Side by Side is a program provided by Arts For All Kentucky. Arts For All KY is a Kennedy Center Access / VSA program site that provides funding for arts programming for students and adults with disabilities. The Side By Side program has been happening in communities across Kentucky for the past 15 years. Students in the program participate in four art classes taught by an Arts For All KY Teaching Artist and are then paired up with a working artist in their community to create a collaborative piece of artwork. The program culminates in an art show to celebrate the creativity of the students' individual art, their collaborative works with the community artists, and artwork submitted by the community artists themselves.

This is the fifth year that Dreams With Wings has been a Side By Side program site. Dreams With Wings is a non-profit organization serving children and adults with intellectual & developmental disabilities and autism. They provide a range of services to help empower their clients to enhance their strengths, contribute to their community, and live a lifetime of purpose.

The program at Dreams With Wings has grown over the past five years to now include 25 students and 15 community artists, resulting in 75 pieces of artwork in this year’s show. The students spent the first two of their four art classes with Teaching Artist, Tricia Hart, to create their gesture paintings. Each student was asked to choose a pose or gesture during a photo session. The chosen gestures included shooting a basketball, blowing a kiss, thinking deep thoughts, bowling, and several other creative poses. The students then painted a background image for their photograph and created paper props to add to their poses and gestures. The remaining two classes with the Teaching Artist were spent working on painted puzzle pieces that correspond with a positive message that the students chose. All of the puzzle pieces were put together to create the group puzzle displayed in the show. The students then spent the final two classes of the program working with the community artists to create a collaborative piece of artwork.

The artwork in the show is arranged in groups of 3 pieces of artwork. Each grouping includes the student’s gesture painting, the collaborative piece of artwork, and the artwork submitted by the community artist.