news at niad

I'm back at NIAD and still very much enjoying being there. For anyone who doesn't know, NIAD stands for the National Institute of Art and Disabilities and is located in Richmond. It's an art center, open 5 days a week and serving adult artists with disabilities. It actually has a pretty amazing set up, it's a big spacious building broken up into 5 main studios: painting, drawing/mixed media, printmaking, ceramics, and textiles/jewelry. There is also a gift shop, a gallery, and an outside garden and work area. Everything that the artists make is then priced and they earn a precentage of the profit if it's sold. Not a bad set up...sometimes I wish CCA was set up like this.
One of the most interesting things about working here is observing the range of skills and styles amongst the artists. While some people stick with the same medium and themes, others move around and change it up. For the most part I feel like I have gotten to the point where I can match a piece of art to it's creator because everyone has a pretty significant style. I've noticed that some people tend to stick with one medium because working with something else is more challenging or requires more assistance. For about half of the day I work with a man who is now making a series of ceramic figures. I help with the more technical aspects of working with clay, like attachments, while also trying to keep him enthused about working.
The other half of the day, I work with a small group on a project. Recently, we've been making collages in bottle caps and then I'm pouring resin in them. People are choosing to use them as pendents and making necklaces, or as metal broches, etc. They're also making sets of coasters with collage and resin.

It's definitely been rewarding working here and being around so much creativity. I also think I'm constantly learning what teaching techniques are most effective which is always good. That's all for now!