Painter and art teacher of Greensboro
www.arc-of-hp.com
WINNING THE MAYOR'S AWARD FOR TEACHER OF THE ARTS
It's nothing I knew about, nothing I thought about. It's just that I got a call one day. It was a real honor and a pleasant evening with the mayor and her husband. Thank you, thank you to everybody who has something to do with it.
CREATING EXCEPTIONAL FRIENDS ARTS STUDIO
Exceptional Friends Arts Studio started 10 years ago. I had worked for the Department of Exceptional Children of Guilford County Schools for 15 years at Gateway Education Center. I was a substitute teacher and then was an assistant teacher at Kiser and then Grimsley High School. The last year at Grimsley, we were very fortunate to have some extra space, which freed me up to try a studio, establish a studio setting. I decided to step out in faith to see if the need for special programs could be met by an art studio. So, I retired at 60 from Guilford County Schools and established Exceptional Friends Arts Studio. The focus is structure and working with folks with special needs and recognizing that in the art studio.
THE STUDIO'S PURPOSE
The purpose of Exceptional Friends Art Studio is twofold -- to provide a productive day and to connect to community. That's the simplicity of it, and that's why it works so well. Presently, I'm serving adults in Greensboro, High Point and Burlington. I partnership with nonprofits. We focus on painting, and at least once a year, each of the programs has a fundraiser to show off the paintings and to raise funds to keep the programs going.
It's making things, it's seeing results and then being able to have ownership of it and show it off, share it in a sense. It's giving back to the community. That's a big thing for all of us, to get outside of isolation and connect.
HIS WORK
The Arc of High Point (advocacy center for people living with developmental disabilities) is where I partnership. I established another studio, a second studio (there). I go there once a week, and I see the adults that are affiliated with the Arc of High Point. I also work in Burlington with Friendship Adult Day Services. There I have a studio working with a number of folks with a number of challenges.
PAINTING FOR A PURPOSE
It's my job to find an adaptive way for the artists to be productive. Some of the artists have very limited movement because of cerebral palsy -- maybe one arm works a little bit. Other artists have intellectual challenges, but to me, the studio for the artist is like a ship for a sailor -- you have to have the studio to create the kind of climate that's friendly and safe. That's what we have here.
Painting is a wonderful avenue to fall down and get back up again. I tell everyone in the studio, "We don't make mistakes; we fix things." Folks return weekly with enthusiasm, focus and the gift of patience. I'm extremely fortunate. The families continue to shout gratitude and shed tears. Paintings are magnetic; they draw people closer together. It is amazing.
WHY PAINTING IS IMPORTANT
Everybody needs to produce something and to be recognized for it. Painting allows for a lot of surprises. Not only is it an avenue of creativity or inventiveness, painting also requires a structure and a routine to achieve results. Structure I think is very much a part of how we all live at best. The adults in the population have somewhere to get up for and have a nice place to go to be guided, to be productive, to have a finished product and then to get rewarded for it. That's why it's important. It has to do with enhancing the opportunities for connecting with communities.
LIFE'S LITTLE REWARDS
This model allows me to do what I want to do. For over half my life, I did it alone, and that didn't work out so well. Now, I can be engaged with others, and it's a much happier life, a much more joyful life.
This whole thing is a surprise to me because my life changed in my mid-40s, and in essence, I started over again. I got some help that I needed. Someone took me to a Bible study.
Sobriety has played a big role. My studying and accepting biblical principles, starting in my mid-40s, saved me from daydreaming about success to being surprised by joy and opportunities. There's a tremendous satisfaction in creative partnerships and celebrating achievement.
EXERCISING PATIENCE
People comment on my patience, and I merely say my patience has improved over what it used to be. My patience is with my artists -- that's the talent they bring to the table (along with) perseverance and enthusiasm.
The fact that we slow down a little bit in here makes me maybe look a little younger than I am. I'm 70. There is a daily enjoyment of fresh and surprising work plus the glee on the faces of the studio artists.
---- Laura Smith
