BIAD Art Club: Where the boundaries between brain injury and creativity crumble

Although I haven't outright said it, I do support the nonprofit for which I work: the Brain Injury Association of Delaware (BIAD). At BIAD, we've been working hard to find out what we can do to help people take charge of their own lives - even if it's not completely at first - so that they can begin to build their own self-esteem.

My last ten bucks of the year will be given to BIAD's Art Club in memory of Mr. Bob Crowley.

The BIAD Art Club was conceived by Tracey Landmann, one of the board members of BIAD. Together with the Gibby Art Center and Art Therapy Express Program, Inc., we put together the BIAD Art Club Program - she worked on the concept and the research - I worked on writing for grants. We got some help from DFRC and the DDC - a local foundation and a state agency that gets money from the federal government help people gain their independence.


The BIAD Art Club Pilot Program was a success in many ways. To see smiles on everyone's faces and watch as they produced art was an emotional experience for me. I saw people enjoy the company of others, as well... even two men who didn't get along were speaking more frequently. Art has since become a major factor in their lives.

One of our artists, Bob Crowley, passed away after the 7th Art Club session. He had suffered a stroke about a year prior to his enrollment in the BIAD Art Club and had been struggling with complications from pneumonia. He was non-verbal, but understood all of what was happening around him. His sister, Dr. Jane Crowley, is a member of our Advisory Board and enrolled him because she loved him. I watched as he worked to construct a model of the Coliseum, experimented with pastels, and quite simply, enjoyed the process of creating something. In honor of his sister, he named his character Jane. (Jane - or Janus Flavius - was a rat that lived in the Coliseum). Bob's nephew was his caregiver, he sat and doodled on his arms and clothes while Bob plugged away at his projects.

I vividly remember the Sunday morning when Tracey called me to tell me that he had passed away. We were camping, and I cried hysterically at the small table while my best friend Liz sat with me. I was so heartbroken. After the shock wore off, I was grateful that I had been able to meet Bob and see him enjoy his experience working with clay and using his art supplies to his heart's content.

I am making a donation of ten bucks to the 2012 BIAD Art Club in Bob Crowley's name because he embodied the BIAD Art Club's intent - to bring together people with similar challenges in order to inspire them to create - to remember that their disability doesn't stop their creativity. I believe in the Art Club and want it to flourish.

Make your own donation to the BIAD Art Club by clicking on the green "donate" button at www.biade.org. You can also send a check to BIAD, P.O. Box 1897, Dover DE 19903. Call 1-800-411-0505 for more information.

My ten bucks matters, and so does yours.