The Art of Writing: Turning words, sentences & stories into student-created art books 

an Arts in Inclusive Learning workshop
led by Deborah Stuart & Will Cabell

Wednesday, May 6, 2015, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Carriage House, Kimball Jenkins Estate
266 North Main St.
Concord NH 03301
Presented by the Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire & VSA New Hampshire
as part of their Arts in Inclusive Learning collaboration, under a contract with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Fee: $40 plus $10 materials fee, with discounts for additional educators from the same school and for Arts Alliance members (both schools & individuals). Lunch is included.

Register now to reserve your space! Please note that we are unable to offer refunds on registration. (In the event the workshop is canceled, you will receive a refund.)

Register Now

For many students, particularly those struggling with language and self expression, writing of any kind is challenging; these students often feel defeated and frustrated and consider themselves failures in this critical area. Yet students who are challenged writers – and those limited in oral expression – often are very excited about working with the colorful, varied materials used in making art books.  Very often their strengths emerge in these creative activities, as the use of multiple modalities inspires a new level of engagement and connection. This motivation brings a new excitement and commitment to writing.

This workshop is designed to introduce ways to motivate young writers on any academic level so that they can gain skills in the process of writing through appealing exercises in poetry, imaginative expression and journaling. Attention will be given to differentiating and adapting the lessons to fully include students with learning differences and disabilities. Various ways to capture self-expression will be demonstrated, including use of poet-scribes and oral expression; work with a range of colorful teacher-made letter and word manipulatives; and satisfying writing activities for emerging writers and ASL students. 

We'll also look at ways to have students create unique books, utilizing visual arts strategies  to motivate them in their writing and editing.  A wide variety of art techniques and materials, easily assembled for classroom use, will be introduced and used.  These “books as art” offer a range of methods to engage students and to celebrate their writing using affordable -- and often free -- materials. All activities can be linked to Common Core learning goals for classroom language arts programs.

Partial scholarships are available for those who need them - please contact us to learn more. This space is accessible for people in wheelchairs. If you require additional accommodations, please let us know by April 22. 

Our Presenters:

Deborah, our lead trainer, has worked for over 40 years with children in classrooms and as a teaching assistant with a focus on Universal Design for Learning nationally and internationally. She has done extensive training for educators and was a core faculty member for the VSA Arts Institute: Professional Development in Art, Education and Disability. In 2013 she led one of the national webinars offered by the Department of VSA and Accessibility at the Kennedy Center, and she is the 2014 recipient of the national VSA Ginny Miller Award for Mentorship.

Will is an educator, musician, theater artist and puppeteer who has served as a trainer for the AANNH/VSA partnership since its inception. He has an MA in Integrated Arts and is the art and music program director for The Monarch School of New England, which serves students 6-21 with severe disabilities.

Questions? Email programs@aannh.org or call 603-323-7302.