Art With Intention
ABOUT US
Our Mission: To bring calm to the mind, joy to the heart, quality to life, and connection to community for those facing neurological and developmental challenges with a program of simple midline crossing movements and creative expression through guided painting.
WHO DO WE HELP?
Serving both children and adults with neurological and developmental challenges including: Autism, Alzheimer’s, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsey, stroke, brain injury, developmental delays, learning disabilities, anxiety, depression and more. Almost all of our students have no previous painting experience at all. We travel to schools, facilities, organizations and private homes in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The primary movements and brush strokes are simple and gentle midline crossing movements, similar to motions widely used by occupational therapists and practitioners of Tai Chi. Midline crossing is the ability to move one’s limbs and eyes in a coordinated fashion crossing the invisible midline that separates the left and right side of the body. This affects the brain by causing the right hemisphere to have to communicate with the left hemisphere. While AWI makes no scientific claims about its process, the benefits of midline crossing is an intentional component of our program design.
The most immediate benefits are joy and pride, however the process has demonstrated improvements in mood, communication, dexterity, balance and stress reduction for many students.
Since 2014 the AWI program has been utilized in a number of different schools, colleges, facilities, in private homes in the Southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky area. We have exhibited at multiple art shows, including The Summit hotel, Summerfair at Coney Island, and Affair of the Arts in Anderson where work from one of our autistic students won Best in Show.
OUR FOUNDER
Started with Family. Born from Love. The need for AWI was experienced first-hand by our founder, Patti McDonald, an artist, whose beloved father was living with the life-altering decline of Alzheimer’s. While researching the varieties of resources and therapies available she found a healing modality and training program that not only supported those with Alzheimer’s, but other neurologic issues, developmental challenges and brain injuries. With the goal of bringing the benefits and joys to impacted families like her own, the work of Art with Intention was born in 2014.
Patti, an accomplished painter herself, is a graduate of the Central Academy of Commercial Art; a certified instructor with OMA, an award-winning art program for people with Alzheimer's disease and other neurocognitive disorders; and the owner of a graphic design company in her hometown of Cincinnati, where she raised two sons with her husband, Mike.
