Special Needs Access Programs

Opening the door to a new world of expression, stimulation, and self growth for special needs individuals and at risk constituencies through uniquely designed art activities is the gift a group of dedicated professionals have given to the Louisville community since 1986. Supported by the Louisville Visual Art Association, the Open Doors Outreach Program has adapted and grown over the years to meet the creative interests of individuals with physical, mental and cognitive disabilities, as well as children at risk and under-served seniors groups. The goals of the Open Doors program are to provide under-served audiences opportunities to participate in self-esteem building, the enhancement of creative and individual artistic expression, and the learning of practical skills that hands-on art experiences offer. This program has touched the lives of some of our communities most under-served citizens and has brought new insights about learning to both students and teachers.

Programming in the early years consisted primarily of six or eight week sessions that included four to six art lessons and two gallery tours. Due to the tremendous response to early sessions, it became necessary to develop additional types of programs to accommodate agencies on a more ongoing and flexible schedule. Under the umbrella of Open Doors, a Tuesday Tour program was instituted in the fall of 1992 to meet those needs, although many of these groups have a routine and continue to return on a regular basis. These tours consist of a guided visit to the current exhibit at the Louisville Visual Art Association, followed by a hands-on art activity that explores the media or subject matter of the exhibit.  

The tours now serve over 500 participants annually and have explored a diverse amount of art processes from collage and painting to plaster sculptures and wax castings. An out-growth of the Tuesday Tours has been Studio Adventures classes, which provide a more in-depth experience and allows participants to produce a finished art work. These sessions have explored such diverse media as fiber art, ceramics, watercolor painting and papermaking. During the first eight months of offerings, the Studio Adventure classes served over 200 participants. With these off site multi-week classes, the Tuesday Tours and the Studio Adventure classes, Open Doors provides opportunities for first time, to experienced participants. Over the years that Open Doors has provided art activities in Louisville and Southern Indiana communities, many talented expressive therapists and professional artists have worked with the Louisville Visual Art Association staff to design and deliver classes.
 
Services are also offered for after-school groups such as: the Southeastern Asian Americans Americana Apartment Community Center which serves a primarily Asian immigrant minority population; Liberty House, a shelter for the homeless; the Louisville Deaf Oral School; Shelby Elementary School, an inner city school with a high at-risk population of children and Buckner Alternative High School in Oldham County which also serves at-risk students. Local professional artists are often teamed with the art therapists to elevate the art experience. For example, several visiting artists have worked with children to create large scale murals at various sites in the Louisville area, leaving art works that will enrich the lives of all who see them.
 
A hallmark of the Open Doors program is its ability to adapt to the special needs of the groups and individuals that it serves. It insures disenfranchised men, women and children opportunities for creative participation in the life of the community and the world of art. It fosters emerging talents, uses art to activate creativity, and engages in innovative means of expanding dialogue among a diverse and eager audience. New programs are sure to evolve as new participants are found and as individual and group needs change, but the consistency of involvement, care, growth and stimulation will remain the critical factor in Open Doors.