EXPRESS Yourself!

EXPRESS Yourself!

"Trapped first by their bodies, then again by the people around them. One massive barrier wall stacked on top of another. The isolation must be crushing. Yet there is that light in their eyes. How had they kept their spirits alive? What would they tell us if they had the power?" -Excerpt from Tim Lefens’ book, Flying Colors (2002).

The T. K. Martin Center’s project… EXPRESS Yourself! (EXperiencing Painting as Recreation & Express the Spirit within YourSelf) is funded by Mississippi Council on Developmental Disabilities (MSCDD) and ….uses the techniques of Artistic Realization Technologies (A.R.T.).

EXPRESS Yourself! activities provide a means for Mississippians with developmental disabilities to feel the power of self expression through art. Trained individuals, called trackers, "act as neutral arms, executing the vistion fo the physically challenged through laser-guided tracking and other exacting technologies" (Lefens, 2005). Trackers use precise techniques to "allow a person with the most miniman ability to move to create subtle, exacting works of art" (Lefens, 2005).

Project activities include:

  • EXPRESS Yourself! staff are being trained to become experienced trackers.
  • EXPRESS Yourself! staff are identifying potential artists and trackers throughout Mississippi.
  • Trackers and artists will conduct art sessions around the state.
  • Art shows and exhibits will be held to showcase the art created as a part of the project.
www.cdd.ms.gov www.artrealization.org
Council on Developmental Disabilities Art Realization
EXPRESS Yourself! Art Gallery

For more information about EXPRESS Yourself!, please contact Judy Duncan

Assistive Technology Services For..

TK Martin