Centre for the Arts in Human Development marks three decades at Concordia

The Centre for the Arts in Human Development (CAHD), a creative arts program for adults with developmental disabilities, marks its 30th anniversary at Concordia this year.

Created by social worker Lenore Vosberg as an extension of her community work, the centre has grown into a hub for therapeutic, educational, clinical and research activity within the Department of Creative Arts Therapies.

“Since 1996, the CAHD has flourished as a pioneering program at Concordia,” Vosberg says. “Primarily a clinical training site for interns, the CAHD provides art, drama, music, dance and movement therapies for neurodivergent adults and adults with developmental disabilities.”

The centre has served more than 350 participants and mounted 13 original musicals showcasing their abilities.

“Participants have shown increased self-esteem, social skills, confidence and overall quality of life,” Vosberg explains, citing research, self-reports and feedback from families and professionals.

Italo Ferrante, now a DJ and music producer, graduated from the program in 2022. He says the skills he gained as a participant have better prepared him to navigate everyday challenges.

“When I did music, it made me realize we really communicate with our mouth, words and actions, but also through sound, vibrations and frequencies. It adds another layer of communication to humanity,” he says.

“It very much rewired my brain to deal with my emotions,” he says. “I feel much more confident … a general sense of calmness, in control of what I can do and say when needed.”

A joyful collaboration

The program began in 1993 as a “kitchen-table idea,” when Vosberg decided to create a play as a fundraiser for the community agency where she worked. The twist: her clients would be featured as the primary cast.

She approached Stephen Snow from Concordia’s Department of Theatre and asked him to consider directing a show based on Aladdin.

“Three days later, he said he would direct the play if I produced it. I quickly agreed without fully knowing what being a producer entailed!” she shares.

Snow’s wife, Shelley, a music therapist and composer, wrote an original score in collaboration with lyricist Roger Jay, while then-chair of Theatre, Eric Mongerson, provided access to the D.B. Clarke Theatre.

The event raised $14,000 — and kicked off a long-standing collaboration with Concordia.

“Stephen created an independent study course, where Concordia students designed the set and created the costumes and choreography. Miranda D’Amico from the Department of Education spearheaded the research component by assessing the efficacy of the play for the participants and ensuing interventions,” Vosberg says.

In 1996, the CAHD was formally established at Concordia in the Faculty of Fine Arts, under the collaborative leadership of Vosberg, D’Amico and Snow (now professor emeritus).

“The centre was always an inspirational place for me on many levels, working with participants, students and colleagues,” Snow says. “I loved developing my creative research there, especially my specialty, therapeutic theatre. Creating a dozen theatre projects over those years was a great labour of love for me.”

The centre expanded its activities and training in the early aughts, adding music, dance and movement therapy and broadening its interdisciplinary approach. In 2021, CAHD members, families and volunteers celebrated the centre’s 25th anniversary with a Silver Jubilee event, and in 2022, a five-year grant from the Sandra and Alain Bouchard Foundation allowed the centre to establish a parallel Francophone program.

Today, the CAHD continues its work in creative arts therapies, advocacy and pioneering education. Ferrante says it also offers a new way of seeing the world.

“It’s really, really interesting. The program helps us to better understand the human mind and the emotional aspect of humans and push the envelope of human capabilities,” he says.

Looking ahead

Vosberg says she hopes the centre will continue to grow through expanded partnerships within and beyond Concordia, while adapting to new and evolving research activities.

“I envision a continuing and firm commitment with a space that can accommodate the community’s growing needs,” she says.

For Ferrante, that impact of that work is clear: “We are all human — we all have a voice and a right to be heard.”

The Centre for Arts in Human Development will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a pizza party on June 4, 2026, 6:30 to 9 pm. The event takes place at Guadagni Lounge (AD building 4th floor) Loyola campus.Tickets ($25) are available for purchase. For ticket information or purchase, contact: cahd@concordia.ca.

Learn more about the Department of Creative Arts Therapies at Concordia.