Thursday, March 11, 2010

Tasmanian Artists with Brain Injuries

"Marvellous" Art Exhibit, Headway, Tasmania (photo from abc)

I have found an article from Australia about an Art Exhibit by people who have brain injuries.
The artists have been meeting and taking art classes at Headway Tasmania.
Some snippets:

When you look at a painting you can't tell much about the painter other than their artistic ability.
You can't tell if they have a disability, all you see is their art. 

You would never know by looking at his art that Tom has an acquired brain injury.

Tom Doughty with his painting, "Butterfly Tribute"- a memoriam for a friend (photo from abc)
 
"Even people who haven't done much artwork, just starting off and without being told how...you think, 'gosh that's clever'. Just from a fresh mind."

The exhibition is called Marvellous, which seems appropriate to the works on display for many reasons. 

"Marvellous was chosen as a title because the work we were doing this year is based on surrealism and surrealism is about a new way of seeing the mundane," says art tutor Betty Nolan.

"And for people who've had a head injury, it's very appropriate because they have a different way of seeing and I wanted to develop their art so they could show that to us."

"Most people with acquired brain injury are the walking talking wounded, you don't see the disability, but they behave differently, their social skills, their frustration, their memory, their anger issues," explains Headway Rebuilding Lives CEO Darren Osborne.

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