Sara Lindsay is the mother of two children aged 19 and 17, both aspiring artists, the younger lives with disabilities. For the past 8 years Sara has taught Design at UTAS, and is now the Art Program Director at Artosaurus. Sara enjoys helping people to develop their own projects and community arts projects. She likes talking about art, dinosaurs, pets and how awesome her children are.

I’ve often thought I should write a book of the stories of Declan’s childhood. The roles of parent for me and sister for Izzi have often seemed more like sidekick’s or the comedian’s ‘straight man.’ We smooth his path, like the scrubbers in a game of curling, and calm the waves in his wake.

A charming and engaging scamp, the twinkle in his eye hides the challenges he faces and mostly overcomes. He can tell you about prehistoric animal and plant life in fantastic detail and with much enthusiasm, but cannot tell you how old he is. He will be eighteen this year, in just a few short months. Much like the impending start of kindergarten made me seek a diagnosis for him (Autism), the ending of his schooling created another pressing need. I needed him to get access to the N.D.I.S. and find appropriate services for his future. For Declan however his career choices were obvious: Mad Scientist or Artist.

I will admit to absolute bias when it comes to Declan, but also can tell you with some degree of authority, as an artist and designer who has also taught through the Uni, that Declan is an artistic genius. Declan has always loved to draw, quite literally before he could talk, he would sit for hours each day filling pads with drawings. College allowed him to focus on art classes where he has gained academic success, for the first time being assessed and passing with his cohort. He has expanded his skills to sculpture, ceramics and glass, and these skills along with his imagination, knowledge of lifeforms and talent create works that are full of humour and are ingeniously intriguing.

As a parent I wanted him to be able to pursue an arts career. As an artist myself I know that he cannot do this without considerable supports. The art world is welcoming of diversity, but is not without significant barriers, indeed arts education has a minimum expectation of literacy. Declan’s language is drawing and sculpture. I knew having worked at the Uni that it would not meet his needs even with the adjustments of a formal learning access plan. I began to dream of a studio where the support workers were artists, where we could all create in harmony.

I arranged to catch up with a friend, Rhonda, to pick her brain for post-college options for Declan, instead we started planning for an art studio and gallery that would focus on supporting artists of all abilities. In just a few short months, Artosaurus became a reality. Artosaurus is a not-for-profit art gallery with two teaching studios on Main Road, Moonah. Our focus is on lifelong learning for artists of all abilities, providing art classes and workshops, N.D.I.S. programs and opportunities for Tasmanian artists to exhibit and sell their work, and building a safe and supportive art community.

Declan loves Artosaurus and is perfectly happy to be discussed as the inspiration for ‘his Artosaurus.’ So now he has a post- college option and he can develop his arts practice, so he will have to pursue Mad Scientist as a hobby, and I am still the sidekick.