Jul. 29th CATA Featured in The Advocate
Excerpt from an article by Chris Gauthier for The Advocate:
The writer Francine Prose probably was not aware of Community Access to the Arts when she wrote “There are many rooms in the house of art,” but this encouraging statement serves as an apt designation for the 17-year-old arts program based in Great Barrington.
CATA, as the organization is lovingly referred to, is just what the name implies: an organization, a place, a group that makes the creation of art accessible to people who live with disabilities in the community. On any given day throughout the year, CATA’s participants can dive headlong into creating paintings and drawings, writing poetry, dancing, acting or nearly any form of art to their hearts’ content. And while there are some guidelines, the artwork is ultimately up to individual expression.
The 24 faculty artists, the volunteers and the staff members are simply there to teach and guide the process along.
“We teach art to individuals, just as we would to anyone else,” said Pat Hogan, a painter and framer who has worked as an art teacher with CATA for more than 10 years and who is serving as the artistic director for this year’s art show and poetry reading gala. “My job is to help the artists perform at the highest level as they possibly can.”
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Liana
