Janet Lawson, MFT | September 21, 2009

We had a very full and exciting weekend here. Everyone did such a great job at the Marin Autism Resource Fair.  The phone has been ringing with families wanting to know more about the Autistry programs. Huge thank yous to Kris, Sarah, Breton, Corey and Steven for staffing the table and being such awesome ambassadors.  We’ve had lots of feedback from folks saying they were very impressed with how our students articulated the goals of the program and people raved about the projects. If you guys would like to do this again:

GGRC Resource Fair: We will be having a table at the GGRC Resource Fair, Wednesday, October 28th, Hollis Hall, Marin Office of Education, 1111 Las Gallinas Ave, San Rafael. The fair goes from 3pm to 7pm.  Janet will be co-hosting a parent networking session with Stephanie Stein of Matrix.  There will also be a workshop on transition planning given by Support For Families of San Francisco. I have heard great things about this workshop so those of you in high school may want to attend.

Our new Filmmaking and Build Stuff Workshops got off to great starts – new faces and new projects.

Filmmaking with Nate: Two new students, Andrew and William, joined Steven and Devon for this new series of classes. Nate and Janet will be working hard to keep up with these very creative and ambitious film projects:

Steven – Bupim’s Quest continues with new adventures and some new characters. But the real question remains: will Bupim finally get a background…or will he be left forever in the land of gray.

Devon – is working on an original story. She has honed her skills at sketching and film editing and will now challenge herself to create her own narrative. She is also adding color to her pencil drawings.

William – will recreate the Battle of Okehazama in this first of several short films based on The Samurai Warrior video game. William is considering stop-motion and shadow play as ways to portray this epic battle which took place in Japan in 1560.

Andrew – is taking Autistry Studios in a new direction with his political satire. He is creating a hand puppet theater piece starring Rush Limbaugh! And there may be guest appearances by Bill O’Reilly.

Build Stuff with Dan: Two more new students joined us on Sunday, Joseph and Zach. Dan is busy ordering new tools to help with their great ideas.  But, as we all know, Dan is always on the look out for a reason to buy new tools!

Zach – will be building a Stirling Engine. In 1818, Robert Stirling came up with the idea of using alternating hot and cool air to create an external combustion engine.

Corey – is finishing up the Harvey Milk diorama and is already thinking about a new project. He is also helping the two younger students with their projects.

Joseph – What a great brother!  Joseph is making a tall, narrow chest to hold his sister’s Karate belts. This chest will stand almost 3 feet high and has 5 shelves.

Ian – Forever the Kung Fu fighter! Ian is making a diorama of the dojo from The Matrix. He has sized it to fit on the bookshelf (12″ x 10″).

The College Support Group is evolving as we learn what the students need and how best to help them. We are adding a section of project building to the workshop to give students a productive break time.

We have also created an Autistry Studios page on Facebook– check it out by clicking here!

All the best,  Janet, Dan, and Nate

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Dan Swearingen | September 12, 2009

I’m beat! The presentation and the Resource Fair went very well. I’ll post more about the fair and our presentation later but we had some requests for a copy of the slides we used.

Here it is in PDF (Acrobat Reader): Preparing our Teens to Work

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Dan Swearingen | September 11, 2009

Janet and I are presenting a mini workshop “Preparing our Teens to Work” this weekend at the CONNECTING PEOPLE TO RESOURCES resource fair tomorrow at Dominican University in San Rafael.

Besides the mini workshop we will be manning a table displaying some student projects and information about Autistry Studios. Several Autistry Studios parents and students have volunteered to man the table when Janet and I can’t be there.

Hope to see you there and we’ll take lots of pictures and post a report later this weekend.

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Janet Lawson, MFT | September 2, 2009

This summer just flew by and the new Fall Workshop season is almost here.  We had a good August break though we still worked on the programs!  We created an Autistry Studios Brochure.  Big thank you’s to Suzi Musgrove of SLM Creative for her wonderful design, to Kitty Edwinson for lending her copyediting expertise and to Bob Gerke for creating our tagline: create, connect, achieve. And, of course, a thank you to all our Autistry Studios participants for being so exquisitely photogenic!

We installed the new big screen monitor and computer in the living room and held our first Movie Night.  That was lots of fun and it’s time to start planning the next one. So send in your movie ideas and let’s get a discussion going on what to present.  This time we will choose the film in advance and send out a notice so you can decide if this is one you want to watch.

We started the College Support Group which meets on Friday afternoons to help students who are going to College of Marin.  In the process Dan and Janet are learning a lot about the criminal justice system, early civilizations, and the latest theories on human sexuality.  We are also becoming more familiar with the COM online systems and getting to know some of the faculty.

We would like to do another Costuming Workshop in October leading into Halloween.  Jen and Janet are working on the schedule for that now so please contact us if you’re interested.

New Group Project Idea: We would like to create an Autistry Studios 2010 Calendar.  We are thinking that each of us could design the illustration for one month.  It could be an original drawing or a photo of a project.  If we have more than 12 submissions we can do split screens!  Send us your thoughts on this.  Do you think we should have a drawing to see who gets which month?

REMINDER: Autistry Studios will have a table at the Marin Autism Resource Fair on Saturday, Sept. 12^th at Dominican University.   The Fair is from 8:30am – 1:30pm.  Several of you have offered to join us at the table to answer questions about the program. Please let us know what times work best for you.  Dan and Janet will be doing a presentation from 11:15 – 12:45 on Preparing Teens for Work.  That presentation will be in the Meadowlands Assembly Hall – directions to the Hall will be at our table.

2^nd REMINDER: It is time to confirm your place in the Fall workshops.  Just email us a note and we can discuss the best placement.  Below are the dates for the Filmmaking Workshop and the Build Stuff Workshop:

NATE’S FILMMAKING WORKSHOP

SATURDAYS:  September 19^TH – December 12^TH 10am – 2pm

September 19, 26, October 3, 10  (4 classes)
No Class October 17
October 24,  31, November 7, 14, 21 (5 classes)
No Class November 28
December 5, 12 (2 classes)

DAN’S BUILD STUFF WORKSHOP

SUNDAYS:  September 20^th – December 13^th 12 – 4pm

September 20, 27, October 4, 11  (4 classes)
No Class October 18
October 25, November 1, 8, 15, 22 (5 classes)
No Class November 29
December 6, 13 (2 classes)

We look forward to seeing you all soon!

Best,  Janet, Dan, Nate and Jen

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Janet Lawson, MFT | August 6, 2009

There is a deafening silence around the house now. On Sunday we finished the Spring/Summer series of workshops. When we started the workshops last year we had 4 students – that number has now quadrupled.  And we are getting lots of inquiries from other teens and their families.  Our goal for this coming year is to match this year’s growth and to add new programs.  Not just any program – but the programs and services that you want and you feel you need.

We haven’t figured out the August Break Events but we will let you know soon.  We look forward to seeing you all this Fall.

One new idea: The College Support Group:

Many of you will be attending College of Marin this year and have asked for help with homework and general academic support.  We are offering a College Support Group on Friday afternoons starting August 21^st. We will meet from 2pm – 6pm.  We will also check in with you during the week to see if you need additional support. Please let us know soon if you would like to be a part of this group.

Nate’s Intensive Filmmaking Workshop

July was definitely an intense month for the filmmaking workshops at Autistry Studios. We learned that 8 sessions is a bit too short for filmmaking but that did not stop us of from creating some great projects.  Steven finished Bupim’s Quest and has already begun work on the sequel.  Devon, our editrice extraodinaire, finished KOKORO and several other editing projects.  Wesley helped Ian shoot more Kung Fu footage and he finished up Introducing Ray.  Sarah filmed a wonderful animated short, Termite. Her project just needs the soundtrack added and it will be ready to post. Lots of concentration, hard work, and group cooperation went into the making of these short films.

Photos for July Filmmaking Workshop

Dan’s Build Stuff Workshops

The projects in the build-stuff workshops were fabulous this series. Kris finished his replica of a World War II machine gun (w00t!).

A neighbor driving by did a serious double-take as Kris carried it to his car.

Phoebe’s Ramses II riding in his chariot is complete (still needs a bit of work on the background) and it looks great.

Corey is nearly finished with his diorama of the parade scene from MILK.  And Ross’ brass icosahedron and other shapes are amazing.  And that was just the Friday group!

Photos for Friday build-stuff group

Sundays Build Stuff folks did just as well.  Nick has designed a very large train layout with a hand built redwood trestle bridge.

This project will continue in the next series as it is large and complex and wonderful.

Carissa, our youngest Autistry Studios student, made an oversized sword out of aluminum.  This project, a first for us, turned out far better than any of us had expected.

When Carissa’s younger sister saw the sword she asked us to build her a suit of armor!  I vote for a locked display case.  Sarah is nearly finished with her custom dog bed – just a few pieces to sew for the canopy. She will have a very happy puppy. Breton returned to continue work on Elf World and created a magnificent tree house.

The clay diorama is too large to fit in our oven so one of the projects for the August break: build an oven.

Photos for Sunday build-stuff group

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Dan Swearingen | August 6, 2009

COLLEGE SUPPORT GROUP

FRIDAYS:    August 21^ST – December 11^TH 2 – 6pm

No Class November 27th

NATE’S FILMMAKING WORKSHOP

SATURDAYS:  September 19^TH – December 12^TH 10am – 2pm

September 19, 26, October 3, 10  (4 classes)

No Class October 17

October 24,  31, November 7, 14, 21 (5 classes)

No Class November 28

December 5, 12 (2 classes)

DAN’S BUILD STUFF WORKSHOP

SUNDAYS:  September 20^th – December 13^th 12 – 4pm

September 20, 27, October 4, 11  (4 classes)
No Class October 18
October 25, November 1, 8, 15, 22 (5 classes)
No Class November 29
December 6, 13 (2 classes)

We haven’t figured out the August Break Events but we will let you know soon.  We look forward to seeing you all this Fall.

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Janet Lawson, MFT | July 14, 2009

Things are heating up around here and it’s not just the weather!  This is going to be a fairly long newsletter as there is a lot to tell you about.

Dan’s Build Stuff Workshops (Friday and Sunday):

There are some wonderful projects happening: Phoebe is finishing up her Ramses II figures; Kris is truly closing in on the machine gun; Corey’s Harvey Milk diorama is taking shape; Carissa’s sword will be done within the next 2 workshops; Ross finished a fabulous dodecahedron in brass (Ross, did I get that right?); Sarah has designed and is completing a custom dog bed; Nick has finished the initial superstructure on his layout and will begin working on the train bridge.

On Sunday, Kris finished the Scrap Wood Carrier! Now we have no excuse for a messy barn. There are just 3 weeks left for this series of Build Stuff workshops so we are all focusing on finishing our projects!

Photos:

Friday Build Stuff
Sunday Build Stuff

Nate’s July Intensive Filmmaking Workshop:
The new July film workshop started last week and it is lots of fun. Wesley finished up Introducing Ray. This was a very ambitious project.  Working with just our rudimentary filmmaking set up we managed to create a film in which Wesley played all the characters – no easy feat.  I think the visual aspect of the project was very successful.  But I think we need to work on our sound quality and dubbing techniques.  Here is a link to Nate’s blog post about the film (click on the arrow to start the film). Write your comments in the box at the end of the post!

Devon completed her KOKORO project (all original drawings!) and she wrote the first student blog for the Autistry Studios site.  Say hi to Devon by leaving a comment!

Steven is working on his next Bupim Films production – this time starring Bupim!  It is another ambitious project using animation, live action Popsicle stick figures and Steven’s unique voice over.

Sarah is creating a claymation film entitled Termite about a young dog with a nasty chewing habit!

Wesley is also helping Ian finish his Kung Fu movie.  Yesterday they shot a new scene to add to the sequence Ian created in the last workshop. Ian’s rough cut of Kung Fu Fighting can be found here.

Student Blogging:  We can set up blogs for the Autistry Studios students to write about their projects.  Devon jumped right in with a great first post.  I look forward to a lot more blogging from all of you!

Polaris Pilot: We have been asked to participate in a pre-pilot study being done by Polaris Health Directions in Pennsylvania.  Linda Toche-Manley is creating an online assessment and tracking system to support the treatment of adolescents and young adults with high functioning autism/Asperger’s (HFA/AS).  Basically her software program will help track the progress of students as they develop skills needed to be successful in college and in the workplace.  The process is that each student will fill out an online survey every month answering questions about themselves (the survey takes about 20 minutes to do).  Parents are also encouraged to fill out surveys to get their perspective on change.  How does this help us?  As we go grow the Autistry Studios program we will need to apply for large grants.  Most funding organizations ask for some proof that a program is successfully attaining its goals.  We have no tests or other measurements to show that what we are all doing here is beneficial. We do have anecdotal stories and wonderful letters of support from you all.  But for the big grants it would be good to show some ‘real’ data.  Linda’s pilot is for students between the ages of 13 and 21.  So, most of us fit in that category.  Please let me know if you would be willing to help with this study.  All data is strictly confidential.

About Grants:  We are working on our 501(c)(3) status – lots of dreaded paperwork!  In the mean time United Cerebral Palsy of the North Bay has very kindly agreed to be our fiscal sponsor.  That means that we can now accept donations and those donations will be tax deductible.  So, if you know of any organizations (foundations, family trusts, matching funds from employers, etc) who would like to contribute to Autistry Studios please let us know.  I will get the necessary information to them.  Our initial funding goals are for 1) Purchasing equipment and materials, 2) Opportunity Fund to offset fees for low income families, 3) Fund Autistry Studio internship positions for individuals who have participated in our workshops.

August Possibilities:  We will be taking August off – well, that means not having formal workshops. But we will be here so let’s think of dates/times to hold get-togethers.  We can also plan events – a film night, a field trip (there’s a great exhibit at the Asian Art Museum on Samurai stuff), or another activity of your choosing.  We look forward to hearing your ideas!

Stay cool,  Janet, Dan, Nate and Jen

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Janet Lawson, MFT | June 29, 2009

We will not have workshops over the July 4th weekend but … as so many of you have asked if you could come over we will be having a Drop In Session on Sunday July 5th from 12 – 2pm. Please let us know if you are coming so we can have plenty of cold drinks in the fridge and enough cookies to go around!

Dan’s Build Stuff Workshops are going great. All the projects are moving toward completion – a ways to go yet but well on their way!

We are thinking about having a small gathering at the end of the summer to showcase all the projects to friends and family. We may do it here at the house. So think about how you would like to display your projects and who you might like to invite. We will be asking everyone to help organize this event. In September Autistry Studios (formerly known as The Barn Project) will be one year old so maybe we can think of the event as a birthday party!

Nate’s July Filmmaking Workshop will begin on Monday, July 6th. Classes will be Monday and Wednesday 10am to 2pm. This should be lots of fun!

We didn’t get enough folks signed up for Jen’s July Workshop so we’ll do another Fabric/Fine Arts Workshop in the fall. Maybe we’ll do a Costuming class leading into Halloween!

Dan has been thinking (a dangerous past time I know!) about new project ideas. To see some of the things he has in mind go to: Project Ideas . Click on the title of each blog post to read the full blog and to see the photos.

We have new photos:

Friday Build Stuff Workshop
Sunday Build Stuff Workshop

Have a great 4th of July! Janet, Dan, Nate and Jen

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Janet Lawson, MFT | June 18, 2009

Time Warp! It’s been 2 weeks since the last Newsletter. We’ve been crazy busy around here with the end of school, getting ready for summer sessions and other time consuming stuff. But we have had two good weekends of workshops and the projects are all moving forward.

Thank you for the wonderful letters of support. And a big thank you to Kitty (also known as Phoebe’s mom) for her help in getting these done. We managed to pull the grant together and get it to the post office by the due date – Monday! We will be writing more grant proposals in the coming weeks so if you wanted to write a letter and just didn’t have time feel free to send the letters in and we’ll keep them for the next round.

Nate is on vacation but the Saturday class will be meeting this week anyway – that’ll teach him to go out of town!

Nate’s July Filmmaking class (Mon/Wed) is now full. He would consider opening another class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. As usual all classes are limited to 4 students.

We still have space available in Jen’s July workshop (Tuesday and Thursdays, 2pm – 6pm). If you know any teens/young adults who would like to make cosplay costumes or work in Polymer clay have them call Janet: 415-235-3217.

REMINDER: Dan’s Sunday Workshop now meets (by popular demand) from 12:00 – 4:00

Dan’s two workshops will continue through Sunday August 2nd. There will be no workshops on the weekend of July 4th.

Dan has been busy blogging on the Autistry Studios site – check out his latest: ASD or just typical male (or typical teenager) behavior?

Photos from the Weekends:

Friday Build Stuff Workshop

Saturday Filmmaking Workshop

Sunday Build Stuff Workshop

See you all on the weekend, Janet, Dan, Nick and Jen

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admin | June 4, 2009

We added lots more content to the website and there are now links to past projects at the bottom of each Workshop page. We will add more as we go along and soon the site will be seriously ‘content rich’!

We took some great photos of Dan’s Friday and Sunday Build Stuff Workshops but we were all so busy on Saturday that we forgot to pick up the camera during Nate’s Filmmaking Workshop! This week we will make up for that and take a bunch of photos.

Nate will be going on vacation starting June 13th so this is the last June Saturday that he will be here. We are going to continue the Filmmaking Workshop for an additional 3 weeks (June 13, 20, and 27) with Dan and Janet leading the group. Nate will rejoin us in July for the twice a week classes.

We are in the process of forming a non-profit organization. We will be applying for grants soon – in fact, the first application is due June 15th. This is for a grant from Marin Charitable Association – a small grant from a local foundation. If you would like to write letters of support those would be truly appreciated.

Photos from the Weekend:

Friday Build Stuff Workshop

Sunday Build Stuff Workshop

See you all on the weekend,
Janet, Dan, Nate, and Jen

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