Meet Pranav, a young artist with down syndrome who has captured hearts with his exceptional talent. Experimenting with different forms of art, his journey has taken him to exhibitions where he had the opportunity to connect with fellow young artists similar to him, proving that creativity has no bounds.
Down syndrome is a medical condition in which a person has an extra 21st chromosome. Children with down syndrome often have moderate intellectual disabilities, and could face challenges with attention span, verbal memory, communication, etc (“Down Syndrome | Boston Children’s Hospital”).
Pranav Aggarwal, currently 11 years old, a young extraordinary kid, was diagnosed with down syndrome soon after birth. For a long time, he has had a passion for art and has a wonderful talent of being able to beautifully imprint colors on paper and canvas which lead to magnificent pieces of artwork.
From a young age, Pranav used to go to therapy classes, and one day, when he was 6 years old, a new art teacher visited the therapy classes to demonstrate hobbies that special kids could undertake. Although, the art teacher was addressing parents with kids above 10, Pranav’s mother was inquisitive about whether his demonstrations could peek her child’s interest too. The teacher was really encouraging on the idea of further spreading this message to even younger kids knowing that it could benefit them since painting is all about colors and experimenting to see what one can create out of them and hence anyone can try it. His mom believed that this would be an open opportunity for Pranav to try out a new hobby.
“Pranav sat on the chair and no sooner did he start throwing water and colors on paper, something beautiful was created”, his mother stated.
He enjoyed the process a lot and since then, art became a natural hobby for him. He has made numerous marvelous artworks through different mediums such as “abstract art and pour art” as said by Pranav himself. Pranav’s parents are a great asset to his talent as they are very encouraging and helpful towards him. He pursued art classes for 2 years until COVID hit. Then, with greater time on his hands, he was able to routinely practice his hobby on his own, as his parents used to show him videos and he started experimenting with new techniques every single day.
He still has a great dedication to his pastime and nowadays, he creates new artworks about once a week. He says that he enjoys art as a “hobby” and “loves playing with colors until they come to some form”.
During art classes and exhibitions, he and his mother have had the opportunity to connect with other parents and their differently-abled kids who, like him, also enjoy art.
Pranav’s mother said, “We made strong connections and learnings with fellow parents who were in the same boat as us”. Of most special kids, more than 50% of them love experimenting with colors is what she learned.
They all have different styles and forms of painting with some kids using brushes, some doing abstract, others doing figures and fine art. For many special kids, art is more than just a hobby. It acts as a ‘stress buster’ for them and for others, art is also a ‘means of earning’, since finding jobs for special kids can be quite challenging.
In essence, creativity has no bounds, and art is for absolutely anyone. Art is also a component that allows bonds to be formed between people all over the world. Through its ability to communicate a community's history, elicit reflection, and foster relationships that cut across boundaries, art has the power to physically and culturally unite individuals in places like galleries, museums, and performance halls (John S. and James L.)
Art is also a strong suit for children with special needs since it helps them build fine motor and problem solving skills (Cruse). Along with that, it also promotes freedom of creative expression which is beneficial to other kids like Pranav.
Bibliography Cruse, Cecilia. “The Benefits of Art for Students with Special Needs.” Schoolyard Blog | Teacher Resources | School Specialty, 17 Jan. 2017, blog.schoolspecialty.com/benefits-art-students-special- needs/#:~:text=As%20art%20educators%2C%20it. “Down Syndrome | Boston Children’s Hospital.” Www.childrenshospital.org, www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/down- syndrome#:~:text=They%20often%20have%20mild%20to. John S., and James L. “Art Binds People to Place and to Each Other.” Knight Foundation, knightfoundation.org/speeches/art-binds-people-to-place-and-to-each- other/#:~:text=Culture%20generates%20social%20capital%20and.
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