Accessible Art for All
A full-time visual artist and private art teacher for the last 25 years, Lauren Curtis received a FOMA grant to provide free personal art education to students on the autism spectrum.
“This happened organically and has been very rewarding to both myself and the students,” Lauren recounts. “Art really helps autistic people express themselves, communicate, feel creative and valued!”
Please enjoy this virtual gallery of the work the students produced.
Savanna’s parent says: Savanna is 9 years old and has such a sweet and creative personality. She enjoys expressing herself through art and has really enjoyed learning, creating, and trying new things during her art lessons. It has been wonderful seeing her confidence and creativity come through in her work. We are so proud of her and excited to see her artwork included in the virtual art show!
Savanna
Gavin’s parent says: Gavin is a sweet 18-year-old boy with Smith-Magenis syndrome. Gavin loves to give the best hugs and knows who needs it the most in life. Sometimes the world 🌎 can be overwhelming. Gavin will always find the simplest things in life to make himself happy 😊 thank you so much Lauren for your love. 💜
Gavin
Trey’s clinician says: Trey is a 20-year-old resident at Woods services. He is smart, funny and has a smile that lights up the room. He enjoys school, and is always participating. He enjoys art class and painting. He enjoys watching TV and interacting with his peers.
Trey
Israel’s parent says: Israel is a sweet, creative, and thoughtful boy who has a big imagination. He has his own unique way of looking at the world, and I love seeing his personality come through in the things he creates. He is always learning, exploring, and finding new ways to express himself.
Israel
Robby’s parent says: Robby will soon be 14 years old, and has been drawing, sculpting and painting since the age of 6. Even at his young age, he is committed and dedicated to a future art career. Robby enjoys cartoon-oriented artwork and excels in fashioning bizarre and wonderful creatures from his fertile and endless imagination. Though Robby is on the autistic spectrum, it does not stop him from the over 3,000 artworks he has already created.
Robby
Bryce’s parent says: Bryce is a 10 year-old boy in fifth grade who has a twin and one older brother. He loves drawing, taekwondo, anime books and shows the beach, learning about outer space, baseball, soccer and exploring outside with bugs and dirt. He also loves imitating Michael Jackson and his dance moves, play Roblox, and Gorilla Tag on his VR headset whenever he has free time.
Bryce
Mile’s parent says: Miles is a 3rd grader whose neurodivergence contributes to his quirkiness and shyness and has also made writing a challenge. Art has helped to bring him out of his shell, and drawing has become something that has really helped him work on his fine motor skills. He’s a kind little guy that will talk your ears off about science and Latin and Minecraft. He loves nature and he especially loves animals, and he’s got a great sense of humor. His favorite thing to draw is his hamster he named Buttcheeks.
Miles
Eddie’s parent says: Eddie is a huge animal lover. He enjoys playing video games with friends and watching anime. He loves learning about mythology with special interest in Norse.
Eddie
Andie M, mid 5o’s, is a neuroqueer chronically ill artist from New Jersey. She explores questions of identity accessibility and differently abled experiences in her work. Her art is multimodal and includes mediums such as film, collage, photography, jewelry and avant-garde fabric pieces. She dismantles ableism through creativity and feminist surrealism. Her short film, Off With Her Head, about the juxtaposition between technology and migraine is available on Vimeo. Her poetry constructs dreamscapes of insular identity chronicling her differently abled existence.
Andrea
Orkay’s parent says: Orkay’s lessons with Lauren have taken him much further than expected in developing his set skills and bringing his vision for Orkays Heroes, LLC to life.
Lauren has been extremely influential in developing his confidence, excitement and seeing the endless possibilities and opportunities his vision has had in his mind for so long. Thank you Lauren. We keep growing with you forever.🙏
Orkay
Don't really know much to say about myself... I'm 30 years old I've been drawing for years & I love cartoons, sugary food, all the retro things, like toys and food and stuff like that. I don't really want to brag but I'm just what I am and what I am is somebody who just wants to get better in Art, I suppose, and just hope people someday maybe like when I draw and, I don't know, give me a buck or two for something. I may or may not draw in the future, who’s to say, but overall I just want people to like what I do in life.
Eric
David’s parent says: David is 18 years old and a senior in high school. David enjoyed his art class, and we as parents are grateful for Lauren in allowing David to participate and be exposed to such a craft. We wish Lauren all the best and hope David continues to develop his love for art.
David
Lauren Curtis
Artist’s bio:
Lauren Curtis graduated with a BFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ), in 1988. She has remained in the New Brunswick/Franklin Park, NJ area ever since and has been creating as a full-time artist. She enjoys working in a variety of media, including oils, collage, pen & ink, watercolor and photography. The artist is happiest when creating pieces that represent her love of nature, wildlife, travel and spiritual subject matter.
Lauren has had artwork and poetry published by greeting card and crafter companies, magazines, children’s books and historical organizations, including the Middlesex County Cultural & Heritage Commission (New Jersey). One of her pieces was selected for the permanent collection of the Joyce Kilmer Library in central NJ. Her work has been displayed in private collections, healthcare centers and galleries and was selected for a solo exhibit at Johnson & Johnson World Headquarters, July-August 2009. She was a featured artist on the Science Channel ‘s TV show Oddities (2011-2012), was also featured on Germany’s TAFF TV (2015), several New Jersey/New York City cable /YouTube TV shows and has done radio interviews as well. Lauren has participated in over 170 solo, group & juried exhibitions throughout the US, won multiple awards and is a member of NJ Arts organizations. Her artwork has been sold throughout the US and abroad and she exhibits her work monthly in gallery shows, art fests and cultural events.
About 10 years ago, Lauren ventured into becoming an art teacher, giving private one-on-one or small group lessons to beginners and intermediates of all ages. She then expanded to becoming a marketing coach for a wide variety of creatives who want to expand their own artistic careers. This has been very rewarding, and she continues to expand her classes and student base. Being that she can teach both in person and virtually, she has students both locally in Central NJ as well as several other states and has had students as far away as Greece! Lauren finds this work very rewarding as well as a great way to supplement her income in between commissions and freelance illustration work, which includes children's book and other publication illustration, book cover design, logo and marketing material design and more.