Exhibition Dates

July 22, 2024, to August 18, 2024

Opening Reception

Sunday, July 28th, 2pm to 4pm

Celebrating 14 Years of Artistic Collaboration

Symbiosis is a mutually beneficial relationship between different groups or individuals. It’s a special type of bond that helps both groups grow and thrive together and in their own ways.

The Matheny Arts Access Program, part of Matheny Medical & Educational Center, is a fine arts program that empowers individuals with disabilities to create art without boundaries in the visual, performing, and literary arts in Peapack, NJ. The WAE Center at JSDD is a holistic, creative, and expressive arts learning center in Livingston, NJ, for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Each program is dedicated to enabling people with disabilities to produce fine art through innovative systems and techniques.

Summer Symbiosis is a collaborative exhibit featuring these two organizations, fifty artists, and innumerable possibilities. It celebrates the artists of both organizations as well as the long-established relationship between them. Marilynn Schneider, a current member of the Heidi Gallery Advisory Committee and a longtime WAE Center Director speaks to the power of such a collaboration:

“Through many years the relationship between Matheny Arts Access and the WAE Center at JSDD has transformed the lives of all our members. This exhibit has brought the two organizations and their many artists together annually to share pride, anticipation, and connection. The two professional teams have worked hard and seen the reward of artists who see and hear kindred spirits: sharing ideas, inspirations, and their life stories. This growing connection between artists impacted families, friends, and caregivers, enriching the lives of all who have come to participate and observe this event.”

Please join the artists for an opening reception on Sunday, July 28 from 2 – 4 pm.

Workshop - Mask Making at Heidi Gallery

Date: Sunday, August 18, 2-4pm

Explore your creative side using found objects, paint and more…to conjure a mask!

In this workshop, we will use everyday materials to create beautiful, antique looking decorative masks. The masks can be as simple or as complex as you choose. Let your imagination run riot. Just be ready to come…play and create.
No experience necessary.

Led by Esther Tanahashi, WAE Center Art Educator