April is Autism Awareness Month, and VisArts is featuring the work of 13 artists from its VisAbility Art Lab in a month-long exhibition in the Concourse Gallery. The exhibition features the work of Corey Barbee, James Billian, Mara Clawson, Edward Chance, Max DeMulder, Carlin Jones, Shaun McDonald, Tyler Mountford, Stanley Roth, Lindsey Schaufelburger, D'Ante Whitlow, and Justin Valenti and will be on view through April 29, 2018. Admission is free.

VisArts' VisAbility Art Lab is a supported art studio for emerging adult artists with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities who have a strong interest in making art part of their professional careers. 

About the Program
Founded in 2015 as a partnership between VisArts and Madison House Autism Foundation, the VisAbility Art Lab provides artists with a studio at VisArts where they can explore and develop their artistic talents, participate in workforce development and life skills training, and forge a deeper and more meaningful relationship within a fully inclusive creative community.

Participants create art at their own pace in a full-day or half-day session. Artists work in a variety of media including ceramics, digital art, painting, drawing, and sculpture and observe and learn art techniques from VisArts studio artists. Pictured at right: VisAbility Art Lab Artist James Billian.

The artwork created in the VisAbility Art Lab is on display at VisArts and in art galleries throughout Montgomery County. Artists receive a 60% commission on the sale of their artwork, and design and licensing fees from merchandise. 

The program is led by Elaine Parks, who has a Master's in Art Therapy from the George Washington University. "Amazing things happen everyday at the VisAbility Art Lab. I love to watch the artists collaborate and create," Park says.

"VisAbility Art Lab is an art meeting place where I create multi-media artwork and meet other artists and people at VisArts," said VisAbilty Art Lab Artist James Billian.

For more details about the VisAbility Art Lab exhibition, click here.