Students in the University of Iowa's REACH: Realizing Educational and Career Hopes Program will have an opportunity to exercise and display their artistic talents early in November, thanks to a collaborative effort with Arts Share, the UI program that seeks to provide life-enriching arts experiences.

Following workshops at which they were taught how to make ceramic works of art, the REACH students will exhibit their works during a gallery show Monday through Friday, Nov. 5-11, at the Atrium Gallery in the Studio Arts Building, the former Menards building on Highway 1 in west Iowa City. The exhibit will also feature photos taken of the REACH students while they were creating their ceramic pieces.

The exhibition will be held in conjunction with the UI Parents Weekend and will include a public reception at the Atrium Gallery from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10.

This is the second year Arts Share and REACH have collaborated to offer workshops in the arts, but it’s the first time for a show of the works produced.

“Last year we did a REACH event with Printmaking and Theatre Arts,” says Erin Rappleye, a UI graduate student in jewelry and metal arts in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) who is also a research assistant with Arts Share. “This year, I thought it would be great to have a show so the REACH students have the rewarding opportunity to experience and celebrate seeing their artwork in a gallery setting, just like professional artists.”

Rappleye recruited students who are members of the UI Ceramics Society to instruct the REACH students in the process of hand building and then glazing their creations.

Arts Share administrator Leslie Finer notes that the collaboration with REACH is made possible by Better Futures for Iowans, a grant program created as part of the UI’s 2010-2016 strategic plan. Funds for the program are aimed at initiatives that improve the lives of Iowans in areas such as the arts, health, education, and the economy.

REACH is a program of the UI College of Education. The two-year, transition certificate program (with a third-year option) is for students with multiple intellectual, cognitive, and learning disabilities. Courses, campus life, and career preparation assist students in reaching their full potential. Post-graduation support assists students as they transition to work and self-sufficiency.

Arts Share is a program of the UI Division of Performing Arts, which is part of theCLAS and receives major funding from the UI Graduate College. Arts Share offers schools and communities around the state a variety of opportunities in dance, creative writing, music, theater, and the visual arts, including interactive performances, workshops, readings, residencies, and master classes. Its artists have traveled as far as Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Buffalo Center, Keokuk, and Lamoni to present in their chosen field.