Studio Montclair and the WAE Center collaborate on ‘Student Portrait Project’

MONTCLAIR / WEST ORANGE, NJ — Studio Montclair and the WAE Center have collaborated to present “Student Portrait Project,” an exhibit that grew out of a joint desire to use portrait drawing as a tool to connect adults with developmental disabilities to one another and to the community, especially during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorders have found multiple benefits in this project, including improved communication, social skills and artistry.

This portraiture project, in which 37 students participated, used iconic artists as inspiration, including Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, Vincent Van Gogh, Yayoi Kusama, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Cindy Sherman. 

The exhibition will run through Aug. 31 at 127 Bloomfield Ave. in Montclair. Gallery hours are by appointment only; contact SMI to schedule an appointment at [email protected]. To view the gallery virtually, visit https://tinyurl.com/kz9njpfv. For more information, visit www.studiomontclair.org.