Visit the new exhibit, “Beyond the Spectrum” by Neal Raghani ‘25, Digital Media Art. Hosted by the SJSU King Library from March 21, 2025 - April 27, 2025, the exhibit spotlights the importance of community and belonging for autistic children.

Stemming from research performed within the SJSU King Library’s Library Research Scholars Program, this exhibition explores the effects of visual art activities adopted by special education teachers on instilling a communal environment in their classrooms. 

Through scholarly research, qualitative interviews with special education teachers, and collaboration with principal investigator Michael Aguilar, “Beyond the Spectrum” incorporates digital and physical media art to envision vital practices covered throughout the research. 

These practices include collaborative art activities with students from different classrooms, the development of community-led programs which allow autistic children to share their art with others, and drawing from their inner creative worlds to enhance their engagement with the outer world. In addition to the physical pieces, which display the research in a children's book-like narrative, viewers can scan specific pieces to reveal interactive digital media artworks reflecting various aspects of said research. 

Community and belonging are paramount for autistic children, especially as it pertains to visual art practices. Designed to inspire collaboration, creative expression, and sharing, art activities also dispel the narratives others place on autistic children and blur the line between those with and without a developmental disability.

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