Art project gives late-diagnosed autistic women a voice

Late-diagnosed autistic women on the Sunshine Coast are being invited to share their experiences through art as part of a new research project based in Nambour.

Now Do You See Me? is a seven-week creative arts program led by University of the Sunshine Coast PhD candidate Sarah Vortman, an autistic researcher exploring the experiences of women diagnosed with autism in adulthood.

The project will offer participants a safe and flexible space to explore identity and lived experience alongside other late-diagnosed autistic women.

No previous art experience is needed, with participants able to decide what they create, how they take part and whether they share their work publicly.

The program will begin on July 19 and include an online orientation followed by six weekly, three-hour art-making sessions at Ms Vortman’s studio at The Old Ambulance Station in Nambour. Participants may also join online through Zoom.

Travel and parking costs for those attending the Nambour sessions will be covered by the project.

Ms Vortman said the research was distinctive because it was both autistic-led and based around creative practice, giving women an opportunity to communicate experiences that could sometimes be difficult to express through words alone.

Participants will complete a reflection after the creative sessions by talking, writing or making further art.

They will also have the option of displaying their work in a public exhibition at UniSC’s CAVE2 immersive virtual environment, described as one of only four facilities of its kind in the world.

Taking part in the exhibition and a subsequent reflection gathering will be optional.

Participants must have received an autism diagnosis at age 18 or older and have an interest in creative practice.

The project is research rather than a therapy program and has received university ethics approval.

For more information or to register, contact lead researcher Sarah Vortman at sarah.vortman@research.usc.edu.au or phone 0458 415 088. Or click here or scan the QR code right.

Art by Sarah Vortman.