Students display their works at MMI art event

The Munroe-Meyer Institute held its inaugural Advocacy in the Arts Program exhibition on June 3, spotlighting the work of artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities who took part in the program.

"Students were asking for opportunities to do art," said Rachel Ray, who oversees the program for MMI’s University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. "The program started out very small, with just a few workshops, and now it’s grown into four workshops each week and several on Saturday. We have students who are interested in arts for employment, who want to become professional artists or involved in museum curation, so we do a lot of work in training in arts for employment."

Program participant Sophia Kazmierski displays her art books at the event.

The exhibit included drawing, painting, sculpture and other media.

"We try to do as many artistic media as possible," Ray said. "A lot is student-led – if a student expresses an interest in sculpture and metalsmithing, we’ll try doing that."

The program draws interest from professional artists who want to support the MMI art students, as well, Ray said. One of the artist/instructors, who also is a program supporter, was on hand for the event.

Sculptor Robert Dewaele said he was excited to be part of the program, showing off his students’ wood, clay and bronze pieces on display.

"I stumbled into this, but I’ve gotten so much out of it," said Dewaele who also created the Robert S. Dewaele MMI Preparation for Resilience and Achievement Fund. "I’m so proud of the students – the quality of their work, their interest in the program – they were immersed in the process, that was obvious."

Creativity has enriched his own life, he said, so it was a joy to pass on his knowledge to the young artists.

In addition to allowing participants to express artistic creativity, the nine-month-long workshop provides other benefits, Ray said.

"We work on social skills, on meeting new people," she said. "The students work on making choices and having their own autonomy when it comes to being an artist."