Adams Art Gallery to feature works created by artists with disabilities

The Photo on the right shows John Pawlak working on a painting in The Resource Center’s “Creations” art program.

The Adams Art Gallery will exhibit works by artists with disabilities from The Resource Center.

The exhibit is titled “Making the Impossible Possible” and will be on display July 8 through August 2.  An opening reception will be held July 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The exhibit was arranged by Kristen Briggs, TRC’s art teacher.  Ms. Briggs has been teaching art to persons with cognitive disabilities at The Resource Center for about four years.  She has arranged several exhibits in the Jamestown area, but this is the first public exhibit in the Dunkirk area of TRC’s artists.

It also marks the largest exhibit yet of TRC artwork – Ms. Briggs selected some 100 pieces for the Adams Art Gallery exhibit, enough works to fill three of the gallery’s exhibit spaces.

The artwork was created by individuals in TRC’s art program, which is called Creations.  Most of the artists participate in one of the five day habilitation programs The Resource Center operates in Dunkirk and Jamestown.  There also will be about a dozen works created by artists in TRC’s program for people with traumatic brain injuries.

The exhibit features paintings, ceramics and pieces made with fibers.  Each piece will include information about the artists and the process involved in creating the work.  Ms. Briggs wants gallery visitors to get to know the artists, and she also wants to drive home the point that although some of the works may appear to be simple, it can take an artist with disabilities “hours, weeks or months” to create a work.

“Making the Impossible Possible” has a double meaning: while reflective of the concept of supporting individuals with cognitive impairments to create wonderful art, the exhibit’s theme also touches on the goal of having the Adams Art Gallery become accessible to people with physical disabilities.  Toward those ends, Ms. Briggs will be holding two public workshops at the gallery during the exhibits run.

On Thursday, July 22, she will teach a workshop on acrylic painting, with an emphasis on flowers.  The workshop is suitable for artists of all ages and abilities.  Easels, acrylic paints, brushes, canvases, and pallets will be provided.

On Friday, July 23, Ms. Briggs will conduct a workshop on creating a community mural.  This workshop will enable non-disabled people to work side by side with artists from The Resource Center.  The workshop is designed for people of all ages, and Ms. Briggs wants a lot of children will attend.  People will be given a piece of canvas and have the opportunity to express themselves artistically using whatever media they desire.  At the end, the different pieces of canvas will be put together and affixed to a giant piece of wood.  Ms. Briggs hopes the mural will be hung somewhere in Dunkirk so that the entire community can enjoy it.

Each workshop costs $15 (“You can’t find a workshop for that price around here,” Ms. Briggs said.)  The workshops run from 10:00 to 2:00, and participants are encouraged to bring a bagged lunch.  To register, visit the Adams Art Gallery web site at www.adamsart.org.  Proceeds from the workshops will go toward a fund to raise money to finance renovations to make the gallery more accessible for people who use wheelchairs.

Ms. Briggs is enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with the Adams Art Gallery, and there already is talk of a second exhibit next year.  But mostly, she is excited that artists with disabilities from Dunkirk will have the chance to receive the same public acclaim as has been enjoyed by TRC’s Jamestown-area artists at exhibits in southern Chautauqua County.

“I want the Dunkirk artists to have the same sense of pride, to be able to say, `This is mine, I created it, and it’s on the wall of a gallery,’” she said.

The Adams Art Gallery is located at 600 Central Avenue.  The exhibit is free.  Gallery hours are 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Fridays and noon to 4:00 on Saturdays.  For this exhibit, there will be special extended hours Thursdays and Fridays from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.  During those extended hours, artists with disabilities and their support staff from The Resource Center will be opening the gallery for visitors.

For more information, contact the art gallery at 366-7450 or The Resource Center at 483-2344.