Unexpected art

Dancer/choreographer Dion Alston, performing “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” with dance facilitator Elizabeth Zelesny.

When Robert Schonhorn was president of Matheny in 1993, he posed the question: “Can people with disabilities create fine art?” Nineteen years later, it is clear that the answer is an unqualified “Yes!”

Full Circle 2012: Unexpected Art, the annual celebration of Matheny’s Arts Access Program, was held on Saturday, December 1, in the Robert Schonhorn Arts Center and was dedicated to the man who, along with then medical director Gabor Barabas MD, conceived of and created this unique program, which enables people with disabilities to create fine art, assisted by professional artist-facilitators.

Schonhorn, who died earlier this year, recognized the creative possibilities that were trapped inside the bodies of people with disabilities. “My father would have been so proud,” said Erica Schonhorn Gorman, Schonhorn’s daughter, as she and his grandson Max Gorman, accepted a special plaque from Steve Proctor, Matheny president and CEO.

Guests at Full Circle attended a visual arts exhibit and reception in the gallery before viewing a stage presentation that included a video tribute to Schonhorn as well as several examples of prose, poetry, drama and dance created by Arts Access artists. A dessert reception followed.

Corporate sponsors were: The Provident Bank Foundation, Day Pitney, LLP, Affinity Federal Credit Union and The Angeletti Group. Food and beverage donors were: Café Azzurro and cocoLuxe fine pastries, Peapack; Gladstone Tavern, Gladstone; 3West, Basking Ridge; and Village Office Supply, Somerset.

Matheny president Steve Proctor presents a special plaque to Erica Schonhorn Gorman and Max Gorman.

 

Not business as usual

We are so grateful to our food and beverage sponsors for Full Circle 2012: Unexpected Art. All five of those graciously planning to donate food and beverages at the originally scheduled Full Circle, on November 3, have come forward to say they are still on board now that the date has been changed to December 1. And this, despite losing business as a result of a power outage during Hurricane Sandy.

We are very appreciative of the incredible generosity of Café Azzurro and cocoLuxe fine pastries, Peapack; Gladstone Tavern, Gladstone; 3 West, Basking Ridge; and Village Office Supply, Somerset.

An accomplished artist

“Woman” by Cheryl Chapin.

What’s the difference between art created and performed by artists with developmental disabilities and those who are able-bodied? Sonya Kimble-Ellis, the writing facilitator in Matheny’s Arts Access Program, has noticed that, “aside from infusing personal and life experiences into the work, the beauty, intensity and integrity remains the same. Artists with developmental disabilities, however, also aren’t afraid to take risks that often lead to unexpected results.”

For example, take the art of Cheryl Chapin, a resident of Matheny’s group home in Basking Ridge and a participant in the Arts Access Program, which enables people with disabilities to create fine art assisted by professional-artist facilitators. Chapin’s work includes paintings, digital art, dance and dramatic and poetic writings. She has been creating art for more than 18 years, and according to Kimble-Ellis, “Her passion for reading and conversation is infectious. She also gets joy from creating acrylic paintings and digital art.”

Her visual art pieces have been on display at the Atrium Gallery in Morristown, NJ; the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton; the Wallace Art Gallery at Overlook Hospital in Summit; and Johnson & Johnson in Raritan. One of her pieces, titled “Lights in a Far Off Galaxy,” can be seen on a traffic box in Warren Township, NJ, at the intersection of Mountain Avenue and Stirling Road.

Chapin will have her written pieces showcased in the stage presentation at the rescheduled Full Circle 2012: Unexpected Art, a celebration of the Arts Access Program now being held from 3p.m.-6 p.m. on December 1in the Robert Schonhorn Arts Center at Matheny. She will also have two pieces of visual art on display: “Woman” (pictured) and “Falling Leaves.” The visual arts exhibit has been curated by Dan Fenelon, a Madison, NJ-based, award-winning artist who continually gives back to the local community.

All reservations originally purchased for November 3 will be honored December 1. To purchase tickets for the first time, email pcats@matheny.org or call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260. If you purchased a ticket but are unable to attend on the new date, refund requests will be honored by contacting Patricia Cats at email address/phone number above.

 

Moving forward

“Blue” by James Lane.

All of us at the Matheny Medical and Educational Center hope that our friends and supporters are recovering from the effects of Hurricane Sandy. 

Full Circle 2012: Unexpected Art, the annual celebration of our Arts Access Program, has been rescheduled for Saturday, December 1.  Matheny will be donating 50% of all proceeds from the sale of Arts Access merchandise to support hurricane relief efforts.

We are pleased to have this opportunity to honor and showcase the Arts Access artists and their creative spirits. Please join us from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. on December 1 in the Robert Schonhorn Arts Center at Matheny for a fine art exhibit and stage performance featuring all original works by Arts Access artists in painting, digital art, sculpture, drama, dance and creative writing..

To purchase tickets, call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260 or email pcats@matheny.org. To purchase tickets online, click here (https://events.matheny.org/FullCircle2012). If you have already paid for your tickets, we will apply your registration to the new date. If you are unable to attend, you may request a refund by contacting Patricia Cats at the phone number/email address listed above.

Full Circle will honor the life and memory of  Robert Schonhorn, the late Matheny president whose vision and love of the arts brought this groundbreaking program into prominence on a state and national level.

Newest Full Circle food sponsor

From left, Arts Access director Eileen Murray; Matheny adult patient Rasheedah Mahali; and Café Azzurro owner/chef Beni Mavraj.

Café Azzurro, located on Main Street in Peapack, NJ, is the newest food sponsor for Full Circle 2012: Unexpected Art, the annual celebration of Matheny’s Arts Access Program, which enables people with disabilities to create fine art, assisted by professional artist-facilitators. The northern Italian restaurant joins cocoLuxe fine pastries, Peapack; Gladstone Tavern, Gladstone; 3 West, Basking Ridge; and Village Office Supply, Somerset, all of whom have provided food and beverages at past Full Circles.

Full Circle will be held from 3-6 p.m., Saturday, November 3, in the Robert Schonhorn Arts Center at Matheny. For more information or to order tickets, call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260, or email pcats@matheny.org.

Prepare to be impressed

“Out Any Place” by Jason Weiner.

“If I saw this show in Chelsea, I would be impressed.” That’s how Dan Fenelon, curator of the visual arts exhibition at Full Circle 2012: Unexpected Art, describes the visual art that will be on display in the Robert Schonhorn Arts Center at Matheny from 3 p.m.—6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3. Arts Access enables people with disabilities to create fine art, assisted by professional artist-facilitators. Full Circle is the annual celebration of the Arts Access Program.

Forty-five pieces of contemporary visual fine art will be on display in a gallery reception beginning at 3 p.m., followed by a 4 p.m. stage presentation showcasing choreography/dance, drama and poetry, all created by Arts Access artists. Fenelon is an award-winning artist who continually gives back to local communities. His work has been shown in galleries in New York, Miami, Boston, Philadelphia and Santa Fe, and he recently completed The Peace Summit Mural in Newark. “You can expect to see the work of some very impressive artists at Full Circle,” he says. “And the work is moving from the geometric abstract style to aspects of folk or urban art.”

“Mom” by Michael Arin.

For more information about Full Circle or to order tickets, call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260, or email pcats@matheny.org.