Chilean artists visit Passion Works, teach new techniques, learn others

At Passion Works Studio in Athens, art is just as much about the experience as the expression. Last Monday and Tuesday, Chilean artists Daniela Pizarro Torres and Josefina Hevia Riesco visited Passion Works to teach new techniques to artists, and to learn more about the studio in order to help their own program back home.

The artists are from the Coanil Foundation, a foundation in Chile that attends to the needs of more than 4,000 disabled individuals ranging in age from newborn to 50. They are a part of a program recently introduced at Coanil called Flor de Arte, translated as the Flower of Art, which uses art and art creation as a medium for interpretation among the individuals.

Passion Works art consultant Patty Mitchell noted that Flor de Arte is one of an estimated 30 groups inspired by the Passion Works studio, though it is the first international program.

"The vision is to inspire and liberate the human spirit through the arts, and I'm really happy for our Passion Works artists to have this kind of international impact with work that they have done and the quality of the work that they've generated," Mitchell said. "They have made it possible for an organization like Coanil to say, 'OK, we're going to try this too.' That's extraordinary."

According to Mitchell, Passion Works is a collective art studio for people with and without disabilities. It began residency in 1994 at ATCO, which is a supported work environment for people with developmental disabilities. Earlier this year, Passion Works relocated from inside the ATCO building to its present location on East State Street (in the old site of Magic Video).

By creating products from the artwork of Passion Works artists, the studio can generate a small income, and is not forced to rely completely on federal or state funding. Studio administrator David Barba said that becoming self-sufficient is a goal of the studio.

"With there being harder economic times, that's the goal of building the store, the storefront and the gallery. (We hope) to create enough income from art and the art products that we don't have to worry about what happens at the federal or at the state level. We hope to be sufficient," Barba said. "Every time we have artists or businesses come in, our artists learn something new, which typically inspires them and ends up in the product line."

Both Barba and Mitchell agreed that having visiting artists is an important part of the program. Through this exchange program Mitchell was first introduced to Coanil in Chile. While there, she said she focused on showing the organization how to make art and developing a product line so that a profit could be brought back to the foundation and jobs could be created for those receiving its services.

Torres and Riesco's visit to Passion Works is one of many stops that they will be taking at arts studios around Ohio. Mitchell said they are hoping to continue teaching and learning new art techniques, the general business, and how to generate profit.

"They're just here to learn as much as they can," Mitchell said. "Their organization cares for 5,000 people, and they want to do better. They want to reach people, and they see a way to do that through art. They're now setting up the organization to make that a more fluid experience."

ONE OF THE NEW TECHNIQUES that the visiting artists taught was print making, in which artists smooth a layer of paint onto a Plexiglas sheet, and then place a strip of paper over the glass. By applying pressure to the paper, the paint will stick to the pressure points, creating a design or image. After this, the Plexiglas can then be placed over another sheet of paper in a press, and a negative form can be created.

Torres, one of the visiting artists introducing this technique, said that she believes art provides a new beginning for the artists in these programs.

"I think that participants gain the willingness to continue and to be an artist, that they learn new ways to be artists, as I learn because I am also an artist," Torres said through a translator. "When I see that this is good for them, I am a witness to the creative process. It makes them strong. It's the most important thing."

More information on Passion Works studio is available at www.passionworks.org. Information regarding Coanil and Flor de Arte is available at www.coanil.cl.

This cultural exchange was supported by the Ohio Arts Council: The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically. With funds from the Ohio Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, the OAC provides financial assistance to artists and arts organizations.