Arts Unbound Inc., in collaboration with Essex Junior Academy, a school in the Essex Regional Educational Services Commission (ERESC), Superintendent, Dr. Laurie Newell in Cedar Grove, New Jersey will host Arts Accessible, a festival celebrating inclusion and the arts on Friday, October 14, 2016. The festival unites New Jersey support coordination agencies, senior centers, schools specializing in working with people with developmental and physical disabilities. The festival features age-appropriate workshops and events are free, wheelchair accessible, and open to the public. Arts Accessible Festival will take place at Essex Junior Academy, 520 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove, NJ, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm.

The purpose of the festival is to underscore the benefits of visual arts exposure in the special needs community; particularly in amassing instances for social and functional development, knowledge gain, skill development and self-confidence. The festival’s visual art activities are self-contained, thereby increasing opportunities for participants to feel immediate pride in their work. For people with disabilities this plays a crucial role in enhanced skill development and self-efficacy. For the students of Essex Junior Academy, this event will prompt a pilot program where Arts Unbound will provide visual art instruction during the 2016-2017 school year.
The festival will include numerous visual art workshops, incorporating painting, drawing, mixed media, sculpture, digital media, jewelry-design, which will be led by Arts Unbound’s professional teaching artists and local guest artists. In addition, participants will be led by Newark muralists to create a mural spotlighting “inclusion.” Arts Unbound will invite students and gallery artists to participate in a pop-up exhibit, showcasing artists with disabilities. Representative workshops will include: Montclair Art Museum, Gallery Aferro, Yendor Arts, Matheny Arts Access Program and additional organizations. Informational booths for parents will be on hand, live music, games, and food during the festival.
About Arts Unbound: Arts Unbound is dedicated to the artistic achievement of people living with disabilities and to the continuing artistic enrichment of seniors. We provide visual arts education and professional development to help emerging artists compete on the retail market. By promoting the work of artists with disabilities and seniors, we center their art-making rather than any impairment and by doing so challenge the stigma associated with disability and aging.
About Essex Junior Academy: EJA is a school in the Essex Regional Educational Services Commission that is guided by Superintendent Dr. Laurie Newell. “The Mission of Essex Junior Academy is to provide a safe & appropriate learning environment that encourages students to take risks as they identify goals and develop values. Students at Essex Junior Academy can trust themselves to take responsibility for their personal growth in life. Through various pedagogical strategies, students will be encouraged to foster a desire for learning and master the State Core Standards. Earning a diploma and transitioning into the workplace will be symbols of the students’ success.”