Meet the Artists Reception Held For Ascension Collection
May 15, 2019 | News
MEET THE ARTISTS RECEPTION HONORING ARTISTS WITH AUTISM AND OTHER SPECIAL NEEDS
Special Exhibit at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at LIU Post
OLD BETHPAGE, NY – Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE) held a Meet the Artists Reception to honor special needs artists participating in their Fine Art and Art Therapy Programs. Those artists have their collection entitled “Ascension” exhibited at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at LIU Post through June 12, 2019.
“The way the individuals we are privileged to serve express themselves through their art is truly moving,” said Robert S. Budd, CEO, FREE. “Exhibitions, such as this one, are so important. They allow the larger community the ability to see the talents each of the artists possess, and realize that art truly has no limits,” he continued.
FREE, a leader in the field of human services dedicated to helping individuals of all abilities realize their full potential believes that Art Therapy provides a powerful means for healing and communication for anyone, but especially for people who find it difficult to express their thoughts and feelings through spoken words alone.
You are witness to the enormous courage and strength needed to take on the challenge of creating a free form abstract painting. Throughout the eleven months it took to complete our process, weekly emotional and spiritual self-revelation spiraled our artists to ever mounting artistic heights allowing them to find their voices and “talk to us” through the mystical, hidden language of images, colors and symbols.
“Ascension” consists of wide ranging depictions of different elements of nature. Skies, land forms, water and other natural elements span across all the canvases displaying the artists’ connection to our world and the pathway to creativity. The artists worked through nine stages of creation…. from beginning sketches in pencil to learning how to handle pastels, water colors and finally acrylic paints.
While the artwork is beautiful to look at it is important to recognize the incredible depth of emotional release, intellectual learning and work skills development that took place over months of work with all FREE’s dedicated staff. It was their patience and unerring commitment to “stay the course” and believe that our artists could reach high to not only “see their healing image”, but also commit it to permanent form for all to share in their vision.