Access Art Queens
This April, Copper Mountain classroom submitted a series of paintings titled ‘Monsters’ to an art show hosted in Kingston, Ontario as a part of an initiative by Queens University called Access Art Queens.
Access Art Queen’s aims to critically examine the in/accessibility of art while highlighting personal experiences of disability, accessibility, and disabilism, as intersecting with other facets of identity as we re-imagine artistic mediums in accessible formats.
We were so excited to be able to share some of the artwork that students at New Heights have created, and to extend our a piece of our community to new spaces! A huge thank you to Access Art Queens for this opportunity, and to the talented students in Copper Mountain classroom.
From the installation:
This submission is by Copper Mountain Classroom at New Heights School in Calgary, Alberta. Title: Friendly Monsters
Students at New Heights have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or similar learning needs. These students follow the Alberta Education Curriculum, with accommodations made for individual needs. This can include sitting on bouncy balls, wearing noise cancellation headphones, having fidgets in the classroom and using a variety of sensory menus. Copper Mountain classroom is home to seven students between grades 4, 5 and 6. Their teachers are Ms. Katelyn Newfield and Miss Lindsay Shearer.
A note from the teacher: Art activities allow students to practice and develop a variety of skills in an exciting and safe environment. Fine motor skills are targeted through cutting, gluing, ripping, drawing, & colouring. Students also work on executive functioning skills through organizing ideas to create a plan, making decisions, and following the plan through to completion. The students are encouraged to be creative and express their individuality, and in turn they should take pride in their artwork
