Sometimes finding the right words can be tricky, but you can draw something or express it through art, and it encourages you to let your guard down.
A new art installation at Bridgewater State University’s Hunt Hall showcases colorful work as it celebrates the ways in which the joy of creating can bring people together.
Earlier this year, BSU’s Dr. Margaret Kjelgaard collaborated with EXCEL to bring “Unruly Art” to campus, an activity designed to expose the program’s students to art, inspiring them to create regardless of ability. (EXCEL is a postsecondary program at BSU for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.)
“Art encourages you to use other parts of your brain, it really is valuable. Art can really be powerful.” Kjelgaard said.
During the session, students used paints and canvas to create colorful artworks.
“As the students painted, they worked on goals, taking turns and learning how to work with each other,” Kjelgaard said. “Kids who don’t usually talk to each other, when focused on painting, started to open up and have conversations.”
EXCEL Inclusive Student Life Coordinator Katie Leeco said it was great to watch the students come out of their shells as they painted together.
“I think at first they were a little nervous, but once one person dove in, they all followed. It was a great community event, it created a space where they felt safe and could create,” Leeco said.
BSU students studying communication disorders also attended, Kjelgaard said, and were able to see how art can be incorporated into therapy.
“Some people are sometimes reluctant to use art, but it can be a very effective therapy tool. It can be exciting and interesting for kids, and they get to take something with them, which encourages and opens up conversations at home,” she said.
Kjelgaard co-led the event with Unruly Art founder and MIT Professor Pawan Sinha. Over the years the two have collaborated on autism research. Sinha launched the program in 2012.
According to Kjelgaard, Sinha often travels back to his native India as part of the Project Prakash initiative, a program that brings art to visually impaired children living there.
After seeing the joy and fulfillment children experienced with Project Prakash, he wanted to expand on that experience and Unruly Art was born.
Leeco looks to collaborate with Kjelgaard again, to expose future EXCEL students to the program.
“Unruly Art allowed our students to express themselves in a nontraditional way,” Leeco said. “Sometimes finding the right words can be tricky, but you can draw something or express it through art, and it encourages you to let your guard down.”
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