For her third co-op, Alison Easter ’17 did not have to venture too far from Yellow Springs to have a meaningful co-op experience. She joined the team at the Goodwill Art Studio & Gallery in Columbus, Ohio, “which runs an art program for adults with developmental and physical disabilities.” The program empowers adults with disability to express themselves through the medium of art and creativity while also allowing them to be compensated for their work by featuring their artwork in a gallery. Alison worked alongside the participants and studio managers in various ways, from assisting with finishing touches of color on participants artwork pieces, to preparing artwork for sale, and securing the necessary materials for the artwork to be completed –all the while sharing conversations, laughs, and stories with everyone in the studio. Through her co-op, Alison expanded her knowledge of programs available to individuals with disability and left with a new intrigue in discovering “how communities and creativity are so important to one’s concepts of self and feelings of support, especially people with marginalized identities.”
Check out this touching success story of studio participant, Charlotte McGraw, and the positive impact the Goodwill Art Studio & Gallery has had on her life and the lives of those she is reaching through her artwork!
*excerpts taken from Alison Easter’s blog assignment
Photo Credit: https://www.goodwillcolumbus.org/shop/shop-the-art-studio-and-gallery/
