Art Buddies: Lakers work with special education students to create playful art pieces

Grand Valley art education students celebrated the conclusion of the two-semester Art Buddies program with a showcase in early April. Art Buddies is a hands-on program in which GVSU students work with special education students to create art.

Katalin Zaszlavik, the associate professor leading the program, said Art Buddies is built into the curriculum of her Introduction to Art Education and Curriculum Development and Practice courses.

The theme for this year's Art Buddies group was play. During the program, Lakers worked to create a curriculum and plan projects for their students. They then worked alongside the students to help them create their art pieces. The projects included a memory card game, a playground scene, a puzzle and puppets for a puppet show.