Field Trip to the Palm Beach Fine Craft Show a big hit with Students Enrolled in the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Program at Wellington High School
Wellington, FL – For the past three years, Wellington based nonprofit ArtStart has been delivering arts education programs to Wellington high school students who have been diagnosed with intellectual disabilities and autism. For the second year in a row, that education included a trip to the recently concluded Palm Beach Fine Craft Show, where eighteen students enjoyed seeing, touching and learning about contemporary American craft.
“They love this event so much,” said ArtStart founder and president Jeannette Pomeroy Parssi, who led the students on a tour of the show. “The students were so engaged,” she said, “and full of questions for the artists; who were more than happy to talk about their work. Some encouraged the students to touch the work, or the materials used to create it, which went over very well with everyone.”
Initial funding for the program with Wellington’s ESE students is being provided by ArtStart’s board of directors. The program is fully funded for the 2013-2014 school year, and “hopefully we can secure funding to continue into the next school year,” said Parssi.
The goal of Wellington-based ArtStart, Parssi explained, “is to make the arts accessible to all.” To that end, the organization has worked with a number of area non-profits to develop and implement art programs that address specific needs and help forward its goals. “We worked with the Mental Health Association, for example, to create a program that used theater to teach important life lessons to kids and teens,” said Parssi. “A program we delivered to the Potentials Charter School, which is part of the ARC of Palm Beach County, allowed students with severe disabilities to create their very own works of art; we also took those kids to museums and galleries, so they could enjoy the wonderful artwork on display.”
Anyone wishing to make a donation in support of this or other ArtStart projects should contact Jeannette Pomeroy Parssi at (561) 635-2037, or visit the ArtStart website at www.ArtStartInc.org