Master Printmaker Inspires Special Needs Students Artwork

ECLC of New Jersey’s school for children with special needs is opening its doors to the public for an art exhibit that celebrates the community it has called home for 25 years! As visitors stroll through the exhibit, they will recognize familiar Chatham landmarks among the colorful artworks that were created with the guidance of master printmaker Eileen Foti, who has been teaching at ECLC this year through a grant from the Artists in Education Consortium.

Everyone to visit the ECLC school and to meet Foti will be on hand from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., to discuss her techniques. “It has been such a thrill to have Eileen working here and giving our students an opportunity to learn this medium and celebrate our connection with Chatham,” said ECLC Art Teacher Mary Ann Walter.

All artwork will be for sale to help fund the school’s art program and also to recognize the community’s longtime support of ECLC. The prints have also been included in a new town directory that's also for sale with proceeds to benefit ECLC.

Since moving to Chatham in 1989, ECLC's teachers have used the community as an extension of the classroom for enhancing students’ daily living skills and independence with weekly visits to the bank, grocery, library, post office, drug store, restaurants and more. 

ECLC's students have special needs such as autism, Down syndrome and other severe learning disabilities that require special supports, therapies and learning environments that cannot be satisfied within their hometown, public school districts. 

Foti is a professor at William Paterson University; the Master Printer of the Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions at Rutgers University; and the Interim Education Director at Tamarind Institute. She is on the Board of Directors at the Printmaking Center of New Jersey and also the ArtsGuild NJ.

About the Artists-in-Education Program 

The Artists-in-Education Program is a cosponsored project of Arts Horizons, Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania and the New Jersey State Council in the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding is provided by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the ECLC of New Jersey Foundation.

About ECLC

Established in 1970, ECLC of New Jersey offers lifelong services -- education, enrichment and employment -- to children and adults with special needs, including those diagnosed with autism, Down syndrome and severe learning and/or language disabilities. ECLC has schools in Chatham and Ho-Ho-Kus enrolling more than 300 students.

As students prepare to graduate, transition specialists from ECLC’s affiliate Community Personnel Services (CPS), based in Chatham, take over, guiding them into the next chapter of their lives. CPS specialists help students find meaningful jobs in their communities and provide ongoing support and advocacy in the workplace. 

Graduates who are not ready for work are guaranteed a spot in the P.R.I.D.E. program, where they enhance their independent living skills, socialize with peers and volunteer. P.R.I.D.E. Centers are located in Florham Park and Paramus. A defining hallmark of P.R.I.D.E. is that clients choose their activities and are rarely in the center all day. Learn more about ECLC at www.eclcofnj.org.

ECLC is a member of the Alliance of Private Special Education Schools of North Jersey, a coalition of more than 30 state-approved private special education schools dedicated to helping parents and educators better understand and access appropriate program options. Learn more about the Alliance at http://specialeducationalliancenj.org.