Continuing education program shows off its talent

By: Derek Campbell

Posted: 8/25/08

The Adult Continuing Education for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (ACED) program showed off its artistic talents during Welcome Week on Aug. 20 in Royall Hall.

As part of UMKC's Institute for Human Development, ACED serves the entire Kansas City area by offering courses to individuals over the age of 16 with developmental disabilities, which teach independent living skills and provide life-enhancing experiences.

The ACED program offers a wide variety of courses, from hip hop dance to money management, to offer students non-credit courses that are fun and practical to everyday life.

For this art exhibition, students enrolled in the ACED program created works of art ranging from splatter paintings to wooden, geometric figures arranged in a creative design.

ACED student Chi-Ping Hsu contributed several works, all of which were created with markers. Titles of her artwork include "Have You Fed Your Plant?" and "The Owner of the House" in both of which she imagines a world in which plants and animals had a more active involvement. Hsu gains most of her inspiration from books she reads.

"I was reading 'Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror' and it inspired me to make a drawing about a Venus flytrap," said Hsu.

Another student, Lee Lang, also had his artwork displayed in Royall Hall, but he had other goals than just showing off his talent - he wanted to make money.

For 24 years, Lang has been practicing and refining his artistic abilities, and, with the help of his supportive family and friends, he is now selling his artwork.

"So far he's sold two paintings," said Lang's mother, Sharman Lang. "I run the business end of things, and he just keeps on painting."

Lang's paintings have sold for approximately $65, with some pieces reaching a cost of $150 or more, depending on the amount of work.

"I spend about an average of two days on each painting," said Lang.

Lang graduated from The Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts in 1997 and has been a student in the ACED program since 2004.

For students like Hsu and Lang, the ACED program provides them with not only an education, but also a nurturing environment to create their works of art.

dcampbell@unews.com