THE art studio called “Bo’ai Arts” at Dafen Village in Longgang Disrict is providing employment and art therapy for youths with autism and learning disabilities, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.

A Mo, a young lady with autism, joined Bo’ai in October last year. “All pictures I have drawn over the past three months are put on sale,” she said. “I started to paint at 12 and by now, it has been over seven years.”

The art gallery was founded last June by Zuo, a staffer from Shenzhen Rainbow Cartoon Research Development Center, a private nonprofit organization for children with special needs.

Works from teenagers with autism have been recognized in Dafen Village, and several adolescents that Rainbow Cartoon has supported are grown-ups now. Zuo decided to open the studio to offer employment opportunities to these young people.

At present, Zhang Hong is the co-founder and painting teacher at Bo’ai. Previously, Zhang was an art teacher in a rehabilitation agency. She found painting useful to treat children with autism and then resigned from the agency to establish Bo’ai.

Zuo said “I am responsible for employment and management and Zhang teaches youths to draw.” He added, “Since the studio was set up, there have been seven to eight youths with autism working in the place for a long time.”

As one of Bo’ai’s long-term employees, A Mo has received painting therapy from Rainbow Cartoon for three years before the gallery recruited her. “It is my first job, and I can earn a living by painting,” she said. Every morning, she goes to work at 8:30 a.m. by Metro and paints for seven hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “If the teacher is out, I will help guide little kids to paint,” she added.

Zuo said that the young painters with autism work under “flexible employment” arrangements. “Apart from drawing and selling pictures, they will also do some routine work such as boiling water, washing dishes and greeting guests in the store. They are also paid for their services and have free lunch.”

Every month, Bo’ai sells 30 to 50 paintings on average and their prices vary from 40 yuan (US$6.29) to 160 yuan. Giving lessons to young kids with autism is also part of the gallery’s revenue. Currently, Bo’ai can make both ends meet.

Bo’ai’s program for youths with autism has earned itself praise and a good reputation among parents. A mother surnamed Zhai told the reporter her kid has learned from Zhang Hong for five years. “Making paintings can calm them (patients with autism) down and meanwhile it is a respectable skill,” she said. 

(Xia Yuanjie)