HeartShare teachers and staff said art gives their students a chance to express themselves that they do not often find elsewhere in life. Anna Gustafson/The Forum Newsgroup
Clinking glasses of bubbly – non-alcoholic – and nibbling on chocolates, the attendees of an art show in Richmond Hill this week assessed the works on the walls – explosions of multi-colored confetti and thick, Impressionist brush strokes.
Wandering the halls, they smiled and nodded in approval as they read the works’ titles, “Super Fiesta” and “Big and Little, Me and My Dad,” for example, and said it was a thrill to gain some insight into the artists’ minds – especially considering the artists were 3- to 5-year-olds with developmental disabilities.
“They’re really proud of their work,” said Dianne Cattrano, the director of education at HeartShare, a nearly century-old organization that works with children and adults with disabilities in Queens and Brooklyn. “Some of the kids are nonverbal, but you can look at the paintings and tell what they’re thinking or feeling.”
Artwork by the children, who have been diagnosed with such disabilities as speech delays, autism and ADHD, covered the walls of HeartShare’s Richmond Hill site at 115-15 101st Avenue for the organization’s art show. The pieces explored themes of family and literature – some of the art was inspired by “Cat in the Hat” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” – and interests that varied from butterflies to cars. Some pieces were even picked by the staff to send to a Manhattan art gallery that is expected to select a number of works it plans to sell in its own show.
The Richmond Hill First Step program prepares children with disabilities for mainstream kindergarten – and programs like the art therapy help to significantly boost the children’s self-esteem and sense of accomplishment, teachers said.
Dianne Cattrano, director of education at HeartShare, attends her organization’s art show that showed off works by 3- to 5-year-olds, most of whom have disabilities that range from speech delays to autism and ADHD.
“Children with special needs make incredible art,” said Lisa Lindsey, the art therapist at the Richmond Hill HeartShare – which also runs sites in Howard Beach and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. “They enjoy it, embrace it and don’t shy away from it. It gives them a chance to show who they are in the world.”
Special education teacher Ronni Bode said she noticed a significant change among her students while they were doing artwork.
“It’s a cathartic experience, a sensory experience, for them,” Bode said. “Everyone is equal when it comes to art.”
Helen Montoya, a teacher’s assistant, said her students quickly fell in love with the art program and “wanted to do it all day long.”
“And they can concentrate so much on it, which is impressive,” Montoya said.
Teachers also noted that they learned from their students during the art program – to let go a little, to enjoy the process and to be not so concerned with the final outcome.
Pointing to a sign with a quote by Pablo Picasso that she hung above a number of paintings of butterflies and cars, Cattrano said its message was something her young artists constantly reminded her of: “Every child is an artist – the problem is staying an artist when you grow up,” it reads.
By Anna Gustafson
