Sarah Stone
Service Coordinator RMHC Rocky Mountain Human Services
I have been an artist all my life and a service coordinator at RMHS for six years. I have worked with and heard about clients in our developmental disability services who have unique creative talents but few outlets to share them. Even more importantly, these artists don’t have many opportunities to join together with fellow artists and have a sense of belonging as a group.
Seeing this, I was driven both as an artist and a social worker to create opportunities for our clients that will afford them a sense of community and the ability to grow as artists. Thus, the Art Impacts! project was born. It will start with an initial targeted 8-week art workshop for our adult clients with developmental disabilities.
Damon McLeese, Executive Director at Very Special Arts (VSA)/Access Gallery, has been a crucial partner in bringing these ideas to life, and the workshop experience would not be possible without him. VSA traditionally works with teenagers transitioning to adulthood, giving them the tools to grow as artists and allowing them an opportunity to show their work in a very inclusive setting. Damon and I have worked together, along with the outstanding support of an internal committee at RMHS, to coordinate this 8-week workshop.
The experience will give participating artists the opportunity to learn about the genre of Pop Art, develop their own art based on this theme and with the guidance of working artists bring their ideas to fruition. The culmination of this workshop will be a private gallery showing in mid-November and a First Friday gallery showing on December 6 at
VSA/Access Gallery in the Santa Fe Arts District in Denver.
My long-term goal is to have the clients who participate in this initial project (as well as others who show interest and dedication) to continue to work together to inspire one another, participate in further educational opportunities with working artists and receive the support needed to have their work hung in other galleries and businesses.
This first collaboration with VSA will certainly have an immediate effect on our clients and in the community. However, I also hope it serves to build a solid base for long-term community collaboration. We’ve also found great financial supports from Sipping n’ Painting and from
Nostalgia, a service provider for our clients. Nostalgia’s foundation,
Xcel Beyond, is fully funding this first workshop with VSA.
I can’t say enough about how much I appreciate all the support for this project and people’s excitement about it—it’s been wonderful. And I can’t wait to see all of the unique art that’s been created and how the experience has impacted our clients!
