HP_092718

hplandmark.com life & Arts
the highland park landmark | September 27, 2018 | 25
HP resident helps art students discover hidden talents
Resident uses art
to facilitate selfexpression
among
others
Daniel I. Dorfman
Freelance Reporter
On a simple level, Highland
Park resident Caren
Miller loves teaching art.
On a broader basis, she
loves what art can mean to
people.
“Art spans what people’s
situations are in life. I’m
able to reach them through
the use of art,” Miller said.
“I teach others how to use
art to facilitate emotional
growth and well-being, for
self-expression and communication.”
Miller, who has a studio
in Northbrook, assists people
— some with physical
and emotional challenges
— by channeling their artistic
ability through a variety
of mediums.
While her mother died
when she was very young,
Miller remembered art as
a way the two connected
and she has used that as a
foundation to reach out to
others.
“The people I work with
are often times in challenging
circumstances,” Miller
said. “How I learned to use
art was through my mom
and being able to make
that connection and being
able to reach out to other
people. That was the gift
she keeps giving.”
After college, Miller
embarked on a career in the
arts and three decades later
the journey is continuing.
There were her own creations
such as sculptures
and paintings that she
would sell on the market,
yet most of her time came
with assisting others as a
teacher or a mentor.
There were multiple
stops along the way from
private companies to park
districts and most of all,
at two schools in Northbrook
and Highland Park.
The venues may have
changed, but the possibilities
of what art can do for a
student have remained the
same, according to Miller.
“To me it is remarkable
how many people you can
reach,” Miller said of art
education. “It is not about
being an artist, it is about
expression.”
There is no one specific
form of art she teaches.
Instead, she offers lessons
in different genres, which
may mean sculpting for
some, drawing for others.
Among the people that
Miller has worked with
is Marissa Zelinger, 31,
who has Rett Syndrome, a
neurological disorder that
mostly hits females.
Caryn Zelinger, Marissa’s
mother, said she met
Miller through a mutual
friend approximately three
years ago. While cautious
at first since Marissa has
limited use of her hands,
Miller started working
with Marissa.
“I never pushed fine
motor skills through art
because I thought it would
be frustrating for (Marissa)
because of her significant
fine motor improvement,”
Caryn Zelinger
said. “But I decided to
give it a shot because I
didn’t want to leave any
stone unturned.”
Miller started working
with Zelinger by first heating
up crayons and letting
them drip to see how a picture
can emerge. That was
followed by the two of
them working with a claylike
material where Marissa
can use her hands by
putting it on a canvas and
then Marissa could pull it
with her hands to strengthen
her hands and use color.
“Marissa’s communication
has greatly widened
to express her feelings and
thoughts and she confides
in her as well,” she said.
“Obviously, she feels extremely
comfortable with
Caren who listens to her, is
Pictured is the work of Marissa Zelinger, who has Rett
Syndrome, a neurological disorder that impacts speech,
movement and communication. The work depicts Chicago
Cubs player Anthony Rizzo and features his signature
at the bottom of it. Martin Carlino/22nd Century Media
encouraging, and accepting
of her.”
Miller added Marissa
discovered painting and
now she is able to communicate
via writing, which
she had never done before.
Miller’s success with
Marissa is just one example
of what art can accomplish.
“Through art we are
bringing people together
and they are sharing experiences
they never would
have had the opportunity
to and not see the strengths
in one another,” she said.
“So often we focus on
what other people can not
do, in this environment
it is all about seeing the
strengths or creativity or
the risk taking.”
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