Janet Lawson, MFT | September 20, 2010

So much has happened in these last weeks!  Where to begin?

Let’s start with news of the new space: 37 Duffy Place, San Rafael.  Our goal is to be moved in by November 1st. The phones are installed and the DSL is connected.  The carpets have been cleaned and all the windows washed. But there is a lot of work left to be done. 

The Ryder Foundation Event: Comedy for Kids with Autism. We had a great time on Saturday, Sept 11th at the Palace of Fine Arts. Five of our Autistry Artists had paintings on display and each one sold! We all had our photos taken many times. It was a beautiful evening. To see photos go to: Henley Photographs.

The Autistry Studios workshops are in full swing.  New projects and some new faces!

Friday Build Stuff with Dan:  Adam has joined us and is building a computer from scratch.  This week he installed the mother board and various other essential parts.  He turned it on and smoke issued forth!  Hmm – maybe that power supply wasn’t so good!  Ross has a wonderful new project idea based on the image of  war as a game of chess with infantry as pawns.  Corey is designing a rather macabre rendition of the Hills Are Alive… And, Ian G. has finished his fabulous diorama of battling skeletal figures.

Saturday Film Stuff with Nate:  Peter is working on a very interesting live action film featuring himself and Steven in the starring roles.  Steven, when not in front of the camera, is creating another unique epic based on his own characters. Ian has developed a storyline combining Santa Claus and Kung Fu Fighting – this should be fun.  And, Andrew is putting the finishing touches on his Rush Limbaugh Roadside Diner.

Sunday Build Stuff with Dan:  Devon is making a rat’s nest – no really, a diorama of pack-rat, Rattina.  She is made of clay and sits in a nest of gathered treasures. Daniel has two projects going – one is his fiberglass chest armor and the other is his Halloween costume. Both are amazing.  Sawyer’s fort has really progressed.  He poured resin for the surrounding water and created a great dock.  Ryan is adding very cool little buildings to his switch track and will soon be adding the final scenery pieces – almost done!

Tuesday Build Stuff with Dan:  Owen has created an awesome set for the filming of Party in Fizzletown. He has also nearly finished the illustrations for his original story, Eunice the Unicorn.  Abe has created several new seasonal greeting cards for Halloween, Rosh Hashana, and Thanksgiving. He is becoming quite an expert at Paint Shop Pro and is looking forward to learning InDesign. Erik’s waterfront is looking so good you want to dive right in!

We are all having a great time building amazing worlds and imaginative creations. Looking forward to building even bigger stuff in the new space!

-Janet, Dan, Nate and AJ

Category: Studio Newsletters | Comments Off on Autistry Studios Newsletter – September 20, 2010
Tags:

Dan Swearingen | September 13, 2010

We had gotten behind on this! Seven new photo galleries are listed on our Photo Galleries pages.

Category: Studio Newsletters | Comments Off on Photo Galleries updated
Tags:

Janet Lawson, MFT | August 14, 2010

We had such a great time with the first Spinathon that we are making this a bi-annual event.   Join us for the Fall 2010 Spinathon at Body Image Personal Fitness in Mill Valley.  More details coming soon.

Category: Studio Newsletters | Comments Off on Spinathon #2 – Sunday October 17th
Tags:

Janet Lawson, MFT | July 21, 2010

Check out the great blog post by Laura Shumaker at SF Gate! Word is spreading about Autistry Studios.  We got a call from a woman in Australia yesterday who wants to start a program there.  We would love to go Down Under!

The Summer Intensive Workshop is very intense – lots of fun, loads of energy and great projects happening. This is the first time we have done a workshop with a theme – What’s in My Mind.  Each student is building a box diorama about themselves or what they’re thinking about.  Strange thoughts in these lovely little heads!  Check out the photos on the Flickr page.

Summer is moving along very quickly and we will be posting the fall workshop schedule this weekend. Please check back and get in touch as the classes fill up very fast.

Save these dates:  The Ryder Foundation is holding their annual fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 11th. They are huge supporters of Autistry Studios so please come if you can.  This year features Jenny McCarthy and her Funny Friends.

And the next Autistry Studios Spin-a-Thon will be on Sunday, October 17th.  Put the date on your calendar – we will send more information soon.

Category: Studio Newsletters | Comments Off on Autistry Newsletter – July 21, 2010
Tags:

Janet Lawson, MFT | May 18, 2010

The first Autistry Studios fundraiser was a huge success. We raised over $6000 for our Opportunity Fund which will help us provide services in this difficult economic time. Huge THANK YOU to Michael and Christine Lopez, owners of the Body Image Personal Fitness Center for donating their gym for an entire day! And another huge THANK YOU to Tom and Laura McCarty for hosting a marvelous backyard BBQ after the Spin. Tom is a master grill-sergeant and James pours a mean Italian Soda. We all had such a great time that we are planning the Fall Spin-a-Thon in October – we’ll keep you posted.

Autistry Studios staff has been invited to present Supporting ASD Youth in Transition: The Autistry Studios Model at Michelle Garcia Winner’s Social Thinking Providers Conference on Saturday June 26th.

The Winter/Spring workshop sessions are winding down and most projects are either being completed or coming to a good place to pause. We will be meeting informally a few times this summer to stay in touch. The Fall 2010 workshops will begin in early August. We are actively looking for a new space and have found several great possibilities so we may be spending the summer creating a new home for Autistry Studios.

Friday College Support and Build Stuff with Dan: Ian G. joined our group and is working on a small diorama based on War Hammer figures. Kris discovered the joys of working with epoxy putty and created details for his tank. Sarah is making a costume for the Fanime Convention later this month. Ross is studying for his finals and programming his robot. Corey made a list of “must-see” films that he will watch and blog about this summer.

Saturday Film Stuff with Nate: Owen animated Ketinga the Cat and will drew several new pictures for his short 2D animation project. Devon and Steven are now on the same page, in the same program with their characters talking to each other – no small feat. Andrew raised the walls on his roadside Rush diner and will be putting the shingles on the roof next week.

Sunday Build Stuff with Dan: Daniel S. joined the Sunday group and he is making a fabulous piece of chest armor. He is prototyping it using sheet plastic with plans to use fiberglass for the finished project.  Sawyer poured concrete to reinforce the walls of his fort and added some fierce looking spikes. Ryan is making several cool buildings for his train layout. Ian put belts on his Kung Fu fighters and his dojo is nearly done!

Tuesday Build Stuff with Dan: Breton is doing all the little details that make Elf World so wonderful – the brass door hinges, the flickering light in the tree house, the exterior finishing. Erik laid the track for his historic Sausalito train station. Rinny is mastering Vegas Pro, the video editing software, as she creates her complex stop action promotion film for Sweet Wishes From Oz.

Category: Studio Newsletters | Comments Off on Autistry Studios Newsletter – May 17, 2010
Tags:

Dan Swearingen | April 14, 2010

Mill Valley, CA. April 13, 2010 – The owners and staff of Body Image Personal Fitness Center are spinning their wheels to support a vital new program for local youth and adults on the autism spectrum. Join them on Sunday, April 25th, for a Spin-a-Thon for Autistry Studios from 10a.m. through 3 p.m.

Michael and Christine Lopez, avid runners and owners of Body Image, became familiar with the program several years ago when autistic teen Ian Swearingen and his parents joined the gym. “We are thrilled to support Autistry Studios and the great work they are doing with the kids,” says Christine Lopez. “Ian loves to spin, loves the music and the exercise. He has become a regular here at Body Image.”

Ian’s parents, Dan Swearingen and Janet Lawson founded Autistry Studios to help teens and young adults on the autism spectrum become successful independent adults. “There are many programs and services for young children with autism,” says Janet, “but there are very few for teens and adults.” Their unique approach is generating a great deal of excitement as agencies across the nation search for ways to help this ever-growing population. The program offers Build Stuff and Filmmaking Workshops, where participants strengthen their social, academic, and work skills as they complete projects of their own design. Dan and Janet also provide college support.

The Spin-a-Thon is a series of five 1-hour spin classes led by Body Image instructors. Michael Lopez will lead off the day at 10am followed by Duncan Binihakis, Jen Ogg, Yasmine Shamsian, and Autistry’s own Dan Swearingen.

Suggested donations are $40/hour for adults and $20/hour for teens (13-18). All proceeds go to the Autistry Studios Opportunity Fund to enable lower-income families to join the program.

To register call: (415) 945-9788.

Body Image Personal Fitness Center is located at 25 Reed Blvd, Mill Valley.

Contact:

Janet Lawson, Executive Director
Autistry Studios
(415) 945-9788
www.AutistryStudios.com
janet@AutistryStudios.com

Category: Studio Newsletters | Comments Off on Press Release: Spinning for Autistry Studios: Local gym combines fitness and fundraising for program supporting youth with autism
Tags:

Janet Lawson, MFT | April 13, 2010

It’s Spring Break! There will be no workshops this week as we all take some time to relax and catch up on our reading, house cleaning, and other fun stuff.

NEWS FLASH: We’ve been invited to present a 45 minute multimedia ‘poster’ session – Supporting ASD Youth in Transition: The Autistry Studios Model – at Michelle Garcia Winner’s Social Thinking Providers Conference in June. She had lots of applicants so we are thrilled to have been asked. The event will be Saturday, June 26th. We’ll send out more info closer to the day.

SPIN UPDATE: The Sunday, April 25th Spin-a-Thon fundraiser for Autistry Studios is just 2 weeks a way. The first hour, 10am – 11am taught by Michael Lopez is now full. There are still bikes, treadmills and ellipticals available in the other classes.

Here is the schedule:

10am: Michael Lopez (FULL)
11am: Duncan Binihakis
12:00: Jen Ogg
1pm: Yasmine Shamsian
2pm: Dan Swearingen

The funds raised will be used in our Opportunity Fund which allows us to offer services on a sliding scale to lower income families.

Friday College Support and Build Stuff with Dan: Corey, Sarah and Ross joined Janet and Nate for a presentation to Pamela Wolfberg’s Autism Spectrum Program. We spoke to 30 graduate students about Autistry Studios and what it’s like to live on the spectrum. It was a great experience for us and for them! And a lot of progress was made on projects this week. Sarah finished Hugo’s dog bed – we are waiting for photos of him curled up on his plush cushion. Ross sorted hundreds of Lego Mindstorm pieces into bins ready for assembling the robot. Corey airbrushed a first coat of paint onto the Scooby-Doo van. Kris applied for a job and applied paint to the tank.

Saturday Film Stuff with Nate: Devon animated her character Kuro using Anime Studio 6. She really challenged herself to learn the new software but she got Kuro talking. Steven has a few more drawings to do and then his characters will be ready to join Kuro. Andrew has finished the foundation structure for his roadside diner diorama and will be cutting the planks for the walls soon. Owen, our latest Autistry recruit is proving to be our most prolific. He has made hundreds of drawings for his epic piece, Party in Fizzletown.

Sunday Build Stuff with Dan The trains are now running on Ryan’s layout. He finished the wiring and is now ready to create the scenery and some buildings. Ian, with a bit of help from AJ, created 6 copper wire martial artists. They are now working on the uniforms (gis) and belts which they will do in clay. Sawyer built the walls on the citadel of his fantasy world – it is really taking shape. The diorama is based on a world of Sawyer’s creation and the construction is his own design!

Tuesday Build Stuff with Dan: Rinny finished principal photography for her project and will begin editing at our next workshop. Breton is planning the last details on Elf World and will be finished in the next few weeks. Erik painted the foundation of his historical Sausalito diorama and experimented with cement casting. Janet experimented with a new recipe for gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, mushroom burgers. The result was very sloppy Sloppy Joes!

Hope you all have a nice Spring Break!

-Janet, Dan, Nate and AJ

Category: Studio Newsletters | Comments Off on Autistry Studios Newsletter – April 12, 2010
Tags:

Dan Swearingen | April 8, 2010

The Friday, April 9, 2010 issue of the Pacific Sun has a cover story about Autism written by one of our student’s parents, Linda Xiques. It discusses parents and their children who are part of the wave of ASD youth in transition to adulthood. Janet and I are interviewed discussing our motivations and goals in designing Autistry Studios.

A high quality PDF of Autism Enters Adulthood with pictures.

Category: Commentary, Studio Newsletters | Comments Off on Autistry Studios in this week’s Pacific Sun
Tags:

Dan Swearingen | April 4, 2010

We would like to thank the Ryder Foundation for giving us a significant donation for 2010 to fund training additional therapists and aides working with students in our program.

The Ryder Foundation provides funding to organizations that research the environmental causes of autism and effectively treat afflicted children.

Category: Studio Newsletters | Comments Off on The Ryder Foundation supports Autistry Studios in 2010
Tags:

Dan Swearingen | March 28, 2010

We have been asked to do a more “summer day-camp” kind of thing for our teenagers this summer so we’re trying a couple two-week-five-days-a-week intensive camps. See the Summer 2010 page for details.

Stay tuned: Our late-teen/young adults will have a different program and we’ll keep our older folks going all summer.

Category: Studio Newsletters | Comments Off on Our Summer 2010 schedule is up
Tags: