As director of the First Street Gallery Art Center, Rebecca Hamm supervises an innovative program that nurtures artists with developmental disabilities.

If there is an art to creating a full and vivid life, Rebecca Hamm has found it. As a lecturer in the university's art department, she focuses on transmitting her artistic knowledge to her students. Hamm is also the program director for the First Street Gallery Art Center in Claremont, where she oversees on-site, national and international exhibitions.

But teaching and curating are only two aspects of her life in art. Hamm also supervises one of the most innovative art programs in the region. Students at the First Street Gallery-receiving instruction in painting, printmaking and ceramics-are adults with developmental disabilities.

"We don't do art therapy," says the Cal Poly Pomona alumna. "We aren't clinically trained. However, I strongly believe the good things that come out of art therapy happen naturally. We nurture and support our artists, but we also bring significant challenges to them to solve."

The First Street Gallery is one of 12 programs associated with the Tierra Del Sol Foundation, which supports cooperative programs and services for adults with developmental disabilities such as autism, Down's syndrome and cerebral palsy. In addition to art-centered activities and training, First Street also offers instruction in social skills, self-advocacy, activities of daily living and independent living skills.

One of the star artists at the gallery is Michael LeVell who is autistic, deaf and legally blind. He entered the program 12 years ago after completing his mainstream special education schooling. Although he cannot communicate verbally or by gesture-and can write only one word-LeVell immediately demonstrated a sophisticated artistic vision that has continued to grow and develop over time.

"We have five or six people who would be making their artwork wholeheartedly whether they were here or not," says Hamm. "They are our true 'outsider' artists, the ones who have found audiences. Michael definitely has an audience."

Student artists explore the creative process, working with professional artists to achieve personalized artistic goals. Their work is exhibited in the First Street Gallery as well as at national and international venues, with artists receiving 60 percent of the proceeds from the sale of their work.

For more information about the First Street Gallery Art Center,
call (909) 626-5455 or visit www.tstonramp.com/~rjhamm/index.html.