This new year has been moving so fast we haven’t had time to get a newsletter out. There is so much to say and so many things that keep happening that if we don’t write this up now our next newsletter would keep you scrolling for days.
For those of you have not heard Dan speak about his experience living with Asperger’s, having a son with Autism, and creating Autistry Studios you will not want to miss the College Internship Program event: Understanding Your Diagnosis on March 14th. Dan will be speaking along with Michael McManmon, founder of CIP and Barbara Large, Berkeley CIP Clinician. More information can be found on the CIP website
The Autistry School Partnership Program has really taken off. We are currently working with students from Star Academy and Oak Hill School. Each student is creating a unique project in the studio and we are all excited about these very cool creations. We plan to expand the program next year adding more workshops, more students, and more fun!
Every day at Autistry we discover new ways to use the ShopBot. This incredible piece of equipment has made many new projects possible. We are now making complex wooden mechanical counters based on the designs of Matthias Wandel. Matthias has graciously given us permission to build and sell these unique counters. Look for purchasing information later this spring!
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Janet Lawson and Dan Swearingen, the founders Autistry Studios were chosen as one of ABC7′s 2012 Profiles in Excellence. This is an improved video print from a DVD supplied by ABC7.
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2012 was an amazing year and 2013 is shaping up to be spectacular! The Autistry Core Workshops have grown in number, in size, and in the diversity of projects. We have all learned so much by working together to make cool ideas become real. Here are just a few of the wonderful Autistry student projects:
We have great plans for 2013! The ShopBot is now running well and most of the students have been trained on the basics. We will be launching Autistry Enterprises and our first endeavor is to create a production pipeline – from concept to customer. Starting with a student-built prototype for a project kit we will develop the cut files needed by the ShopBot, cut out the pieces, package them up, and take them to market!
There are many steps along the way and many different jobs for our Autistry students. We will be working closely with Suzi at SLM Creative to create the packaging and the instructions for these unique project kits. So, look for a cool catalog of Autistry products to go online in Spring 2013!
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This has been a great year at Autistry and we are gearing up for more growth and new ventures in 2013. Last week Autistry was featured in the ABC7 special Profiles of Excellence. The producer, Laura Kutch and photographer, Loren Morrison joined us for a Friday workshop. They had a great time, loved what they saw and returned to film the Autistry Fun and Food Faire. They did a great job of describing our program and capturing the spirit of Autistry.
In preparation for launching Autistry Enterprises all our students are getting hands-on training on the new ShopBot (robotic router). Dan has prepared lessons starting with engraving your own name, then creating the plans and cut-file for a simple box, and then designing, cutting, and producing a complex project. This is a wonderful piece of equipment and we are looking forward to launching Autistry Enterprises in 2013!
A key component of our program is helping our students become mentors. As they master techniques and skills we encourage them to pass on their knowledge to other students. Ian G. has become an expert LARP sword maker. He designs the weapons, cuts out the patterns, makes the handles and the foam blades, and even sews the covers! Ian is now teaching other students his craft.
Thank you all for your support of Autistry. There is much more to come in 2013! The Autistry Team.
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Autistry Studios was founded in 2008 by the parents of a teenage son with autism. Looking for programs to help their son transition after high school into independent adulthood they found nothing available and set out to fill the gap themselves. Autistry Studios serves teens and adults with autism, Asperger’s and other compatible learning differences.
Our program is based on fantastic projects from each student’s imagination. By facilitating their ideas and working with them to make their projects real, we explicitly teach practical life skills while implicitly practicing social skills that will enable our students to engage with their community. We have created a unique post industrial workspace in San Rafael, California.
In four years Autistry Studios has grown from a group of four students working in a backyard shed to nearly forty students working in a 10,000 square foot converted warehouse. What are we working on? Trains, planes, automobiles, swords, shields, helmets, tanks, guitars, quilts, dolls, dresses, films, paintings, computers, chairs, puppets…whatever you can imagine!
In 2013, we will launch Autistry Enterprises offering direct employment experience to our students.
Our core values are small groups, half-day sessions, realistic boundaries, and outstanding staff. This combination delivers incredible growth and a rewarding experience for our students. Families pay fees for service and about 25% of our families receive some form of tuition assistance. Tuition only covers 85% of the total cost of the program.
Please support this important and remarkable program by donating to
the Autistry Annual Fund.
(Pdf of this Ask Letter available here!)
Contributions may be made by check to Autistry Studios, and sent to our business office: 137 Granada Drive, Corte Madera, CA 94925
Or, donate via PayPal from our website Donation Page!
We are all finally recuperating from the Autistry Faire. It was a great success and a wonderful combination of fun, fantasy and a fabulous showcase for the student projects.
Check out the Faire to Remember blog for more photos. The Faire will become our signature fundraising event. So mark your calendars for Sunday, October 27, 2013.
And mark your December calendars for the ABC7 special, Profiles in Excellence featuring Autistry Studios. The film crew spent an entire Friday with us talking to the students, filming the projects, and interviewing Dan, Janet, and Courtenay. The crew returned on the 27th to film the Faire and to interview Ian S.
We haven’t seen the finished piece yet but we know they have found archival footage of Ian when he was 3 years old and part of the just-formed MCOE Autism Early Intervention Program at Marindale. At that time, Ian was non-verbal and no one could predict where he would be as a teenager. At 17, Ian is talking up a storm! He did the interview with the ABC7 producer, Laura Kutch and her photographer, Lorne Morrison all by himself. We are all eager to hear what he had to say. The show will air on Sunday, December 2 at 10:00am on ABC 7 / KGO TV.
Last spring Gloria Simoneaux visited Autistry Studios. And she fell in love with what she saw. Gloria is the founder of Harambee Arts, a nonprofit organization partnering with African and Nepali grassroots programs to train local caregivers to provide art programs for vulnerable children. Many of the children she works with have autism. Gloria is determined to connect the Autistry students with her African students in hopes that all will benefit.
Our first communication was a small book of photos of Autistry students and their Little World Boxes. These projects were created in the Summer 2012 Autistry workshop led by Courtenay. Each box represents something special to the student and tells a story about who they are. Gloria brought the book to Nairobi, Kenya and showed it to her students.
The response was pure delight. The African students loved meeting the Autistry students through the artwork. They immediately created a wonderful painting and sent it back with Gloria. We believe this is the beginning of a long and productive relationship!
And speaking of relationships, the one between Autistry and SLM Creative is very productive. Suzi Lee Musgrove, owner/creative director of SLM, has been helping our students realize thier visions by providing graphic design and printing instruction. Owen Bragg is now working on his fourth book, Victor and Nathaniel Hecht created a wonderful Dragonology Coloring Book. Suzi discusses her work in this video piece produced by Sean Nipper:
NOTE: Autistry will be closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday – Thursday Nov. 22nd through Sunday Nov 25th.
The 1st Annual Autistry Fun and Food Faire was a great success! Dan, Janet and the Autistry staff welcomed over 150 people to the Studio to join in the festivities.
Families enjoyed the activity booths with their children.
The Shooting Gallery:
The Hat Toss:
Face-Painting by the Amazing Courtenay:
Dan was Dunked over 50 times!
A fabulous luncheon created by Chris and Mindy Schreil and served by the Autistry families.
Wonderful entertainment by the Raks Rosa Dance Company
It was a glorious day! The Faire will be back next year – Sunday, October 27, 2013.
Fabulous hand-crafted items created especially for the Autistry Faire will be silently auctioned:
Hand-forged steel candlesticks by master blacksmith Toby Hickman
Koi Quilt (6’x8’) created by Courtenay Bell and Janet Lawson
Orange Baby Quilt (3’x4’) created by Courtenay Bell and Janet Lawson
Live Action Role-Playing Swords created by Ian Gurley and Amelia Sandy
And… handmade Steampunk jewelry by Amelia Sandy, unique jewelry from recycled books by Yes and Yes Designs, a quilted tote bag by Erin Reed, framed black & white photographs by Suzi Lee Musgrove, Courtenay’s Nest of Owls, romantic getaway from Russian River Escapes, a very special backstage tour of the ABC7 newsroom, personal training from Teri Glover, and a one-month membership to Body By X with Bio-Density Training!
It’s going to be a Steampunk Halloween at the Autistry Fun and Food Faire! And the Autistry elves are busy creating exciting activity booths, costumes and incredible auction items all with a steampunk theme – lots of gears, brass and corsets!
Andrew and Allison cut circles for the Bean Bag Toss.
Courtenay makes a nest of owls for the silent auction.
Amelia and Ian sewing side by side on matching LARP (life action role play) swords. Also for sale at the auction!
Costumes will abound! Chris is working on his Star Wars Helmet.
Ashley is creating a mask.
And there will be music on handmade instruments. Ryan with the Emerald Dazzler.
Daniel S. on the Ruby Gem. These guitars rock!
Sara playing a tune on the flute made by Daniel M.
For those of you have not heard Dan speak about his experience living with Asperger’s, having a son with Autism, and creating Autistry Studios you will not want to miss the College Internship Program event: Understanding Your Diagnosis on March 14th. Dan will be speaking along with Michael McManmon, founder of CIP and Barbara Large, Berkeley CIP Clinician. More information can be found on the CIP website 
The Autistry School Partnership Program has really taken off. We are currently working with students from Star Academy and Oak Hill School. Each student is creating a unique project in the studio and we are all excited about these very cool creations. We plan to expand the program next year adding more workshops, more students, and more fun!
Every day at Autistry we discover new ways to use the ShopBot. This incredible piece of equipment has made many new projects possible. We are now making complex wooden mechanical counters based on the designs of Matthias Wandel. Matthias has graciously given us permission to build and sell these unique counters. Look for purchasing information later this spring!
