Campus Art Hub
The HCC Codwell Campus Art Hub Gallery held its first exhibit of the spring semester, entitled ‘Rebirth-Revival-Revolution,’ showcasing the works of Alvin and Ezra Roy.
The father and son duo are native to Houston and have garnered a following as far as Eastern Europe.
Their story of perseverance in the face of adversity began three days after Ezra was born, when a doctor announced a diagnosis that initially overwhelmed Alvin. Ezra was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes growth and intellectual delays.
“I remember being devastated,” says Alvin, “that lasted for about 2 minutes. I drew upon the strength of my grandparents who had never given up in the face of adversity.”
Alvin, an army veteran, had no idea that the war may have been …show more content…
However, he switched his profession to art, which he had always loved, when he realized how well his son responded to it. “I began to notice his association with color and saw how it excited him.”
The single father began teaching his son how to draw and paint. He began to use art as a teaching tool to expand Ezra’s vocabulary and phonic sensibilities. “When Ezra was growing up, my house looked like a rainbow coalition! There were sticky notes everywhere with vocabulary words to help Ezra to learn.”
In 2006 Alvin Roy founded an art education program called 1-On-1 Art, where today he trains other teenagers and young adults with Down Syndrome and autism. He uses the special techniques that helped Ezra to achieve what was once thought to be impossible. In fact, in 2014 Ezra graduated magna cum laude from Texas Southern University, becoming the first-known individual with his condition to earn a degree from TSU.
Since many special-needs individuals lack exposure to artistic possibilities as a means of self-expression, the 1-On-1 Art curriculum is designed to help students develop their motor skills, while increasing their
The father and son duo are native to Houston and have garnered a following as far as Eastern Europe.
Their story of perseverance in the face of adversity began three days after Ezra was born, when a doctor announced a diagnosis that initially overwhelmed Alvin. Ezra was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes growth and intellectual delays.
“I remember being devastated,” says Alvin, “that lasted for about 2 minutes. I drew upon the strength of my grandparents who had never given up in the face of adversity.”
Alvin, an army veteran, had no idea that the war may have been …show more content…
However, he switched his profession to art, which he had always loved, when he realized how well his son responded to it. “I began to notice his association with color and saw how it excited him.”
The single father began teaching his son how to draw and paint. He began to use art as a teaching tool to expand Ezra’s vocabulary and phonic sensibilities. “When Ezra was growing up, my house looked like a rainbow coalition! There were sticky notes everywhere with vocabulary words to help Ezra to learn.”
In 2006 Alvin Roy founded an art education program called 1-On-1 Art, where today he trains other teenagers and young adults with Down Syndrome and autism. He uses the special techniques that helped Ezra to achieve what was once thought to be impossible. In fact, in 2014 Ezra graduated magna cum laude from Texas Southern University, becoming the first-known individual with his condition to earn a degree from TSU.
Since many special-needs individuals lack exposure to artistic possibilities as a means of self-expression, the 1-On-1 Art curriculum is designed to help students develop their motor skills, while increasing their