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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, January 27, 2012 · 30 with heart: Emphasizing ability in disability By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre wants people to understand that a person with a disability can also have a lot of ability. To show that ability, the gallery is hosting an art exhibit of just such artists. "We don't want to emphasize that these artists have disabilities. We want to emphasize that they identify as artists. All of them have disabilities, some physical, some intellectual, but many of them may not identify as a disabled person," said show curator Laura Fernando. "This show is really about the fact that no matter a person's challenges and limitations, art has no ability boundaries. Everyone can make art and everyone can appreciate art. We have an artist who is blind, we have another artist who is quadriplegic and paints with her mouth. Despite your personal limitations, you can still stun people with your creative ability to work with your limitations and creativity in producing art." The exhibit, titled Art from the Heart, is the first of what is expected to be an annual event. It opened last week and ends March 25. The show features 17 artists who are differently abled, many of whom are clients of Community Living in Oakville and Etobicoke. The organizers emphasize the fact that this is not a disabled art show, but a show of art created by people with various disabilities. "This is one of the biggest things we've every encountered," said Sybil Rampen, gallery owner, speaking about this exhibit. "My youngest son has Down Syndrome so I've been through a huge learning curve with disabled people," Rampen said. "People prefer not to think about them. These people, just because they can't see or move, they are artists so the work they do is so powerful." Furthermore, the gallery has a mandate to provide an exhibition place for emerging artists. Fernando, an expressive art therapist and an artist herself, specializes in working with people brain injury, stroke, dual diagnosis mental health and schizophrenia and brain injury. She put out the call for artists. "A lot of them have been making art work for a long time. For most of them, this is one of the first times being recognized in an exhibition," she said. "This is great for their pride and confidence in other people enjoying and valuing their art work and their artistic abilities. I think it also means a lot to them because they're contributing to the community. They get to share what they do." During the duration of the show, each Sunday will also feature a different guest speaker who specializes in various disabilities. The gallery is located at 1086 Burnhamthorpe Rd. E. The gallery is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. or by appointment. For more information, visit www.joshuacreekarts.com. Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre held the opening reception for its Art from the Heart exhibit, which features the works of 17 artists with varied physical and mental challenges. Pictured above is mouth-painter Barb Winfield in front of some of her work and below is Ouyen Ngo. The show ends March 25. pictures by Graham paine / oakville beaver 26 bones, 33 joints, 100 muscles and a million stories Music hits from 60s, 70s High arches. Low arches. Flat. Wide. Narrow. Toes that cross over. Toes that don't. Big feet. Small feet. Crooked feet. Feet that have walked thousands of miles. Feet that can barely take another step. For every foot, there's a solution. 213 Lakeshore Road East, Downtown Oakville (905) 339-FOOT (3668) www.footsolutions.com/oakville Open Tues.-Sun.|Closed Monday Darren Evorglens sure knows music from the 60's and 70's and will be performing them live at PicA-Deli on Saturday, Jan. 28. The musician will perform hits from the era that were made famous by what seems like an endless list of musicians. They include Al Green, Andy Williams, Conway Twitty, Elvis Presley, Engelbert Humperdinck, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, Paul Anka, Tom Jones and more. The show runs from 9 to 11 p.m. The venue is located at 670 Fourth Line.