Annual Exhibit
For the past 15 years, one of the highlights of summer has been the collaborative art exhibit between the WAE Center at JSDD and Matheny Arts Access. Yet the relationship between JSDD and Arts Access began even earlier, before the WAE Center was established. It started in 2003, when Marilynn Schneider attended a meeting in the theatre on the grounds of Matheny School and Hospital in Peapack. The art studio in that building was a place of creativity and wonder. Marilynn immediately connected with the Program’s Director to arrange for our residents to experience how art could become part of their lives. As the WAE Center developed its program offerings in 2004, the Arts Access philosophy of facilitated art became the foundation for training the artists hired to work in our art studio.
The collaborative exhibit began at UMDNJ, in the halls of the medical school, where JSDD and Arts Access were invited each year to display our work during the summer session. When the administration of the medical school shifted, the WAE art studio and Matheny chose to continue the tradition by alternating gallery locations. This year, Matheny hosted the exhibit, and we gathered for the opening at the Schornhorn Art Center in Peapack to experience the extraordinary work created by artists from both studios.
Opening Reception
As Linda Press and Becca Wanatick moved among the artwork and met the artists, they encountered a young woman who wanted to share her story. She was dressed in purple, a color that appeared throughout her work. A new Matheny Arts Access participant, she had two recently created paintings in the show. In speaking with Linda and Becca, she made clear how important and meaningful this form of self-expression had become for her as someone with a disability. She was emphatic that the many ups and downs of her life were expressed in each painting.
This lovely young woman shared that she had lived with her parents her whole life and had spent much of her time at home with them, often alone in her room. She did not describe having work or a program she attended. Her father had died three months earlier, and her mother was no longer able to provide the physical assistance she needed to remain in the family home.
Although she was still processing both the loss of her father and the move from her family home to Matheny, she described the opportunity to create in the studio as an incredible gift—one she had never imagined she had the capacity to receive. Her work was beautiful, with a striking sense of hope running through it. She felt supported at Matheny and was beginning to make friends and build relationships with others.
This is the transformative power of creativity and community in action. While not everyone at the WAE Center or Matheny can articulate their story as clearly as this young woman did, each artist has a story, and the art studio provides an outlet for expression beyond words. The emphasis of Art Facilitator training is the relationship and the trust built between the artist and the facilitator. This young woman’s story is a testament to that approach. Her grief, her art, and her ability to process profound change might have looked very different had she not found a new home at Matheny and discovered the Spark Within herself.
I would encourage anyone who is able to visit this year’s exhibit, which includes artwork and poetry, to make the journey and reap the rewards.
To plan a visit to the gallery:
Email Heather Williams, Program Director, at Heather@artsaccessprogram.org
Exhibition Dates: July 12, 2026 – August 30, 2026
