The New York Foundling’s Developmental Disabilities Division Presents:
VisABILITY Art Exhibit 2022
In Fall 2021, participants of The Foundling’s Day Habilitation Program were invited to join in a VisABILITY art workshop series which provided brave spaces for them to explore their voices, experiences, and interests through various creative mediums, discussion, and group sharing.
Throughout 2021, creative facilitators taught introductions to mediums and encouraged diversity of expression, creative use of materials, and encouraged our participants to share the insight and diversity of their experiences.
Click to learn about each workshop below:
“Through My Eyes” Photography Workshop
Bronx and Utica Day Habilitation Programs
In this photography workshop facilitated by Daniel Tobar, photographer, and Carly Johnson, Artists’ Collective* consultant, participants learned about the features of Fujifilm 35mm disposable cameras, which each participant received. Facilitators led discussion on different kinds of photos and what they can communicate. They looked at examples of photographs, from everyday objects and people to pictures of the Black Lives Matter Protests. Participants discussed what they wanted to communicate with their photos before taking a walk around the neighborhood to practice using the parts of the camera, perspective and lighting.
*The Fontana Center Artists’ Collective is facilitated by Carly Johnson, Healing Arts Clinical Coordinator, and Leslie Schmerler, Director of the Fontana Center. The Collective offers trauma-informed creative workshops, mentorship, and performance opportunities to youth in foster care. They explore how creativity can be an avenue for healing, communicating, entrepreneurship, and social change.
“Through My Eyes” Collage Workshop
Bronx and Utica Day Habilitation Programs
Participants met again to review their photographs and discuss their experiences taking photos. They then selected photos to share with the group, frame and title. The group learned about mixed media collages and were invited to create them using including fabric, shells, bottle caps, photos, magazine scraps and words that would further contextualize some of their photos and/or showcase what belonging means to them. Facilitators Carly Johnson, Leslie Schmerler, Daniel Tobar, Mia Joshi and program staff supported participants in selecting magazine cut outs, various mixed media paper scraps and words that reflected participants’ diverse identities and interests. Participants created collages with their photographs and showcased them one at a time at the end of the session.
Identity Poetry Workshop
Bronx Day Habilitation Program
Identity & Acceptance* MSW intern Sally Madigan co-designed and facilitated this identity poetry workshop with Carly Johnson, Mia Joshi and Daniel Tobar. Participants began the session listening to music and designing name tags. Through discussion and free verse poetry writing they explored their identities and what makes them unique. Participants learned about and discussed how identity ranges from race, gender, sexual orientation to hobbies or likes and dislikes. Participants then created poems that reflected who they are, with guidance from prompts and facilitators. To close the session, everyone had the opportunity read their poem at the front of the room and receive glowing reviews from the group.
*The I&A program is a clinical service available to all LGBTQIA youth, their families and youth-serving staff. Staff can request consultations regarding psychoeducation needs, challenges, or questions they may have with a case, youth, family or foster family. Youth and caregivers are welcome to reach out to identity@nyfoundling.org for any resources they seek around gender identity, expression or sexual orientation.
Mixed Media Fashion Design Workshop
Utica Day Habilitation Program
Carly Johnson co-designed this workshop with New York Foundling Mentored Internship Program intern Skyler. Participants explored the way they present themselves, fashion and clothing design and became designers, creating their own designs and articles of clothing. Through discussion and viewing examples of fashion worn in the room, participants generated ideas for their piece. They then explored the different resources available for creating—fabric and paper scraps, glue, magazine cut outs, glitter pens, markers and colored pencils—and began designing on large pieces of mixed media paper. When the group had completed their designs, they did a fashion show to music, walking the “runway” showcasing their piece while the audience clapped and commented.
Watch artists and staff share their experiences:
