Art to celebrate World Autism Day
April 6, 2011
Foundation Art and Design staff from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences have been putting their creative skills to good use in the community through a month-long collaborative art project with Beechwood College (Wales’ only specialist residential college of Further Education dedicated to students over the age of 16 years with an Autism Spectrum Disorder or Asperger’s Syndrome) in Sully, South Wales. The project was fully funded by the Strategic Insight Programme which aims to help university staff develop and build relationships and promote knowledge transfer with external partner organisations
Based on the theme ‘a journey to the beach’, the collaborative project was designed to give students and staff a broader experience of education and learning through creative process and will result in a student exhibition of art work on the University’s Treforest campus during the first week of April 2011. The exhibition will coincide following on from ‘World Autism Day’ on 2 April. Beechwood College students who were involved in the project will be visiting the University on Monday 4 April to view their work as well as meet students from the Glamorgan’s Foundation Art and Design course.
Throughout the project staff from Foundation Art and Beechwood College were able to record and share their experiences in a blog created specifically for the project. Catherine Brown, Lecturer in Foundation Art and Design posted: “This teaching experience is so challenging and makes me question my own behaviour, communication and social interaction. I love it!”
Darren Jackson, Principal of Beechwood College stated:“I am saddened to see this project draw to a close, we look forward to future partnerships with the Foundation Art team that continue to explore the creative talents of those with an ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) ….. The art that has been created within this project is pure, rich in energy and emotion, and full of the passions of those we teach. This project has enriched the lives of all involved and has undoubtedly motivated our students to unleash their inner creativeness.”
The ‘Journey to the beach’ exhibition will be open for viewing from Monday 4 April to Friday 8 April in the University’s Foundation Fine Art Studio, Brecon Building, Treforest Campus. A public exhibition of the work will take place in the Washington Gallery in Penarth between Monday 28 – Wednesday 30 May.
Tagged: Visual Arts
