A.R.T. At The Arc Jacksonville

In 2003, The Arc Jacksonville brought the technique of Tim Lefens and Artistic Realization Technologies to the First Coast to provide a creative outlet to those without a means of expressing themselves.

The Artistic Realization Technologies (A.R.T.) program allows children and adults with the most severe physical challenges to create works of art via the use of “surrogate hands”. At The Arc Jacksonville, all the artists are from the Medically Fragile Program and are wheelchair bound with significant physical and, in some cases, mental disabilities.

The “surrogate hands” for these artists are provided by a staff person from The Arc Jacksonville who serves as a tracker. Through the yes/no process, the tracker is directed by the artist as to the size of the canvas, the exact color of each brushstroke, the size and shape of the brush used, shapes based on finding points, and even the mixture of colors. For some pieces, a laser light is strapped to the artist’s head and the tracker follows the light with paint on the canvas.

While the artists don’t physically paint the pieces themselves, each decision about the painting is theirs. This may not fit into the traditional definition of the word “artists,” but the finished paintings reveal the true artist within each of these individuals.

The A.R.T. program is funded by charitable donations from the community and from the sale of the artwork. 

For more information on the A.R.T. program, please contact The Arc Jacksonville at (904) 355-0155 or e-mail art@arcjacksonville.org. To learn more about A.R.T. nationally, visit www.artrealization.org.