An award-nominated program welcomes one and all for an open house, just in time for a province-wide celebration of the arts this weekend.
The art therapy program at Chrysalis is throwing open the doors to the public at the start of Alberta Arts Days on Friday. The 42-year-old centre provides a variety of personalized services that assist individuals with disabilities in the Edmonton and St. Albert areas to achieve their life goals related to employment, volunteerism and recreation. This one program has been available for three years now and it has become a very popular one, boasting a current roster of 30 students.
According to Matt Mandrusiak, manager of corporate communications, as the number of registrants blossoms, so does the quality of their work and the personal benefit to each artist in turn.
“It’s been pretty amazing. We produced hundreds of pieces of art [last year],” he said, adding word of the program has allowed the organization to display some pieces at the Edmonton International Airport. “We’ve developed some pretty amazing relationships. The program itself is taking off.”
The event will allow visitors to see the creative process for themselves. Apart from a display of completed works, art instructor Gonzalo Canales will also have some of the current members in the studio diligently attending to their next creations. He has seen how the program has made positive changes in their lives.
“The freedom to express the true form of creative thought has proven to be an impressive outlet for the individuals participating in the art studio. Their development has been truly remarkable.”
Many of the pieces on display will also be available for purchase, with 70 per cent of the proceeds going to the artist and the rest back to the program.
The open house will also mark the last major event to take place in the current art studio. Because of its popularity, a new and larger art studio is nearing completion in the basement of the Chrysalis building. This means the program will also branch out to include a clay area so artists will have even more creative outlets available to them. The new studio is set to open Sept. 24.
