WVSA First Visit

Last Tuesday Jaqui and I visited the young adult job skills and life-learning training center in the basement of the SAIL building on 16th street.  Jude, who most of you met at our visit there last fall, runs the studio and has a great time with his students.  The young men (why are there no females here I wonder?) seem to range in age from 17 to early 20s and have some developmental delays, physical handicaps or other challenges.  They all work on art projects in Jude's studio that they then sell at group shows in the gallery upstiars.  The artists earn 30% of the profits from sales of their work and learn important life skills in the process.  Jude has a wonderful vibe with the kids, there is lots of cheerful banter, and he has a great skill in encouraging them to keep working, improve their skills, and produce really great work.  It is a challenging job for sure.  He must know quite a bit about learning differences and delays and dissabilities and meets each kid where they are and helps them grow.  I was a little uncertain, at first, about what I should be doing.  Jude seems a bit disorganized as the layout of the room will show.  But he has a great attitude and is happy for our presence, creative input and willingness to sit with the kids and provide some individual support.  On my first visit I sat with a student who kept falling asleep -- I mean every two minutes!  Sometimes I'd let him rest and the other times I'd remind him where he was in his drawing and encourage him to continue.  I think it was just a bad day for him.  There seem to be some practical needs at WVSA and it would be wonderful if we could help support him.  I wonder if Jude would like someone to organize his shelves...