Arts & the Rainbow Gang

The Rainbow Gang is a program coordinated by Anderson County and its special populations services. The Rainbow Gang enriches the lives of those with intellectual disabilities through recreational and leisure activities. Currently, there are 14 active members of The Rainbow Gang. This project, Arts & The Rainbow Gang, will offer a series of one-hour, weekly art classes at the Anderson Arts Center. The classes will be led by an experienced and trained art instructor who also has experience working with special populations. Many times, artistic activities (visual arts, music and drama) are seen simply as a way to provide recreation for people with learning disabilities. Often times, assumptions are made that if individuals have disabilities which have held back their intellectual and academic progress, then they will also be limited in their creative and expressive abilities. In fact, the opposite may be true for many. Because the program participants will be on-site at the Arts Center where we have extensive arts materials and equipment, the classes offered can include a variety of mediums and expose the students to activities they may not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in, such as a pottery wheel. Grant funds provided for the program will be used to provide program-specific art supplies, art teacher compensation, program oversight and any additional program-related costs.