Aislinn Wendrow, 22, examines some of her paintings at Soul Center Mini, the precursor to a new Friendship Circle of Michigan program where young adults with special needs can share their creative skills with the community.

Young Artists with Special Needs Showcase Talent

Their space may be limited for now, but their creativity knows no bounds. While construction is underway for the 18,000-square-foot Farber Soul Center, a group of talented artists with special needs are using a nearby temporary space to showcase their skills in a preview of what’s to come.

The Farber Soul Center, named for William “Bill” and Audrey Farber of West Bloomfield, Mich., whose $2.4 million matching gift made the project possible, will include an art studio, gallery and kosher cafe. There, young adults with special needs will learn vocational skills, develop their creativity and share their newfound talents with the greater community.

The Soul Center Mini pilot program was launched this spring in a temporary studio housed in Walled Lake, Mich., a few miles from the center’s permanent location in West Bloomfield. In a space designed by the program’s art director Brian Kavanaugh, eight young-adult artists meet twice a week to work on projects with the help of facilitating artists and volunteers. They spent the first few sessions trying out different mediums, such as weaving, printmaking, painting, laser-cutting and graphic design to determine which ones felt most comfortable for the artists.

Aislinn Wendrow, 22, who has autism and is nonverbal, discovered an aptitude for abstract painting; several of her creations adorn the walls of the studio lobby.

“The whole creative process is making her generally more confident,” says her mother, Tali Wendrow. “She’s really coming into her own. There’s respect for who she is as an artist.”

‘Joint Projects and Togetherness’

Facilitating artist Carolyn Morris is struck most of all by the sense of community that has developed among the artists. “The people who are weaving are talking to the people who are making clay, inspiring joint projects and togetherness,” notes Morris, a gifted weaver and fiber artist whose colorful woven mezuzahs have become popular gift items.

Morris’ son, Sam, 22, who has autism, enjoys spending time at the Soul Center Mini, both as an artist and a volunteer.

“I like the people, and I like helping others be creative,” says Sam, who prefers to paint pictures and operate the laser-cutter—a machine that can produce specialty etchings on a variety of materials, including metal, leather, wood, acrylic, plastic, paper and cardboard, as well as soaps and candles.

An exciting new focus has been creating items for the local bar and bat mitzvah market, including centerpieces, custom giveaways, decorations, gifts and accessories. Offerings include a vast array of professionally designed items, such as silk-screened T-shirts and sweatsuits, sign-in boards, mugs, flashlights, carabineers, jewelry, headphones and other products in a wide range of colors, styles and materials. Custom logos can be designed to complement any theme, or existing artwork can be incorporated into distinctive items like leather bracelets or other personalized gifts.

“The possibilities are endless,” says Soul Center merchandiser Jordan Shifman, a former Friendship Circle teen volunteer with a background in fashion merchandising. “The community will be able to purchase custom gifts for their bar and bat mitzvahs, all the while giving adults with special needs vocational skill training.”

Family gift items are also available, such as personalized Kiddush cups, cutting boards, Shabbat candlesticks, candles—even an engraved Plexiglas menorah. The products offered for sale are competitively priced, with the earnings going to the artists and the program.

“It gives the individual artists the opportunity to earn money for their work, which helps them feel valuable and productive,” explains Bassie Shemtov, who with her husband, Rabbi Levi Shemtov, founded Friendship Circle of Michigan 20 year ago.

At a recent volunteer event, 21-year-old Jordan Weinfeld proudly handed out keychains he engraved with the laser-cutter at the Soul Center Mini.

“The people are great, and I’ve learned a lot,” says Jordan. His mother, Nancy, says the program has helped Jordan become more responsible while providing an environment where he feels socially accepted.

‘A Natural Extension’

According to the Shemtovs, the idea for the Soul Center came about when they realized the needs had changed significantly for those “kids” who began participating with the organization in 1995. The former children were now young adults who needed more vocationally oriented programs.

Motivated by her belief in the power of art as a means of unleashing creativity, Bassie Shemtov began to research and visit art-studio programs across the country. She discovered places where artists with special needs were successfully creating, displaying and selling their works.

“I always knew teens and young adults [with special needs] were amazing, but I was totally blown away by what I saw,” she says. “No one dreamt that some of these people were artistic until they were given the opportunity.”

The Soul Center will feature cutting-edge digital arts such as photography, animation and 3D printing, in addition to traditional art such as painting, ceramics, weaving, jewelry and mixed media.

“This is not ‘arts and crafts’, but art that people will buy and display in their homes and offices,” says Rabbi Shemtov.

The Farber Soul Center, which is being designed by the architecture firm Neumann Smith, is expected to open by the beginning of 2016. The Soul Cafe, which will begin with a limited menu and expand service as the program grows, will provide training and employment for adults with special needs who are interested in culinary arts and food service. The Shemtovs foresee it as a gathering spot where members of the community can enjoy good food in a unique environment.

“It’s a place where you bring your soul, and your soul will be touched,” says the rabbi.

The Farbers’ son, David, and his wife, Nanci, longtime Friendship Circle supporters, look forward to the opportunities the new center will bring to its participants and the community. “This is a natural extension of what Friendship Circle already does,” states Nanci Farber.

Friendship Circle of Michigan is a nonprofit organization that utilizes a large core of dedicated teen and adult volunteers, coupled with devoted staff members, to provide programs, classes, camps and other services for hundreds of local children with special needs and their families. Several Michigan school districts also participate in educational programs in the Weinberg Village, part of the Lifetown facility on the Meer Family Friendship Campus in West Bloomfield, Mich.

Many community donors and foundations have responded to the project so far, led by the Dresner Foundation, which sponsored the Art Studio space. Anyone contributing $50 or more will receive a gift created by an artist with special needs.

For more information, visit the Farber Soul Center web page at the Friendship Circle website here.

Aislinn Wendrow, 22, examines some of her paintings at Soul Center Mini, the precursor to a new Friendship Circle of Michigan program where young adults with special needs can share their creative skills with the community.
Aislinn Wendrow, 22, examines some of her paintings at Soul Center Mini, the precursor to a new Friendship Circle of Michigan program where young adults with special needs can share their creative skills with the community.
Young artist Saadia Grossbard composes a collage.
Young artist Saadia Grossbard composes a collage.
Stephanie Harris of West Bloomfield, Mich., concentrates on pottery.
Stephanie Harris of West Bloomfield, Mich., concentrates on pottery.
Morris and artist Devorah Newman weave a scarf.
Morris and artist Devorah Newman weave a scarf.
Andrew Ackner gets busy in the kitchen with Danielle Kaplan, exemplifying creativity in all its forms.
Andrew Ackner gets busy in the kitchen with Danielle Kaplan, exemplifying creativity in all its forms.
Jordan Weinfeld, 21, likes to work with the laser-cutter. “The people are great, and I’ve learned a lot,” he says.
Jordan Weinfeld, 21, likes to work with the laser-cutter. “The people are great, and I’ve learned a lot,” he says.
Weinfeld uses a computer for some of his initial designs.
Weinfeld uses a computer for some of his initial designs.
A final product made by Weinfeld on the laser-cutter
A final product made by Weinfeld on the laser-cutter
Artist's rendering of the Farber Soul Center in West Bloomfield, Mich.
Artist’s rendering of the Farber Soul Center in West Bloomfield, Mich.