Orillia Asylum: Judy Richardson

Judy Richardson: But little else is known about Judy Richardson, a former occupational therapist at Ontarios oldest institution for the developmentally disabled, who in 1989 started an art class for those who badly needed a creative outlet, according to The Star. Attempts by exhibit organizers and those with an interest in the institutions history to learn more about the woman behind the Huronia art project have been, for the most part, fruitless and She was a lover of art, and a woman who made it her mission to help residents of what was once known as the Orillia Asylum for Idiots express themselves through it. When Richardson died more than a decade ago, she left behind a 200-piece collection of paintings and drawings produced by her students at the Huronia Regional Centre, as the institution was later renamed. The cache was donated to Torontos Creative Spirit Art Centre and is now on display, in its entirety, for the first time. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.