Plain Language Stories

Everyone is Creative

The Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts is run by the SKILLS Society in Edmonton. The Centre opened in February 2003. The Centre was started by Wendy Hollo who is the executive director of SKILLS.

Wendy started to learn about how art is good for people who have disabilities after she heard about a program in Mexico. Wendy went to California with someone she works with and they met Dr. Elias Katz. Dr. Katz had great ideas about how to help people with disabilities enjoy doing art.

When Wendy got back from California, she was very excited because she said Dr. Katz was great to talk to. She said the art centers that they went to were friendly and happy places. Wendy said that it was the first time that she thought of people with developmental disabilities as artists, not as people with developmental disabilities doing art.

As soon as Wendy got back from California, she started to look for a place to start an art centre and for others to like the idea.

More than 80 volunteers worked for 800 hours to make the Centre a great place. Many other people helped too. They got to run the Centre for 9 months without paying rent. The guy who put in the floor gave a ramp for free and also worked for free sometimes.

The name, The Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts came from an artist who had a physical disability because she had Polio when she was a child. She started to paint when she was about 70 years old and she loved it. Nina died in 1999, when she was 82 years old, but everyone will remember her because the Art Centre has her name.

Money came from many places to help start The Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts:

• The Clifford E. Lee Foundation – gave money for art supplies
• Alberta Lotteries – gave money to fix up the building
• The Stollery Foundation – gave money to run the Centre for 3 years
• Other donations came from the Robin Hood Foundation, Westmount Christian Council and businesses in Edmonton

The Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts is for adults who have developmental disabilities and like art. Right now, there are 46 people who come to the Centre. About 12 new people come to try it out every month.

People who go to The Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts can:

• Come when they want
• Decide what they want to do
• Get a chance to be their own boss
• Learn new ways to be creative

The Centre is not an art school but there are people there to help artists if they need it. The Centre is not a rehabilitation program either, but we make sure that when people come, they feel safe, good about the art they make and want to try new things.

There are many great things about the Centre:

• People with developmental disabilities can come up to 20 hours a week
• People don’t have to pay to come to the Centre
• Art supplies are here, so you don’t have to bring anyProfessional artists work for the Centre so they can give advice and show new ways of doing things
• The people who come to the centre can use whatever they want when they are here. They can use crayon, watercolour paint, acrylic paint, pencils, tempura, even clay

Wendy Hollow says that art is a gift and we should share it. When we share our art we connect with other people. Marla Petecki knows this is true.

A businessman saw a picture of a painting that Marla made. He saw the picture in the Edmonton Journal just before the Centre opened. The picture was of an undersea world with porpoises and sea turtles. The man came to the Centre when it was opened and bought Marla’s painting. When they met, the businessman and Marla talked about how much they love the ocean and the man offered to give Marla free scuba diving lessons.

Paul Freeman is a professional artist who has been working at the Centre for the last 2 years. Paul says that he loves to work at the Centre because he can do both of the things he loves, art and helping people. He says that someone’s art shows us how they feel about their life. Paul feels that if artists do their work in a place where they are happy and feel good, they will learn and get better on their own.

The Centers first art show and sale was on June 26, 2003. Only some people could have their art in the show because there wasn’t enough room for everyone. The art pieces in the show were picked by 2 artists who do not work at the Centre. It is a great goal for artists to get their art in the show. Everyone who comes to The Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts has the chance to be heard through their art.

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