Julia Vandenoever in collaboration with Rene Boos founder of the Neurodiversity Community Center, will offer an art and photography workshop at East Window.
This interactive workshop is open to the general public and invites young adults to reflect on the ways individuals “mask” parts of themselves in order to navigate social expectations. Participants will explore the question: How do you identify on the inside? The workshop is designed to create a supportive space for self-expression, while encouraging dialogue around neurodiversity, identity, and belonging.
Each participant will have their portrait taken in the gallery space. Two copies of the portrait will be printed. Over one portrait, participants will write about how they present themselves when they feel “masked.” Over the second portrait, they will describe how they see themselves when they feel “unmasked.” This process allows participants to visually and verbally explore the contrast between external perception and internal identity.
With permission from participants, selected portraits will be shared on Instagram to extend the conversation beyond the gallery. This digital component will broaden community engagement, encourage dialogue around neurodiversity and identity, and help build greater understanding and connection across diverse audiences.
More information: info@eastwindow.org
Being Grayson
Julia Vandenoever
Exhibit runs May 8 - June 26, 2026
Being Grayson is a photography project about parenting a neurodiverse child as a neurotypical parent. Adjacent programming will engage audiences to think about neurodiversity relative to DEI, and will bring together parents, educators, and neurodivergent individuals to bridge gaps in understanding and to address the topics of dyslexia, ADHD, and school/community support.
Julia Vandenoever is a freelance photographer based in Boulder, Colorado. She grew up in Chappaqua, NY and Norwich, Vermont. During her years at Smith College, Julia studied Art History and Photography. In addition, she attended the SALT Center for Documentary studies as well as SEA Semester. Photography led Julia to freelance at the Valley News, work with Wendy Ewald’s Literacy Through Photography program, and an 11 year Photo Editor career at Backpacker, Skiing, and Outside magazine. At the beginning of Julia’s career, she was invited to the Eddie Adams Workshop. She has participated in many group exhibitions as well as a solo exhibit of my work, Hidden Folds, at the Boulder Creative Collective. She was awarded a Community Supported Grant to create an artist book on the 2012 Boulder Flood. Julia has been honored to receive a couple of grants and served as a visiting artist at Guttman College in New York, New York. In 2021, Still Breathing, received a solo show at the Center for Photography at Woodstock as well as a Critical Mass Top 200 Finalist. Recently, she was an artist-in-residence at the Boulder Creative Collective where she had a solo exhibition of her work, While I Wait. Her first monograph, Still Breathing, was published by Gray Sky Press in 2022. Still Breathing was recently acquired by Smith College Rare Books.