New Paltz hosts discussion on autism and the arts

NEW PALTZ – The State University of New York at New Paltz Art Education Program is hosting “Conversations with Artists on the Autistic Spectrum,” a panel discussion to be held on Saturday, November 3 from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. in Lecture Center 104 located on campus. The program is free and open to the public.

Panelists include Roger Ricco, Outsider Art Scholar and Co-founder of the Ricco/Maresca Gallery with artist George Widener and Justin Canha, and Canha’s family. Other speakers include Liz Bell, a volunteer with the Autism Society of America and Cure Autism Now, Rachael Romero, former instructor at New York University’s experimental “Advanced Learning Lab” for teens on the autistic spectrum.

Ricco will moderate the panel and give an illustrated presentation of artists on the autistic spectrum who he has worked with for over fifteen years. Canha’s father, Brian, will discuss his autistic child’s passage into adulthood and independence. Romera will reveal her personal experiences working with one individual at a faculty for persons with disabilities.

The Art Education Program at New Paltz prepares teachers to make exciting and meaningful connections between the world of art and the world of children and adolescents. To do so, teachers must understand the content of, and possibilities in, visual arts practice and study, as well as the needs, interests, and capabilities of the young people they teach and the cultural and political communities of the schools in which they work.

For additional information call 845-257-3850.