An innovative art program for people with disabilities in Lake Macquarie is delivering benefits that reach far beyond the gallery walls where their freshly minted works are hung.
The IncludingYOU initiative at the Museum of Art and Culture, yapang, saw more than 20 people with disability from 13 local service providers pick up pens, pencils and paintbrushes to explore their creativity over a 12-week course.
The works they produced have been turned into a new exhibition titled IncludingYOU, Including Me, Including Us, that opened at MAC yapang on Thursday 15 August.
Lake Macquarie Mayor Kay Fraser said the exhibition celebrated the contributions and creativity of people who live with disability, and how far society has come since the UN declaration of International Day of People with Disability in 1992.
“The results of this exhibition are truly fantastic, and that’s not just the beautiful artworks that now adorn the MAC yapang gallery’s walls,” Cr Fraser said.
“Participants surveyed after completing the program overwhelmingly agreed that it helped connect them to more people, increased their feeling of empowerment and made them feel more included and confident.”
“These are real, lasting impacts that testify to the value of making art programs like this accessible for everyone in the community, regardless of ability.”
Cr Fraser congratulated the 13 service providers who helped coordinate participants to make the plan a success.
“It’s no mean feat to get everyone organised for a program like this, but the biggest thank you and congratulations must go to the wonderful artists themselves,” she said.
The exhibition will be on display at MAC yapang until 13 October and will then move to the new Windale Hub until February 2025.
