Amazing autistic artists

The Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a special event tomorrow that features some extraordinary artists.

The Art of Autism is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it after work affair that will feature the artworks of eight working artists on the autism spectrum.

“We were given the opportunity by some of the people that we work with at the Glenrose to come up with an idea for commemorating their 50th anniversary,” explained Anita Ferri, the event chair who is also a volunteer and past president of the Autism Society of Edmonton, plus an occupational therapist and a parent of a young adult with autism.

“I thought that some of our young people – children and young adults with autism – have some talent in the area of art. Wouldn't it be great to have a show and sale of their art and the funds go back to the artists?”

The event will feature several artists working in different fields including painting, photography, drawing, jewelry making and writing. They are all from the metro Edmonton area and include local artists Joe Williams and St. Albert brothers Ben and Grant Kurtz.

The brothers, now in their mid-20s, often have an annual show and sale of their works. Ben is an accomplished photographer and Grant is an avid abstract painter. Ferri has known them for most of their lives and she has seen how enriching art has been to them. Their mother Roma Kurtz can vouch for that.

“There were quite a few really interesting pieces that were created this summer, many of which were put in this show,” she said, adding that Grant has been painting quite a bit over the summer while Ben did a number of photo shoots, many featuring some of the classic cars from Rock'n August.

Each of the young men has at least a dozen works that were submitted to this event, a testament to their prolific output. She wants everyone to be able to experience the beauty of her sons and the work that they produce.

“I feel really privileged to be a part of this group. There are other young people with autism that are just doing really cool things.”

Joe Williams has been drawing since he was in Grade 1. It started out as a coping mechanism, his mother, Shirley, explained.

“It calms him down. To deal with a crowd situation, he'll whip out his drawing pad and start drawing. He really enjoys it. He has a fantastic imagination. He thinks up all kinds of animal characters. He's just going all the time.”

Now 23, the Barrhead resident has continued his passion throughout the years, sketching and drawing all the way. But that's not all. He has taken courses in 3-D animation at Edmonton's Pixel Blue College in the hope of becoming a working animator. While he strives for that dream, he has also written several children's books, the first of which is set to be published in the winter.

“This has turned out to be a career for him,” Shirley said.

He needs support to paint. He needs somebody to manage his materials and set things up for him but he sure enjoys the experience. He likes paint and he really likes brushes.

He went to an event every day and took pictures of the vehicles. He really enjoyed that.

Grant's paintings are always abstract

People see things in the abstraction. They see it from their points of view but they're always abstract, colourful, interesting.

Ferri elaborated that the Autism Society has worked closely with the hospital for many years in the collaborative effort to better serve families who have children with autism. While not all such families can derive services or participate in programs through the facility, it has numerous features that can help in certain situations. The feeding clinic, for instance, can offer tremendous guidance because often individuals on the autism spectrum are “very picky eaters.”

“They provide very specific kinds of services as well the physicians provide that real level of expertise in the area of autism because it can be quite a complex disability.”

She expects more than 150 people to attend the event, something she hopes will go a long way toward benefiting the artists themselves.

“We know that there's certain costs to purchasing art equipment and supplies. We want to support those people in being able to continue to do their work. It's not only valuing what they've created but helping fund their ongoing efforts.”

“One of the beauties of art … is that it really does allow for that freedom of expression. That kind of freedom for people with autism is really a wonderful thing. They struggle in so many areas of their lives, especially with communication. That's a big obstacle on the autism spectrum,” Ferri said.