Little did we know almost 36 years ago when our son, Brendon Alexander Purdy-Smith was born, that he would inspire us to devote our time to working with people who challenge us and others to think about how people learn, interact and create in different ways in community. The name Alexander means “Protector of Humanity” and that is why we are called The Alexander Society for Inclusive Arts. Over the past 25 years we have discovered this precious humanity in every person we have met and played with. Yes, Play. Creative play is vitally important.
A lot has been learned about brain plasticity in the last three decades. We now know more about the interrelationships between physical movement, human development and cognition. According to Dr. Norman Doidge, M.D., Psychiatrist, Psychoanalyst, “Neuroplasticity is the property of the brain that enables it to change its own structure and functioning in response to activity and mental experience.” (The Brain’s Way of Healing, preface). I have witnessed people of all ages respond in sometimes surprising ways to the variety of sensory experiences at the core of our integrated arts programs. In last month’s article I talked about how my son, who was initially reluctant to engage in the Creative Arts Program activities, demonstrated his understanding of the story and drama after returning home.
Here is a story about another young man with developmental challenges, who, over the course of several weeks, was drawn into the drama. It was a letter that caught his attention….
In the story of The Raven Princess, the princess leaves a letter for the hero with instructions on what he must do to release her from the enchantment. The letter had been read aloud several times during previous sessions. By the third session, this young man showed a definite interest in the letter, indicating that he wanted to read it to the group. He was invited to join the facilitator and handed the letter. He gently took the letter out of the envelope, unfolded it and began to read. While many of his sounds we could not understand, he enunciated some of the key words he remembered. When he was finished, he carefully folded up the letter, put it back in the envelope and handed it back to the facilitator. It felt like he had made a leap with his relationship to the drama and his role in it. Following that event, each week he brought something from home that he felt related to the story.
Everyone is invited to join with us as we celebrate 25 years of providing integrated arts based programs for people in our community.
