Studio Note #4- Importance of Accessibility

Hi everyone, it’s Clara! Welcome to the fourth blog of Studio Notes. I’d like to share the experiences I’ve gained from tying in art when teaching young students at Gigi’s Playhouse, an organization for people with Down Syndrome. 

Growing up, I attended an elementary school known for its classrooms. This meant that we had an Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) system, where classes with disabled and non-

disabled students learned together. We had two teachers per class instead of one, and oftentimes the classrooms were more spacious to attend to everyone’s needs. 

Years later, I find myself dedicated to enhancing this idea of accessibility; not just physical accessibility, like ramps and elevators, but emotional accessibility as well. I continue to ponder how we can create a society that ties in the arts to make everyone feel the sense of excitement, inclusion, and wonder we feel as artists.

When I first joined Gigi’s Playhouse, I entered two programs: the math program, and the literacy program. As I began to teach students within the math program, I continuously made sure to ask them: what’s your favorite book? Favorite color? Favorite show? I found that when I tied personal elements into lessons, their excitement for learning spurred. As we made it further into the semester, I began to integrate artistic aspects into their lessons. If we were learning multiplication, we could create collages and cut outs to visually see the math in front of us. If we were working on word problems, students could create small drawings and paintings to understand what they were being asked to solve. I found that tying art into a discipline not typically seen as artistic, like math, made the learning process easier and more exciting. 

The same went for when I taught students within the literacy department. One of my students, Emely, loves Disney films, the color pink, and country music. So, as we work on developing her ability to read and write, we simultaneously tie in little drawings and collages of the aspects of her life that she loves to write about. Last week, as she worked on writing a poem, I guided her through the different poetic devices: onomatopoeia, alliteration, hyperbole. We practiced writing poems with these devices, making sure to write about the things that brought her joy (pink cupcakes and princesses were a prominent theme). As she wrote out the stanzas, I encouraged her to simultaneously tie in drawings. She happily agreed, and since then, we make it a ritual to always tie in some sort of artistic element in her writing. I have found that it not only makes her smile, but it helps her understand the writing process so much more. 

Photograph of Matisse- capturing how physical inability does not inherently prohibit someone from creating art

Art is so often overlooked in education; I believe, however, that it is an essential aspect of human nature. Not everybody has to be the kind of artist that paints hours each day, but I do believe that linking artistic elements into our lives can make it so much more meaningful. 

It is crucial that we continue to increase access to the arts for all groups of people. If we can understand the importance of making our community artistically accessible, our society can move one step closer to achieving true equity.

Until the next note!

Clara