The Arts Center
Together with the ongoing commitment to achieving personalized goals and the further development of occupational, physical, and cognitive abilities, the Sadna places significant importance on enriching and expanding the inner world of the students through making and creating handicrafts in a pleasant atmosphere and experience conducive to the production of art.
Therefore, we set ourselves a goal of having all the students of the workshop participate in various enrichment classes in the arts complex, which also serves as part of the employment network.
Basket weaving
The studio serves as a daily employment center where people use basketweaving skills to prepare baskets, bowls and various trays. In addition, the studio serves as an open creative space for students from the Sadna, the Yuvalim school and even the local G’Vaot kindergarten.
The students who come to create in the studio work on personal projects and products that are sold at special sales from time to time.
In the studio, the students create baskets in a variety of styles and techniques. One of the things that affects the shape and character of the basket is the material from which it is made. There are a variety of raw materials such as wicker, and other natural materials that the workers forage in the surrounding forests and hills.
The baskets are also interspersed with tricot threads, beads and wooden bases that are polished, painted and decorated by the students. The shared workspace creates interesting encounters ,collaborations, dynamics, and a pleasant atmosphere between the permanent workers of the employment network and the students who rotate through the basket weaving studio.
Ceramics
The ceramics studio is used by all students and the residents of G’vaot. Employees from the employment network produce tools and implements for sale and for various uses of the Sadna and its coffee shop.
Most of the tools are made from hand-rolled clay surfaces, and some of them are stamped with lace, plants, seals and other fabrics or surfaces with interesting textures. There is also work with liquid casting clay, through which small jugs and glasses are made.
The dishes are painted in engobe colors and on top of a transparent glaze for spreading, or in a combination of engobe mixed with glaze or in glazes for dipping. All materials in the studio are adapted for baking at high repetitive temperatures and without toxins.
The studio is divided into three rooms. The entrance room, which is used by the employment workers, a classroom/ activity room, and a room for drying and baking the products.
The activity room is used by the students of the workshop and the students of Yuvalim, who work in different techniques in clay and pottery wheels. The products that are prepared in the classes belong to the students. They come to the studio to experiment and specialize in the various techniques, and to develop motor and creative abilities. The choice of technique and creation is the result of the imagination and desires of the students who work at different and varied levels. The handiwork and the ability to create a product from scratch helps the students develop and grow and provides insights and enrichments into their inner worlds.
The carpentry and woodworking shop
The carpentry and wood working shop is a special venue for creativity and production. As part of the Art Center, the shop provides creative outlets for the Sadna’s various groups.
In the shop, the students relate to woodwork, to handicrafts, to the knowledge of know different tools and skills, and they experience the joy of transforming raw wood into a useful and decorative creation.
The place is active and vibrant, and groups from the kindergarten, the Yuvalim school, the Sadna and the employment network come to the carpentry shop. The students create different projects of their choice and experiment with the different tools according to level and ability. In addition, the carpentry shop is an intermediate stage – 'preparation for employment'. The employment group comes every morning to work in the carpentry shop and produces a variety of products for the Sadna such as the KKL-JNF tables, shelves, benches, and racks. The group experiences work skills, team cooperation work professionally at a high level.
Music room
The music program is an integral part of the Sadna workshop.
Musical ability is not related to verbal functions, and therefore even students with low verbal functioning can achieve impressive musical accomplishments. Sometimes playing instruments and singing are the only vehicles with which the students can express and realize their own unique personal voices.
The musical activity is fun and relaxing. This calmness is especially important for students on the autism spectrum, many of whom suffer from chronic stress that can develop into mental crises.
The music program includes individual and group lessons. The program is operated in accordance with the individual goals of each student and is adapted to the general curriculum of the workshop. Program participants perform several times a year at both internal and external events. The performances strengthen the self-confidence of the students, and the positive feedback helps them feel an important and valued part of the community. We are currently building a new music center in the heart of the arts complex which will enrich the existing work and provide an additional variety of treatments and music therapy.
