With works inspired from everyday life to far-off dreams, artists with and without disabilities will be displaying their creations will be on display in Art Stories, an exhibition at this year\u2019s Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Curated by independent art curator Samira Sheth and led by art facilitator Lioba Knepple, the exhibition grew out of Sheth\u2019s earlier work with artists with disabilities at the Museum of Goa. \u201cIt received a really good response and brought the community together. That\u2019s when I came across Divya Sadan, a Caritas Goa initiative and witnessed their dedication to nurturing art. Curating this exhibition feels very special. I believe including all kinds of minds in art makes creativity richer,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nSheth also cites Scottish artist Nnena Kalu, the first artist with a learning disability to win Britain\u2019s Turner Prize, as an example of inclusive art gaining global recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The exhibition has 20 residents from Divya Sadan in Porvorim, 61 children from St Francis Xavier Vocational Centre in Old Goa and 21 participants from Caritas Goa\u2019s \u2018Art as a Healing Tool\u2019 workshops in Panaji. A total of 102 artworks will be on display, ranging from paintings and drawings to abstract creations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The artworks explore Goan landscapes, festivals, daily life, imagined spaces, and responses to renowned artists such as Souza, Klee and Van Gogh. \u201cMany abstract pieces celebrate the joy of doodling, experimenting with colours, and creative expression,\u201d says Sheth.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nOver the past year, Knepple has guided the artists, helping them experiment with different materials and develop their individual voices. \u201cMy role was to help participants create art and encourage them to appreciate and celebrate each other\u2019s work,\u201d she says, adding that facilitating means interacting on an equal level, building trust in their talents, and giving them the freedom to experiment with different mediums and styles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knepple also guided them to observe and interpret the world around them. \u201cIt\u2019s inspiring to see both children and adults express themselves so freely,\u201d adds Sheth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coordinator of Divya Sadan, Ashita Abraham, describes the centre\u2019s role in nurturing talent. \u201cOur community engages in daily activities like maintaining the house and garden, creating items for sale, singing, dancing, praying and celebrating together. Once a week, members attend an art session by Knepple, exploring different techniques and expressing themselves both individually and collectively,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nTo prepare for the exhibition, the centre provided regular time and space for art, materials and built a network of collaborators including Sheth, architect Gerard da Cunha, and volunteers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abraham adds that painting days help build community spirit, teach members to value each other\u2019s talents and boost confidence and self-esteem. \u201cArt helps us see the world more clearly,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All artworks will be for sale. \u201cWe hope people will support these artists this Christmas,\u201d says Sheth. \u201cArt Stories reminds us that honest stories can change how we see art and each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knepple also acknowledges the challenges faced during the project. \u201cArt is often undervalued and within education, it can sometimes stifle creativity. Society underestimates the ability of people with disabilities to create meaningful art. Our goal was to break that stereotype and show that everyone can enjoy and excel in art.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Art Stories will be on view at Kala Academy\u2019s Rehearsal Room from December 14 to 21, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n \u201cSociety underestimates the ability of people with disabilities to create meaningful art. Our goal was to break that stereotype and show that everyone can enjoy and excel in art\u201d – Lioba Knepple<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Celebrating creativity and inclusion, Art Stories brings artists of all abilities to the Serendipity Arts Festival RAMANDEEP KAUR | NT KURIOCITY With works inspired from everyday life to far-off dreams, artists with and without disabilities will be displaying their creations will be on display in Art Stories, an exhibition at this year\u2019s Serendipity Arts Festival […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3449,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aspire-inspire","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3448"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3451,"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3448\/revisions\/3451"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navhindtimes.in\/kuriocity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gogoanow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/a2a4464d-e9b2-4d23-9394-9a9682498c2d-225x300.jpg\")
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