“Chairs of Inclusion,” an innovative large-scale art exhibit created by eleven New Jersey artists in collaboration with adults with developmental disabilities, was presented at Wildflowers Too for the month of July 2015.

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The exhibit, sub-titled “A Seat at the Table for Everyone,” was commissioned to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Jewish Service for the Developmentally Disabled's Wae Center, an alternative learning center in West Orange. The show consisted of eleven actual chairs, each conceived by an individual lead artist, then created by that artist in collaboration with a team of members from the Wae Center.

The Wae Center – its name stands for Wellness, Arts & Enrichment –  was founded on the belief that each individual possesses the potential for creating a meaningful life. Inclusion is implemented every single day by facilitators trained to bring people of diverse abilities together as equals.

 

The Chairs of Inclusion project sought to shift perceptions of ability, art and community, and those who visited this exhibit agree it achieved that and more.