By Rosaline Qi, FCSN Volunteer and Exhibition Curator

First exhibition by FCSN, opening night on September 9, 2022 and on view September 10, 12, 13, 14  from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Osgood Center in Fremont, CA 

Beginning as a small family operation in 1996, Friends of Children with Special Needs (FCSN) has since grown into a robust non-profit organization—with facilities in both Fremont and San Jose—that supports both children and adults with developmental disabilities in learning enrichment, self-expression, integrated community involvement, and more. Following a multidisciplinary ethos, FCSN has always valued the creative arts. This is apparent from the annual Special Needs Talent Showcase they’ve held for the last eight years and their continued commitment to custom and accessible art curriculums for all students. 

“Many of our students asked and staff have advocated for a visual arts exhibition event, as we have done for the performing artists” said Sylvia Yeh, executive business director at FCSN. If you walked into any of the FCSN buildings during its regular hours, you would see walls covered with drawings, paintings, even pages from artbook exercises and bear witness simultaneously to the indelible talents of the clients and the care, attentiveness, and effort of the staff. It is because of this that, despite the demanding nature of their daily operations, program directors Vivian Largusa, Vivian Chung, and Claire Brady—with the help of FCSN volunteer Rosaline Qi as curator—have taken the initiative to organize a formal venue for displaying artwork by the FCSN community, for viewers outside of the community. 

As per the title, Through Our Eyes, this exhibition will be an opportunity through which the FCSN artists’ work can be seen by the public, and reflexively, a way for the public to experience the world through each artist’s unique perspective. Raymond Hu, a resident community member recently celebrating 30 years as an artist, will be showcasing his series of vivid, enchanting Chinese watercolor and mixed media paintings with an animal motif. You can also expect to see pieces from over 50 other artists, created in diverse mediums ranging from acrylic painting to oil pastels, origami, ceramics, and more. The FCSN community welcomes you to attend our opening night on September 9 or to visit the work on view the following week and support the creativity and talent of our artists with special needs.

Details:
Executive Event Organizer: Vivian Largusa (program director at FCSN); vivian@fcsn.org 
Release written by: Rosaline Qi (volunteer at FCSN, exhibition curator); rq2161@columbia.edu
Exhibition Dates: Opening night celebration on September 9 from 6-8 p.m., exhibition on view
September 10, 12, 13, 14  from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Exhibition Address: 42080 Osgood Rd #1 Fremont, CA
Register for Tickets: Please visit the “Upcoming Events” section of fcsn1996.org