posAbilities inclusion art show a chance to ‘see what everyone else has created’
Michelle Strutzenberger

Artwork is the gift Daryl brings to his community, and also what sparks and deepens relationships between him and others.

It begins with the creation of his work.

Daryl enjoys sitting down with his mother to sketch and add colour to his First Nations-themed work. It’s a time for just the two of them.  They might page through old  calendars depicting First Nations art and find inspiration for what he will create.

Sometimes his artwork is a literal gift to people he cares about.

Amanda Kim, who works with Daryl through posAbilities recalls the time he gave her some cards he had designed. She had them framed and hung in her house, declaring they were too special to just give away.

Daryl is a member of the Burnaby-based Artists Helping Artists (AHA) group, which provides all artists with the opportunity to pursue their artistic aspirations.  AHA holds to the view that art is a vital element in tolerance and inclusion, and to that end, 51 per cent of the membership consists of artists who have a disability.

His work has also been featured in various community venues, and he was a finalist in the Art of Being Together competition hosted by L’Arche Foundation Greater Vancouver.

Daryl will also be featuring his work in the upcoming posAbilities inclusion art show, as he has done for the past four to five years.

The posAbilities inclusion art show takes place Oct. 25, and features hundreds of artists and creations for sale. A wide variety of media is included in the show: paintings, glassworks, pottery, photography, illustrations, jewelery and textiles.

Daryl says his favourite part of joining the show is the chance to see what everyone else has created.

For Amanda, the opportunity to work with Daryl and many others she’s connected with through her 12 years at posAbilities, is a gift to herself, in a way.

“They inspire me all the time with the different things they’ve overcome and the different abilities they have,” she tells posAbilities Today, noting it’s the inclusion art show in particular that has opened her eyes to the talents of people she works with.

She’s also been moved to see different people she’s connected with grow as individuals, sometimes emerging out of shyness to become quite social, other times becoming more  independent.

Daryl is now working with Amanda through posAbilities’ employment services program to find part-time work.

To learn more about the posAbilities inclusion art show, click here.

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