Stitch Avenue NY Develops a Warm Collaboration with Matheny Artists

January 28, 2025, Peapack, NJ - Jay Lee, owner of Stitch Avenue New York, lives around the corner from Sotheby’s in New York City. A graduate student at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, Lee happened upon Sotheby’s exhibit, “Art Without Boundaries” a specially-curated display of works by Matheny’s Arts Access artists last spring.

Lee is the driving force behind Stitch Avenue New York, a clothing company dedicated to collaborating with artists from diverse backgrounds. The company’s slogan is “Every Thread Tells a Story.” Originally from Korea, she had volunteered with students with Down Syndrome while in school, igniting a passion for art and the differently abled population. “The idea behind Stitch Avenue New York brand was sparked at the ‘Art Without Boundaries’ exhibition,” says Lee. “Their resilience and beauty moved us, leading to a collaboration with one of these incredible artists. “

Artist Joshua Handler has been a part of the Matheny community for more than 30 years. He currently lives in one of Matheny’s community residences and attends their Adult Day Program in Hillsborough, NJ. Handler’s passion is art, and he has created many works of art in various media through his participation in Matheny’s Arts Access program. His paintings often feature a grouping of multicolored geometric objects in various shapes and sizes. He enjoys drawing in his audience with captivating titles. “I know a lot of my paintings don’t reflect what the title is but that’s my hook,” Handler says. “I want to keep everyone guessing. I am a man of mystery.” Like many of Joshua’s paintings, “Rainbow Burst Through the Sunny Sky,” was born out of experimentation. “I just say to myself ‘let me try and make it work,’ and the colors were all right there in my mind and I ran with it,” he continued.

Arts Access’ multidisciplinary program offers specialized systems of communication and assistance for individuals with disabilities that enable them to freely express themselves in the arts. Instead of defining those participating in Arts Access by their disabilities, Arts Access enables participants to define themselves by their accomplishments. Assisted by professional artist-facilitators, the artists use specialized systems, methodologies, and assistive technology that have been designed to enable individuals across the full spectrum of disability to clearly communicate their ideas.

“I was blown away by the art and Matheny’s mission,” says Lee. “And, I wanted to collaborate with an artist from Matheny’s Arts Access Program. I feel thrilled that lots of people appreciate our collaboration and that the customers truly love their sweatshirt wearing it all around the world.” Lee commissioned Handler’s “Rainbow Burst Through the Sunny Sky” to be printed on the back of a high-quality sweatshirt. It was a limited run of 100 pieces that raised more than $1,400 donated to Matheny. Handler received a stipend for the use of his image.

Lee and Handler recently met at Matheny’s Adult Day Program, where she presented Handler with his very own sweatshirt and gave him the opportunity to speak to “his fans” through her Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/stitchave_newyork/.

Heather Williams, Program Director of the Arts Access program relates, “Lee created and shared a lot of fun content surrounding the launch of the item and she sold out!” Williams continued, “Creative, caring people like her make all the difference. I see this as being a possible continuing collaboration, featuring different artists on new, exciting clothing pieces.”

More information about the Arts Access Program at Matheny can be found at artsaccessprogram.org.

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About Matheny. Matheny’s mission is to provide exceptional care and an optimal quality of life for children and adults with special needs and medically complex developmental disabilities. Matheny is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and is headquartered in Somerset County. It was founded in 1946 after Walter and Marguerite Matheny’s son, Chuck, was born with cerebral palsy (CP) into a world ill-equipped to care for children with special needs. Matheny patients have a diverse range of medical conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Lesch-Nyhan Disease (LND) and a wide range of rare diseases. Matheny is comprised of a special hospital, five community group homes, an adult day center, a non-profit private special school, and outpatient clinics serving the community. To learn more about Matheny, visit us at http://www.matheny.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram: @mathenymedical.