Meet the Artists Reception Held For TO FLY Collection

OLD BETHPAGE, NY – Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE) hosted a Meet the Artists Reception to honor special needs artists participating in their Fine Art and Art Therapy Programs at the Patchogue-Medford Library.  The artists have their latest collection of NEW abstract paintings entitled TO FLY exhibited at the Patchogue-Medford Library, 54-60 E Main Street, Patchogue, NY.  The exhibit will run from March 1-April 30. All are encouraged to view the works and perhaps purchase a piece.  The proceeds of sales go towards supporting the artist and their program.

“I thank the Patchogue-Medford Library for being a wonderful partner to our artists over the years,” said Robert S. Budd, CEO, FREE.  “I cannot express how much it means to our artists to have their works on exhibit for all the community to see,” he continued.

The collection on display, TO FLY, is a very special exhibition of artwork created by individuals with Autism and other Special Needs, participating in Fine Art and Art Therapy programs at FREE.  The artists represented are the finalists whose quality of work “rose high enough” to have earned a place in this inspired collection.

TO FLY is a series of acrylic polymer paintings that grew out of the feeling of what it would be like to be able to fly. Building on the concept of once accepting one’s own personal power…. there exists an opportunity to spread your wings and take flight!

Our artists immersed themselves into the flowing river of creativity; where healing resides and has the power to rejuvenate and transform life. Throughout the eleven months it took to complete our process, weekly emotional and spiritual self -revelation spiraled our artists to ever mounting artistic heights allowing them to find their voices and “talk to us” through the mystical, hidden language of images and symbols.

TO FLY consists of wide ranging depictions of the differing fantasies of what it would be like to be able to fly. Our artists chose to create different creatures with wings to embody the idea…and after sculpting the forms, painted the canvas with acrylic paints to bring their “fantasy” to life!

While the artwork is beautiful to look at it is important to recognize the depth of emotional release, intellectual learning and work skills development that took place over months of work with all our dedicated staff. It was their patience and unerring commitment to “stay the course” and believe that our artists could reach high to not only “see their healing image”, but also commit it to permanent form for all to share in their vision.

Over the years a lot has been written about the neurological effect of Mindfulness Based Art Therapy and the creative process of spiritual self-expression, especially for individuals who may find it difficult to express their thoughts and feelings through spoken words alone. The images on view are a testament to this healing power, as our artists faced the challenge to “break through” familiar modes of expression and embrace feelings of trust, hope and peace, offering them an alternative to chaos, conflict and fear. This project in creativity has helped fortify the groundwork for our artists’ successful, ongoing contributions to our community through employment, volunteerism and cultural enhancement for us all.

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