The Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation is launching “Art and Autism,” a series of three specially designed art workshops for children on the autism spectrum and children with disabilities ages 7 to 12.
Developed in collaboration with the SPELL Center for Speech, Language and Learning and Elisavet Kyriakopoulou, the program will take place on three Sundays — October 4, November 8 and December 20, from 4 to 5:15 p.m.
The workshops are designed to give children an enjoyable, adapted creative experience while encouraging self-expression through visual art and positive interaction with their peers and accompanying parent or caregiver.
Each workshop stands alone and draws inspiration from works in the foundation’s permanent collection. Led by specialized educators Katerina Zervou, a visual artist, special education teacher and art therapist, and Vanda Panagiotou, a special education teacher, the sessions introduce participants to a different artist each time.
Through painting, clay, collage, textures and printmaking, the children will experiment with different materials and techniques, using art as a way to play, imagine and create. They will also take their own artwork home at the end of each session.
The workshops will be held in the foundation’s Children’s Workshop, with participation limited to 16 people — eight children and eight parents or accompanying adults. Admission is free, but advance online registration is required through the foundation’s website.
Image courtesy of B&E Goulandris Foundation.
Three artists, three creative approaches
The first workshop, on October 4, focuses on Pablo Picasso. Inspired by Picasso’s Gothic Jug with Leaves, children will explore the artist’s distinctive forms, lines, colors and patterns through audiovisual material and observation games. They will also discover Picasso’s relationship with ceramics and his experimentation with different materials.
Using clay, leaf prints, tempera paints and brushes, participants will paint on transparent canvas and create their own decorative artwork.
The second workshop, on November 8, turns to Roy Lichtenstein and the world of pop art. Inspired by Sunrise, children will examine the artist’s bold colors, clean lines and comic-book-inspired patterns. Observation games and creative activities will introduce them to Ben-Day dots, color combinations and dynamic compositions as they create their own pop art pieces.
The final workshop, on December 20, explores the colorful world of Henri Matisse, with a focus on collage, shapes and composition. Using The Cowboy and The Nightmare of the White Elephant as starting points, children will experiment with collage and stenciling through games and group activities.
They will then create original three-dimensional ornaments and sensory bottles, combining color, light, movement and imagination in a workshop designed around a festive, holiday atmosphere.
A parent or accompanying adult must be present at all three workshops.
