Gallery 1
Hands On Studio members
2 July - 18 July 2021
Founded in 1996, Hands On Studio is a leader in the field of arts and disabilities in the Canberra region, establishing a model for a creative community guided by the principle that art is fundamental to human expression and that all people are entitled to its tools of communication.
Hands On Studio is home to over 120 artists with varying disabilities. The program was first established by a small group of parents whose children had graduated from โThe Woden Special Schoolโ and were seeking creativity to stay connected and to integrate with the broader Canberra community. Today Shane Tunks, James Pederson, Stephen Corsini, Frank Van Haldren and Stephen Patrech are five of the original Hands On artists who still practicing at the Studio on a weekly basis. They have been a critical part of the programs development and growth over the past 25 years.
Over the years, the artists who attend the program have collaborated with their peers as well as local and interstate practising artists. They have built relationships with various creative institutions and have continuously produced exhibited works. The program provides the artists with a safe space to build their practice and be a part of a community. The ages of the participating artists range from 19-96, a very broad cohort with different life experience and varying wants, needs, and desires that relate to their practice. Hands On Studio is excited about what the future holds as the program continues to grow, meeting the creative wants and needs of the Canberra community and beyond.
โHAPPY BIRTHDAY HANDS ON STUDIO MAY THE CANDLES OF CREATIVITY STAY LIT FOREVER AND EVERโ - Tilly Davey, Hands On Studio Manager, 2021.
Image: Keith McMillian, Hands, 2021. Mixed media, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist.