Arts Organization Expands Services to Monmouth Residents with Disabilities

Arts Unbound, a nonprofit visual arts organization, has been providing high-quality arts instruction to people with disabilities for over sixteen years, primarily in Essex County. Thanks to the interest of a local resident, they are now offering services to people in Monmouth County.

The organization employs a team of professional teaching artists who bring challenging instruction and art materials right to people’s homes for lessons, as well as offering classes in their studio in Orange, NJ.

“Our mission is to promote the artistic achievement of people with disabilities,” explained Director of Arts Education Armisey Smith, “and we do that by providing tailored instruction by talented instructors who understand what it takes to be successful.”

Arts Unbound serves adults with mental illness, developmental, and physical disabilities, and seniors with or without disabilities. Many of their students live with developmental disabilities that include cognitive impairment, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and autism spectrum disorder. Others live with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, brain trauma, or serious mental illness.

A conversation and visit by a local resident led to the organization’s addition of services to Monmouth County. Sue DePalma met Executive Director Margaret Mikkelsen at a supportive housing conference in December, and then visited the Arts Unbound Showcase retail store in Maplewood, NJ. DePalma’s daughter Mara is a painter who studies with local teacher Sarah Hilton. Learning about the talented people who could benefit from further instruction in Monmouth County motivated Mikkelsen. “Talking to Sue was the motivation I needed to figure out how we could serve the area,” said Mikkelsen.

Rather than rent additional space in Monmouth, Mikkelsen decided to capitalize on the fact that most of their students opt for in-home lessons. Smith recruited two Monmouth County artists who are now available to teach in students’ homes. The organization supplies all needed materials for lessons. The organization hope to enroll ten Monmouth residents in the coming months. To request individual lessons, potential students should contact Armisey Smith at 973-675-2787 or asmith@artsunbound.org.

Arts Unbound is an approved provider for the Division of Developmental Disabilities, so individuals with self-directed services budgets from the division may pay for their classes out of their budgets. Interested students with self-directed services budgets should contact their support coordinators.

More information about Arts Unbound, its classes, and exhibits is available at www.artsunbound.org.