Speech Room Poster

In our Speech Room.... The SLP loves to put up posters. If you do too grab the high resolution version of this here for free! 

If you post this in your speech room, make sure you send me a picture of it on twitter, instagram or facebook! 

As always, if you take a freebie.. just leave TPT feedback or a comment and then tell your speech friends! 

Celebrating Four Decades of GRACE

40 for 40: Celebrating Four Decades of GRACE
September 12 – November 2, 2013
Opening Reception September 12, 6-9pm, free and open to the public 

The Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) is pleased to present 40 for 40: Celebrating Four Decades of GRACE, from September 12 through November 2, 2013. A retrospective exhibition marking GRACE’s 40th anniversary, 40 for 40 celebrates the organization’s continuous engagement with contemporary art in the metro D.C. area since its founding in 1974. The show will feature a selection of forty artists who have exhibited at GRACE, or have been closely involved with the organization, over the course of the past four decades. 

Launching the 2013-14 exhibition season and the Greater Reston Arts Center’s 40th year of operations, 40 for 40 will feature works in a broad range of media including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, glass, and ceramics, the exhibition will celebrate the variety and quality of work that has been exhibited at GRACE since its inception. 

Speaking about the exhibition, Curator of Exhibitions Holly Koons McCullough said, “This show highlights the impact the Greater Reston Arts Center has had within the regional artistic community. Some of the artists on view in 40 for 40 literally founded the institution. Others had exhibitions here that would become important milestones in their careers. Still others exhibited works that have come to define GRACE’s unreserved embrace of contemporary art in this region, in all its diversity and vigor.” 

40 for 40 will present works by some of the pioneers of the institution, including Brenda Belfield, Judith Forst, Joan Kelly, and Connie Slack. These artists held positions on GRACE’s staff and board, and helped to develop the organization’s overarching mission of engaging and educating the community in contemporary visual art. 

Other works on view reflect GRACE’s more recent exhibition history, such as a luminous Mylar sculpture by Rebecca Kamen, a site-specific ceramic installation by Elizabeth Kendall, and cerebral wood-based sculptures by Foon Sham and Evan Reed. Together with works by the other noted contemporary artists featured in 40 for 40, these pieces reflect the broad-minded, progressive nature of GRACE’s exhibitions, particularly since the institution relocated to its current site in Reston Town Center in 2006.

“We are thrilled to be able to highlight the rich and vibrant history of the Greater Reston Arts Center,” notes Executive Director Damian Sinclair. “For over forty years the work of this organization has been central to the cultural growth in our region and we look forward to being a leader of the artistic community in the next forty years.” 

Most of the works in the exhibition are available for sale, and many of the artists are donating 50% of sale proceeds back to GRACE in recognition of the organization’s anniversary and in support of its future. 

Artists Represented in 40 for 40: Celebrating Four Decades of GRACE 

John Adams, Ann Barbieri, Joanne Bauer, Brenda Belfield, Ed Bisese, F. Lennox Campello, Michael Cantwell, Dickson Carroll, Travis Childers, Ellen Cornett, Laura Edwards, Elissa Farrow-Savos, Judith Forst, Heidi Fowler, Suzi Fox, Rik Freeman, Rebecca Kamen, Joan Kelly, Elizabeth Kendall, J.T. Kirkland, Craig Kraft, Robert Lobe, Dalya Luttwak, Carolina Mayorga, David Meyer, Marco Rando, Matt Ravenstahl, Evan Reed, Pam Rogers, Dana Ann Scheurer, Eveleen Severn-Sass, Foon Sham, Connie Slack, Robert Straight, Tim Tate, Novie Trump, Shinji Turner-Yamamoto, Mary LaRue Wells, Millicent Young, and Andrew Zimmerman.

Public Programs:
Opening Reception
Thursday, September 12, 6-9pm. Free and open to the public.
40th Anniversary Family Day
40 for 40 public celebration and family day
Sunday, September 5, 2-5pm. Free and open to public.

Studi Space Anyone?

Capitol Arts Network is considering expanding by adding 16 new studios to increase their current population of 36 resident artists in 24 studios.  These new studio spaces are in an adjacent annex that is conveniently located for teaching in their classroom, attending gallery events, and interacting with their current roster of artists and visitors.  They are generously sized and priced right for immediate occupancy once completed. 
 
If Capitol Arts takes on this expansion they would likely open later this year. 

Before they do that, they'd like to gauge interest with area artists, as well as artists already on their wait list for their current building. Below is a list of studios that would be available. Sizes and prices are approximate for now. These studios will all have fixed windows, newly painted cement flooring, fresh wall paint, WiFi, free parking, and newly installed HVAC.
 
Studios:
12 studios at approximately 140 square feet, and each would rent for approximately $400/month
3 studios at approximately 300 square feet, and each would rent for approximately $800/month
1 studio that is approximately 380 square feet, and it would rent for approximately $1075/month
 
Please let them know right away if you have an interest in one of these studios.  Their current space is fully occupied, so they expect to fill quickly as word spreads that they have more space available. 

Artists will be juried.
 
Judith Olivia HeartSong
Executive Director
CAN Studios... where the artists are
Capitol Arts Network
12276 Wilkins Ave.
Rockville, MD 20852
www.capitolartsnetwork.com
office (301)661-7590

Come to the talk and then stay for the party!

Tomorrow is the last day to see Tim Tate's spectacular video show at the Katzen Museum at American University. 

There will be a talk tomorrow, Saturday at 4pm led by yours truly discussing the meanings and importance of the installation and of Tate's work. 

I've been working with Tate since his very first solo show and been a close witness to his meteoric rise.

It is followed by a closing party from 5 to 7 - free and open to the public. 

I hope you get a chance to stop by. 

And here read Tony Harvey's review of the show.

Thinking About You, Thinking About Me {Social Thinking Review}

If you're a Speech-Language Pathologist I hope the words 'Social Thinking' aren't new to you. 

Michelle Garcia Winner is one of those rockstars in our field that I'd love to sit and chat with!  For years, I've been borrowing all the books I could get my hands on that deal with social skills from other SLPs. Earlier in 2013 I joined the Social Thinking Blogging Team, giving me the opportunity to check out their products and review them for you! I loved the Incredible Flexible You Program and have been slowly reading one of the foundational books in Winner's library: Thinking about You, Thinking about Me. I was provided with a copy of this program for review. These thoughts and opinions are all mine. 

So...let's talk about what this book features and if it's right for you. This book is right for.... everyone. It's perfect for new SLPs, SLPs who haven't been practicing a lot of social instruction, SLPs who feel like they need to brush up on the latest EBP for social language instruction. 

Winner outlines a foundation for her point of view on social cognitive deficits and their assessment and treatment. The book focuses on the four steps of communication outlined by Winner. These include perspective taking, establishing physical presence, thinking with your eyes, and 

using language to develop and sustain relationships. In each of these sections Winner provides background and theory. She then provides ways to teach the skills, treatment ideas (many in each section!) and suggested goals. 

For bright children with high-level language skills, Winner suggests cognitive behavioral approach to behavior. Meaning the child is instructed to think about the behaviors. This is different than a Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) approach that is often more appropriate with lower functioning clients. Winner has created an approach called Social Behavior Mapping (SBM) as a tool to teach more abstract concepts. Templates and visuals for this section are included. SBM includes some buzz words that you've likely heard, such as 'expected/unexpected behaviors'. The big idea for SBMs is pairing visuals and concrete materials so that clients can identify how actions impact self and others.

Other included activities includes: 

-The 'Me' Binder (helping students understand their IEP, goals, and service providers)

-Understanding the Social Thinking Assessment Protocol

-Standards Assessments: Comments & Critiques

-Winner includes a sample report and template to help SLPs incorporate standardized assessment with clinical frameworks to describe a students social skill deficits. 

Ready for a picture montage? Here are some snippets and favorites: 

Each chapter includes ideas of treatment.

Several of the activities feature handouts. 

I loved looking at the goal lists for each skill. 

Pros: Winner includes theory, relevant research, intervention activities and suggested goals for a social cognitive approach to social development. This program is practical in it's suggestions. I love the real life clinical examples provided in each section. Multiple times in the book, I found myself wishing I had read this program 3 years ago, as my experiences matched those examples in the book. I highly recommend this book. If you're looking for a reference that includes practical ideas that are research based you've found it in Thinking about You, Thinking about Me. 

Cons: This books has a ton of ideas that develop the foundation for Winner's other programs. The only con you might find it that if you haven't purchased other programs, you're going to be busy developing new materials to match her program. The book is heavy on theory and activity ideas, but light on actual activities to print/go. Look to her other programs for those products. The other difficulty of this program is its scope of practice. SLPs will find they need to use another program for the lower end of their caseload. While social thinking applies to children with average to above average language skills, tt likely won't meet all the needs for your social skills caseload. 

The book can be purchased for $48 dollars on the Social Thinking website. It's a bargain for all the information included. If you work on social skills, run, don't walk, to add it to your library. 

Have you used this book before? Are there other Social Thinking books you can't live without?

Hate enters the picture

In the past, several times I have been at the receiving end of anger resulting from a work of art that I've created (most notably in this case), and sometimes not anger but pruddish questioning ("why are you showing nekkid pictures?")... but never hate.

Until now, and not for one of my pieces, but for Mexican photographer Dulce Pinzon's iconic works from her "Superheroes" series.

Background: Last week the second in the Washington Project for the Arts "Hothouse" exhibition opened at the Capital Skyline Hotel in Washington, DC. I curated this exhibition, which includes work by Jeannette Herrera, Andrew Wodzianski, Simon Monk, Dulce Pinzon and me. The exhibition offers five artists' contemporary interpretation of Superheroes.

Dulce Pinzon elegantly and intelligently addresses the theme with a very famous  and widely exhibited series of works in which she depicts immigrant workers doing their routine labor dressed as Superheroes. 

The connection is solidified by the titling of the works, which identify the person, where she originally comes from, and how much money they send back to their former homeland to support their families there. For example, the image to the left is titled BERNABE MENDEZ from the State of Guerrero works as a professional window cleaner in New York. He sends 500 dollars a month.

It is a powerful and well-documented series of works, and one which I have exhibited in many fairs and curated shows around the nation.

Pinzon's works always elicit a reaction from the viewers; often it starts (especially in younger people) as a "funny" reaction as they view Superman on a bike or Spiderman cleaning windows.

Then they read the titles, immediately absorb the impact and meaning of the work, and become serious as
they understand the human angle of the work.

Regardless of how you feel about the immense illegal immigration problem that we have as a nation (and which I feel we will continue to have regardless of any legislation, as long as beautiful and rich countries such as our Southern neighbors continue to be run by corrupt and inept politicians and brutalized by powerful drug gangs, and as long as people view the USA as a place of hope and growth), the one thing that should not be a part of this issue is hate.

And yet I get an email like this:

wetbacks need to go back...just because mexico is f--ked up is no reason to break the law and drain our resources. 25% of our population pays no income or property tax yet uses our schools,roads, hospitals, police and fire services...their driving without insurance drives our rates up. and our property values down... I would give you 10 cents for this piece of crap...just saying....
don't even bother to reply...menso

 Makes my head hurt.

La Llorona

 

Some of the lyrics to this song will make their way to the wall on the back plane of this ongoing video drawing... the works' embedded plasma screens rotate through images of Kahlo and Rivera paintings.

 The lyrics:

Todos me dicen el negro, Llorona
Negro pero cariñoso.
Todos me dicen el negro, Llorona
Negro pero cariñoso.
Yo soy como el chile verde, Llorona
Picante pero sabroso.
Yo soy como el chile verde, Llorona
Picante pero sabroso.

Ay de mí, Llorona Llorona,
Llorona, llévame al río
Tápame con tu rebozo, Llorona
Porque me muero de frió

Si porque te quiero quieres, Llorona
Quieres que te quieres más
Si ya te he dado la vida, Llorona
¿Qué mas quieres?
¿Quieres más?

Hay! de mi llorona
Llorona de ayer y hoy
Hay! de mi llorona
Llorona de ayer y hoy

Ayer, maravilla fui llorona
Y ahora ni sombra soy
Ayer, maravilla fui llorona
Y ahora ni sombra soy

Salias del templo un dia llorona
Cuando al pasar yo te vi
Salias del templo un dia llorona
Cuando al pasar yo te vi

Hermoso huipill llevabas llorona
Que la virgen te crei
Hermoso huipill levabas llorona
Que la virgen te crei

Y aunque me cueste la vida llorona
No dejare de quererte
Y aunque me cueste la vida llorona
No dejare de quererte 

Hermoso huipil llevabas, llorona
que la virgen te creí
Ay de mi, llorona
llorona de azul celeste
y aunque la vida me cueste,
llorona no dejaré de quererte