Since 2011 Jessica & Friends Community has partnered with Gayle Cluck, Director of stARTSomething, to build an incredible Fine Arts program at our Pathway Services day programs.  It has been thrilling to see how professional teaching artists work on-site with our individuals exploring their creativity.  This artist residency model has enabled our individuals to create meaningful projects, including visual arts, music and literary arts.  While each person’s response to creativity is different, it is exciting to see each J&FC artist flourishing, finding joy, and feeling pride in their accomplishments.

Our Fine Arts project this year is a 12 week journey of understanding how to weave. Master weaver Phyllis Koster, and owner of The Flying Shuttle, is teaching how to spin, roll and weave using a variety of looms, techniques, colors and types of yarn.  Phyllis has been weaving since she was 12 years old, and received most of her formal training in weaving at Penland School of Crafts.