sessions for the two of them to understand each other and make a meaningful connection, but once the artist and the tracker understand what yes is and it’s meaning, in whatever shape that may come, the creativity begins. Some art pieces may take up to a year to complete. Each artist has a one-on-one session each week with a tracker. Currently, paintings are on display at various locations throughout Northeast Ohio and most are available for sale. All proceeds from each piece sold goes directly to the artists themselves in a specialized trust. Currently the Creative ARTs program is providing this creative outlet for 62 painters. Recently Creative ARTs was broadened to include four individuals in the music program and five individuals in pottery. As the program grows, more individuals will be given the opportunity to create in other ways such as poetry, tapestry, digital art and videography. Meet Gail
Gail is an artist who knew right away that working with the Creative ARTs program would be special. She finished her first painting very quickly. Her skills and connection with the trackers is very evident from the progression of her paintings. She has finished two paintings and is current working on a third. Shown here is Gail’s second painting. It is a deliberate painting using the string method where she navigates through the painting with string. This allows her to bend and twist her ideas for this composition. She mixed all of the colors one-by-one for the different sections and chose the shapes and lines intricately. She is currently working on a third painting, where she is again working with the string method to make her choices. Meet Nick
Complications with Nick’s positioning and vision slowed his start in the ARTs program. However, trackers now have a reliable system in place to make painting for Nick not only possible but easy. Since the completion of his first painting in February 2008, Nick has become a pioneer of the Hattie Larlham ARTs program. In Nick's painting, shown here, the solid magenta circle was the first thing he painted, but he quickly changed style—becoming fascinated with mixing several colors. Many of Nick's sessions were spent choosing and mixing upwards of 12 different colors. Next, Nick chose to paint the half-circle's outline and then moved on to the ground color. To do so, Nick chose to throw a tool that was filled with multi-hued over and over again across the painting (sheltering his painted shapes with tape) and then finally added the circle. The most interesting process detail about this piece is that it was created entirely through a mirror. Because of Nick's spinal development, he is positioned horizontally in his chair and is thus always looking up. With the installation of a mirror to his chair, Nick was able to see his painting on the wall—ultimately allowing him to paint through an angle of reflection. At present, his work is characterized by the dozens of colors he only partially blends on one canvas, in one stroke. The result is a mottled landscape that is very intricate if you get close enough to look. Meet Angela, or A.J.
A.J. began the painting shown above on the first day we started the program. She let it sit for awhile as she wanted to work on something else. Then the tracker tried something new with A.J. on this piece and played some distinct music while she was painting. A.J. chose a classic orange and painted much of the painting with that, using the laser. She was very interested in the point system at the beginning of this painting. A.J mixed colors and made numerous decisions for this painting. After six sessions, A.J. decided she was done and wanted to work on her other project! For more information about Creative ARTs Program, contact: Phylliss Steiner, Director Tel: 1-800-233-8611 x 3013 Email: Phylliss.steiner@hattielarlham.org Visit: www.hattielarlham.org Return to Ezine Index | You are in the Manhattan Arts Ezine
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