Help / Advice on Arts Workshop

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Hello

I have been invited to do a workshop session which would involve:-

10 minutes talking about your own work and discussion around ‘Nothing about us, without us’
10 minutes for participants to ask any questions and have a look at your work – including the magazines where your images are published
20 minutes break
1 hour art activity
Spare 20 minutes at end could be finishing off and clearing up time

This I gather is about 2 hours session and involves the presentation being filmed. I have never ever even got a reply from an arts magazine before, never mind being invited to a session. Any advice or suggestions on what I could do when I get there? They want to discuss the ‘nothing about us, without us’ quote and also discuss Asperger United or discuss my four picture covers that I did for it. I am not sure how to represent autism/asperger to people who, from the sound of it, are neuro-typical mainly because the person who invited me hasn’t explained what the sensory “pod” is or commented on my questions about the definition of high functioning autism etcs as outlines in the “gestures for freedom” paragraph at the end of my supporting letter (attached to this e-mail: http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/1593 ... etter2.png). (Unless it is my handwriting of course in which case I’ll be asking her in print again anyway). Any advice / details / contacts / links etc for trying to put the case for autism or whatever they are asking me to do within the 2 hour timetable outlined would be welcome. Also, am I entitled to helper / carer / advocate to be present under the law, either the new Autism Bill or the disability legislation and would also welcome comments / info / experience on the last two items.

I am currently unemployed and on long-term benefits. I have not worked for a while and have never done anything like this before (as above).

All the best, any feedback welcome.

D Maher

Artists & Workshop Leaders to deliver Arts in Autism Project
Paid (£15k-20k pro rata) Part time
The team seeks expressions of interest from artists who
would be interested in carrying out arts workshops with people on the autistic
spectrum who may already be practicing artists or who would like to take part in
arts workshops to learn new skills and explore their condition.
We would like the artists work to explore feelings around sensory factors such as
sound, light and space through art. The group will produce an art installation which
will be part of an exhibition at the Museum of St Albans starting in June. The vision
is for the installation to be a life-size sensory ‘pod’, which will be a space that
members of the public who attend the exhibition can walk inside and around to
support understanding of the nature of the participants condition.
We wish to explore ‘Gestures for Freedom’, one of the themes of the museum
exhibition, from an autism point of view by possibly looking at the new Autism bill
and strategies or exploring gestures and communication differences of
high functioning autism. Participants will also create a performance to be
showcased during Magna Carta weekend in August, this should encompass the
installation.
You may wish to apply to deliver some or all of the project, which could be made
up of the following components:
• Visual art and/or Sculpture
• Sound & light
• Drama or dance
• Music
To be considered please send a CV and no more than one page of A4 (200
words), telling us about you, your work, your practice and a brief proposal of ideas
you may have for these workshops and materials required. The fee for this project
is £30 per hour for workshop leaders.Attached to this e-mail

I am going suggest that one should show how autism plays a role in both arts and sciences by researching certain individuals that may have it. I would suggest looking at the Thomas Jefferson, Marie Curie, Vincent Van Gogh, Mozart and etc as people that could be diagnosed with ASD. Yet how that the different set of perceptions can lead to major social, scientific, and artistic innovation.

Working with arts there some lady in New York that supports arts by autistic people and use them in power point presentation.

How such works as Pablo Picasso for example influence you.

Thanks for your reply.
D Maher