Arts Guides Fall 2019 Preview: South Jersey | Page 53

 Finley, Villacis, and Papierowicz
all have cerebral palsy and are
savoring the opportunity to cre-
ate fine art through the Matheny
Medical and Educational Center’s
Arts Access Program. Matheny is
a special hospital and educational
facility in Peapack for children and
adults with medically complex de-
velopmental disabilities. Arts Ac-
cess empowers individuals with
disabilities to create art without
boundaries through the use of in-
novative systems and techniques. 
 Fundamental to the program is
the work of professional artists
who function as facilitators, fol-
lowing instructions of artists with
disabilities who may not be able
to use their arms or may  only be
able to communicate with a ‘yes’
or ‘no’ signal.
 Facilitator Joe Matousek has
watched Finley “grow over the
years into an outstanding artist.
Little by little, Carly has tried a va-
riety of painting techniques. She
2019 FALL PREVIEW
uses our studio charts to make
her selections (color, shape, brush
stroke, etc.), but she pushes her-
self to grab from the charts and
hold tools. Her particularly adept
use of adaptive gear has enabled
her to paint, finger paint, and draw
on her own effortlessly with facili-
tator assistance.”
 Finley is non-verbal. She com-
municates, her mother, Toni, says
by “blinking her eyes or smiling.
Matousek says she communicates
with him “by smiling and squeez-
ing my hand for ‘yes’ and a head
turn to the side for ‘no’.” Toni Fin-
ley calls Arts Access a “magical
place. Carly is more relaxed after
she comes here. They treat her like
an adult; they bring out the best in
her. She loves the whole concept
of being in charge of her own de-
cisions.”
 A highlight of Finley’s participa-
tion in Arts Access was a dance
she choreographed and per-
formed at Full Circle: Then and
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