New York, N.Y. (January 24, 2012) - The Art of Autism collaborative is pleased to announce that four of the eight artists selected for the United Nations Autism Awareness stamps for 2012 are participants in the soon to be released book - The Art of Autism: Shifting Perceptions. The stamps will be released on April 2, 2012, for World Autism Day.
The Art of Autism collaborative is pleased to announce that four of the eight artists selected for the United Nations Autism Awareness stamps for 2012 are participants in the soon to be released book - The Art of Autism: Shifting Perceptions. The stamps will be released on April 2, 2012, for World Autism Day.
The four artists are Seth Chwast from Ohio, Trent Altman from Kentucky, J.A. Tan and Ryan Smoluk from Canada.
One of the themes that unfolded in compiling the new Art of Autism book is that many of the successful artists in the book have extremely supportive families. These families nurture the gifts of their children and provide opportunities for them to succeed. In the case of these four artists, their moms Marie Tan, Marina Smoluk, Debra Chwast and Jackie Marquette have blazed a trail of success for their children. Their vision and persistence in overcoming challenges provides hope for other families on the spectrum.
In the case of the Tan family, they even moved to another country to open up doors for their son J.A., whose "Victory" painting was chosen for one of the United Nations stamps. J.A.'s family relocation from the Phillipines to Vancouver, Canada, in 2005 enabled J.A. to pursue his dream of becoming a professional artist. J.A. recently graduated from the prestigious Emily Carr University in Vancouver, Canada where he received a Bachelor's of Fine Arts Degree.
I had the pleasure of meeting J.A. and his lovely mom, Marie, twice in the last year while visiting Vancouver. In April 2011, J.A. wowed the crowd at an autism convention with his presentation about his art. He ended that workshop with his recitation of a beautiful poem that he wrote (see the end of this article for the poem). J.A. also created his art "live" in our Art of Autism entertainment show.
Ryan Smoluk, another Canadian, like J.A. has an exceptional gift for art. His mom, Marina, has been a wonderful advocate for Ryan, who has developed into a seasoned speaker on autism awareness issues. Marina is very involved in supporting Ryan's art education and growth. Ryan is currently completing a Bachelor's of Fine Art at the University of Manitoba.
Ryan had his first solo art exhibit at age age 11. At that time, Ryan says he was in his "black and white period." All the art he created was in black and white. Ryan did not notice that he was painting in black and white only, until another artist asked him about it. Then he added blue to his colors, as "blue made me feel calm." Ryan has had many accomplishments, including being selected by Toyota Canada for the "Never Quit Award."
Which brings me to "Never Give Up" Seth Chwast. Seth refers to himself as "Never Give Up," and is a living example of how a person can continue to grow and make incredible progress into their twenties and beyond. At age eighteen Seth was evaluated for a career in dry mopping. His mom, Debra, who has written a remarkable book about their journey "An Unexpected Life," did not accept this fate for her son. She continued to introduce him to new opportunities and at age twenty he took his first art class. The rest is history.
Seth has had international openings in the Galapagos Islands and the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands. Last year his art was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art of the Ukraine. He has been on the Today Show twice and has been featured in newspaper and magazine articles across the globe. Seth's self-portrait has been chosen to be part of the cover for the new Art of Autism book (to be released in March 2012). He continues to grow and stretch himself as an artist and a person. To Seth, famous means "Make people happy. Grow your brain. New friends are everywhere."
The last artist who is in the Art of Autism book and has been selected to have a United Nations stamp is an artist I've been familiar with for many years - Trent Altman. Trent participated in an art show I curated back in 2005. Trent's inspirational mom, Jackie Marquette, is a dynamo, an advocate for not only her own son, but for many others. Jackie who has her Ph.d. is a family coach and transition specialist. She's the author of Becoming Remarkably Able: Walking the Path to Talents, Interests and Personal Growth.
Trent is an award-winning artist who exhibits nationally in fine art galleries. He creates beautiful expressionistic art pieces in acrylics and multi-media collages. Trent is a perfect example of a person who has overcome many challenges to live a full life. He works at a retail store and also as an artist and lives with a friend who supports him in independent living.
The other four artists who have been selected for United Nation stamps are Hannah Kandel , Alex Masket, and Michael Augello from the United States and Colm Isherwood from the Republic of Ireland. To purchase the stamps, visit http://unstamps.un.org.
The Art of Autism is a collaborative project which focuses on creating opportunities for artists, poets, and entertainers on the spectrum. Visit our website at www.the-art-of-autism.com or email us at theartofautism@gmail.com to join our mailing list.
Link to article on Examiner.com website
