MMI, J.P. Lord team to showcase student’s art

A billboard sponsored by the Munroe-Meyer Institute is prominently featured on Saddle Creek Road as part of the Youth Art Month Billboard Project of the Omaha Public Schools.

The billboard, which is located on the west side of Saddle Creek Road near Emile Street, features artwork by Brenda Espinoza, a 21-year-old student in the adaptive art program at J.P. Lord School.

J.P. Lord, an OPS school located next to MMI, serves students with special needs as a result of intellectual and physical conditions such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and other diagnoses. MMI works closely with J.P Lord to serve their students.

Brenda Espinoza’s billboard can be seen on the west side of Saddle Creek Road near Emile Street.

“It’s really a collaborative relationship,” said J.P. Lord Principal Laura Mac-Holmes. “We work with a lot of the occupational and physical therapists, and also our psychologist is from MMI. They work a lot with our youngsters on range of motion, wheelchair fittings, weight-bearing exercises and many other things.”

Art teacher Joseph Gregory helped Espinoza, who is due to graduate from J.P. Lord this year.

“This is a cooperative type of art,” he said. “We’re working with the student hand-over-hand in most cases, but we strive for independence. That’s the number one goal, that each child makes his or her mark in the world. Whether it’s a little line or a big line, it’s theirs, and that’s the important thing.”

Since Espinoza is not verbal, Gregory is alert for signals that she is enjoying the work and happy with the art.

“As an educator, I have to slow down and look at her, to form a relationship in terms of her facial expressions, her body movement, whether I think she likes the work,” he said. “It’s not as overt as if you have somebody who communicates verbally. But we know they like to do this and to be involved. And that’s the main mission, to form a relationship with these kids.”

MMI also is happy to have a relationship with J.P. Lord and its students.

“MMI is pleased and proud to sponsor Brenda’s artwork,” said Wayne Stuberg, Ph.D., interim director of MMI. “We value our collaboration with the caring staff and remarkable students at J.P. Lord.”

Gregory chose Espinoza’s artwork from among the rest of her classmates for the billboard program on the basis of its size and colors. A reception honoring Espinoza and the other OPS student artists will be held on April 26.