Art meets autism for “miracle" programme centre

PRESS RELEASE – MAY 12, 2010

Art meets autism to raise funds for “miracle” programme centre

What do you get when a renowned Kiwi artist collaborates with an autistic child? An art exhibition like no other – one that will showcase 12 pieces of truly unique art for auction and raise money to build The Cocoon, New Zealand’s first centre for autism.

On Thursday 3rd June at the Stamford Plaza Hotel, 12 special acrylic works will be auctioned at the charity cocktail evening entitled Without Boundaries – Art for Autism. The works have been created by award-winning NZ artist Sofia Minson and a group of autistic children who have put their own individual interpretations onto Sofia’s backgrounds. A selection of Sofia’s huge portrait and landscape oil paintings will also be exhibited on the night and she has generously donated a piece of her own artwork to be auctioned-off to one lucky bidder.

Minson painted one on one with the children over a two-month period. She was inspired to assist the TAO Charitable Trust in fundraising for The Cocoon project when she learned about the success of the Holistic Perception Development programme called ‘Trancending Autism’, which is to be implemented in The Cocoon. “A significant proportion of the 40,000 New Zealanders with autistm are children, and I have experienced firsthand just how special these kids are. They deserve to get the best possible assistance to realise their potential” Ms Minson says. “Creating a centre to house the Trancending Autism programme will give autistic children the opportunity to learn and grow beyond our current expectations.”

TAO Trust founder Jocelyn Oades, who has family members with the disorder, says that after a four year Trancending Autism pilot in New Zealand, there is a waiting list of 150 families eager to have their child enrolled in the proposed Cocoon to receive the treatment. “The Cocoon, designed by architect Michael Sin of BJA Architects, will incorporate eco-aware design specifically with the spectrum of autism in mind. This is crucial to the programme’s success because those with autism are very sensitive to their surroundings,” she says.

The Trancending Autism pilot was spearheaded in New Zealand by child development specialist and TAO Trustee Livia Bagoly, who has over 30 years’ experience working with children who have developmental disorders. Ms Bagoly says “the programme has shown that no matter how severe the autism is, each child has developed levels of communication skills within six months that no other therapy has managed to do – for the families of these children, this is nothing short of a miracle.”

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