"Special People with Special Talents" is an exhibition of artwork done by artists with disabilities. These disabilities vary but do not define the artists in any way. The exhibit will be located in the Performing Arts Center at Crafton Hills College for the month of March which is National Disabilities Month. The group that is organizing this exhibit is the Crafton Hills Art Association from Yucaipa, California. The association wishes to raise awareness and information regarding some of these disabilities and prove to others who may be suffering from a disability that they can still have dreams and still pursue them. Art on display will include Oil Painting, Acrylic painting,  sculptures from various material, and Digital Art.

The title of this exhibit is "Special People with Special Talents"

 

Participating artists are as follows:
 

Tom Lamb

Albert Alcalay

Ken Walters

Felice Tagliaferri

Michelle Vara

Desmond Blair

Bernadette Resha

Tommy Hollenstein

Betty G. Miller

Stephen Wiltshire
 

This exhibit was created with the sole purpose of showing that people are capable of overcoming life's challenges. When a person suffers from a physical, mental or emotional set back they should know that their life does not end there at that very moment. The artists I chose were examples of survivors who were able to overcome unfortunate events and continue living their lives specifically through their artistic abilities. I tried my best to find artists with different disabilities as well as different specialties, this way there is a broader spectrum to go by in case a viewer does not think they could paint, well maybe they can create art with other tools and techniques as these artists have. The artists in this exhibition were determined to create art and figured which techniques they felt comfortable with whether it be using their chairs, placing their paint brushes between their lips, holding the tool with their feet or creating based on the sensation of touch. Each and every one of them blew my mind, I thought that their talents and abilities were too cool  not to share. 

"Capitol Building"

By Tom Lamb

Acrylic on Paper

24" x 18"

2008

 
 
      Tom is part of the Tierra del Sol Foundation in Sunland, California which is a group that helps adults with disabilities see their true potential. The foundation encourages its members to look beyond their imperfections and helps them focus their energy on arts and crafts. Tierra del Sol holds exhibitions and has a website where people may purchase paintings, drawings and other hand made materials such as jewelry made by its members. The reason I like this painting is because it represents the capitol building in a different way. It is painted how Tom views it which makes it unique and specific to his style. I love the colors in the sky and the fact that it looks almost abstract. In the information provided about Tom on the website they say, "  His paintings employ a bold expressionistic style to depict familiar scenes from his life and community, often recreating detailed scenes from memory". You can see his bold style in this painting because he is not afraid to use dark bold colors. Half of the painting is dark and ominous and the other half is colorful and inviting.

(http://tierradelsol.org/)



"A Busy Harbor"

By Albert Alcalay

Oil on Canvas

43" x 43"

1961

This oil painting was done by a Jewish man named Albert Alcalay. Albert is an expressionist artist who was a Holocaust survivor. He started drawing when he was in concentration camps. In an interview with the Globe in 2004 he stated, "Color is a part of my circulation. I think I would use red even if I were on the North Pole and everything is white". As you can see in this painting, he has used just about every color available and has applied his own style to his view of the harbor and if you look at it for a while you are able to see a boat and some geometrical shapes just arranged in a circular pattern. The reason I chose to include this work in the exhibit is because although Albert has no physical disability, he has gone through a traumatic event and with the loss of his family I would imagine he suffered mentally or psychologically. Surviving the Holocaust let him live a life where he was able to teach about his experience and express his emotions through art.

(http://kantarfinearts.com/gallery/aa-1.asp, http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2008/04/27/albert_alcalay_noted_painter_survived_holocaust/)

"Pencil Shavings"

By Ken Walters

35 H x 23.2 W in 

Digital Art on Paper

2012

Ken Walters is a former engineer who unfortunately suffered from a forklift accident and later a cerebral hemorrhage which left him partially paralyzed. After overcoming his paralysis he began creating abstract and digital art. He mentioned in an interview that this stroke was "the biggest blessing in disguise I ever could have wished for". 

In regards to this piece he says that the picture reminds him of sharpening colored pencils as a child right before he would begin to color. At first glance this picture reminded me of Autumn or Fall because of the color scheme he chose but after reading his description on it I can easily see what he is talking about. This fits into this exhibit because it is a form of art that people don't think of right away. In today's society all of the growing technology is becoming more popular which makes me believe we will be seeing more art done by graphic design and digital media. Ken is an artist I believe deserves to be in this exhibit because he is choosing to see the positive effects of his stroke and using art as a positive outlet for a negative occurrence.   

(http://www.bestpsychologydegrees.org/10-people-who-gained-extraordinary-abilities-from-brain-damage/, http://fineartamerica.com/featured/pencil-shavings-ken-walters.html, http://www.saatchiart.com/art/New-Media-Pencil-Shavings/317044/1370840/view)

"Cristo Rivelato"

  By Felice Tagliaferri

1900 x 1000 x 50 cm

Marble

2010

    Felice is a blind man who went to observe art and was told he was not allowed to touch anything. Since he had no vision and would feel with his hands he was insulted and decided the ultimate form of revenge was to recreate his own interpretation of it. The sculpture Cristo Rivelato meaning "Christ Revealed" took Felice over two years to create. He said in regards to this piece, "There are so many messages. One is that a block of marble isn't ruined when it is lightly touched by expert hands,

second, the disabled are sick and tired of waiting for others to decide and tell them what they can and cannot do". 

       I love the fact that instead of letting the situation get the best of him and used his gift to make a statement and speak up for other who are faced with unfortunate circumstances because of their condition. He fits perfectly into this exhibit because he is a prime example of people not letting something like sight hold them back from living their life. 

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/artimageslibrary/5470647689/, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/21/us-italy-blind-idUSTRE71K1Y420110221) 

"Ted"

By Michelle Vara

120" h x 48"

2013

Recycled metals 

     Michelle Vara is an artist with "crossed-optic lobe" more commonly known as Dyslexia. Her "disability" left her with an impatient mother and schools who labeled her retarded although she said in an interview that her IQ scores were above average. Art was a way for her to escape society and have her own time to gather her thoughts and use her imagination.

      This sculpture is made from recycled metals, horse shoes and tools that were left to rust. Michelle is inspiring because she feels that she is not disabled and her ability to create pieces from ideas she has is her greatest "birth gift". On her website she says that all artists should consider the elements, facilities and the surroundings. I also love that this piece is not a painting. Michelle does paint too, but this gives the exhibit an idea of what a wide range of talent these artists have!

(http://www.artfulvagabond.com/artists-and-dyslexia-day-103/, http://mvarametalandpaint.com/site/about/artist-statement/,  http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/55/d9/66/55d966f69a2299efcbde703296647fb6.jpg) 

"The Hurt"

By Desmond Blair

32 x 48 inches

Oil on Canvas

2013

      Desmond is a 20 year old artist who graduated from the University of Texas. He was born with no hands because at birth his palms formed on both arms but he never developed fingers. It is interesting to see how he manages to create such beautiful work with no hands! He places the brush or tool between both palms and works that way. On the AAOS website he was asked about his work and said, "My art is an avenue of release. It has always been fun and it gives me joy." 

      I love that Desmond says he wants to become a great artist in this world with a difference--NOT a disability. His personality and artwork works well with the rest of the pieces because he has more confidence than some people who are perfectly healthy.

(http://www.aaos75th.org/gallery/artwork_upclose.htm?id=790, http://www.rawartists.org/dblair) 

"Hummingbird"

By Bernadette Resha

16 x 20 inches

Acrylic on Canvas

2013

      Bernadette Resha is a Tennessee native who was born with Down-syndrome. She began an interest in art when she attended art galleries and museums. With the support of her family, she has been able to pursue a career in art and is now participating in exhibits, selling merchandise with her art on it and even has her own website. Her response to her art was, "My goals are to increase my skills.  I want to improve on painting three dimensional, lighting and form, shape and shadows, and to learn how to blend colors.” 

       The reason this Hummingbird fits into the exhibit is because there are no definite lines and there is no symmetry in this painting. Unlike art we normally see which has to be perfect, I believe that people with disabilities such as Bernadette's have allowed them to look beyond the imperfections. She had a vision and she painted with the sole purpose of putting that vision on paper.

(http://www.bernadetteresha.com/, http://www.bernadetteresha.com/hummingbird2013.html) 

"Extraordinary"

By Tommy Hollenstein

18 x 24 inches

2013

Acrylic paint on paper

     Tommy Hollenstein grew up in the Los Angeles area participating in all sorts of outdoor activities from bike riding, surfing, skating and more until a mountain bike ride accident which injured his spinal cord and left him paralyzed from the neck down. He always wanted to be an artist and after his injury tried using a method where the artist holds the paint brush with his mouth but he was not interested in that and quickly gave up. It was not until his service dog ran through paint that he followed after and saw the marks from his wheels. He no longer has the ability to surf and do all of the other activities he once loved but with the help of his companion and helper "Weaver" he is able to persue his dream of becoming an artist and is now participating in solo and group exhibits all around the Los Angeles area. 

     I not only felt that he more than fit this group of artists, but I love that his art is so captivating even without knowing his condition. I don't have the sympathetic bias towards his art, I just love it!

(http://www.tommyhollenstein.com/about-tommy/, http://www.recapo.com/the-doctors/the-doctors-advice/the-doctors-wheelchair-artist-tommy-hollenstein/)

 "Ameslan Prohibited"

By Betty Miller

1972

20" x 18"

Ink on Paper

       Betty G. Miller is a deaf artist who began painting in 1971. This piece was included in the National Touring Exhibit of Deaf Culture Art that visited seven American cities between 1999 and 2001. Her reason for creating this picture was because she said that in older schools for deaf children they were prohibited from using sign language. Her thoughts on this piece were, " I present both the suppression, and the beauty of Deaf Culture and American Sign Language as I see it; in the past, and in the present." 

       The reason I chose this drawing was not only because of her hearing disability but because she was showing us a struggle she faced by not being able to hear and being restricted to communicate that we would not understand if we have not been through it ourselves. 

(http://www.deafart.org/Artworks/Selected_Touring_Works/selected_touring_works.html, http://www.rit.edu/news/story.php?id=46369)

"View of the Shard and Tower Bridge"

By: Stephen Wiltshire

Pen & Ink

 297 x 210 mm

 11 November 2013

Stephen Wiltshire is an autistic artist who was born in London and specializes in drawing and painting cityscapes. He pays close attention to detail and can create a piece after viewing the city for only a matter of minutes. What is interesting is that the majority of his commissions are of architectural drawings but he has drawn more portraits than cityscapes, he just keeps them in his personal collection. This particular piece is on his Facebook page with comments like, "Nice, you are a genius" and "I have never seen this in real life, so thank you my friend!" I chose this drawing because it speaks for the artist. He visits places and recreates his memories of the place rather than speaking about them. His "disability" has not changed his life in a negative way, but it has allowed him to use his art to express his creative mind and interpretations. Where he may lack a quality in one area he makes up for it with this photographic memory and artistic ability.

(http://www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk/art.aspx?Id=6054, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-Wiltshire/32139030247)

        What I have learned about organizing an exhibit is that people do not realize how much work goes into preparing it. What they see is the finished product and that alone is only a small portion of the bigger picture. The easiest part was deciding what theme I wanted to do, and all of these ideas went running through my mind. The harder part was finding works that fit perfectly with the rest so that it all came together and worked well as a whole.
        I found myself digging and digging trying to find every detail we needed to provide to the viewers such as date of creation and dimensions. I have actually had my work included in exhibitions, and after curating this virtual exhibit I am actually thinking of putting one together in the future. I see what work has to go into it, how to go about finding the perfect pieces and also the satisfaction it brings to see all of the work that was put into creating an exhibit was all worth it. What I found interesting about connecting artists to a common theme was that the connection could be anything! You can connect a piece to another by mood, colors, style, and even by the personalities of the artists who created them.