“Autism is pretty freaking awesome.” Mandi McKinney
Thirteen autistic members of Make Studio celebrate the pre-launch of the Autism Unveiled project. The project asks participants for their own words to describe themselves. The project is officially launching on Feb. 18 and ends on April 2, 2015, World Autism Day.
“If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” Dr. Stephen Mark Shore
How is Autism part of me?
“Life with autism is definitely interesting. I’ll tell you every person is different, so every person with autism is different, so expect differences. Sometimes people try to just give you answers but not the capabilities to complete the work. Autism is pretty freaking awesome. It is a personal and defining characteristic, but it doesn’t really affect who I am. People see it as a hindrance, but it also allows you to really focus. It is a double edge sword.” – Mandi McKinney
“I grew up watching cartoons, and I was raised a Roman Catholic. In addition to these things, I am also autistic. I think being autistic feels great. I like to draw pictures and color them in. The way I see the world makes my artwork more interesting.” – Gary Schmedes
“I can’t really say anything about autism. I come here (to Make Studio) every Tuesday and Thursday, and I start art projects. I arrive every day and have tea or coffee and then start my artwork. I put my apron on and get to work. I also put on my gloves.” Jerry Williams
Who am I?
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More about each artist can be found on their artist pages at Make Studio.
Make Studio is a 501(c)3 community-based arts organization located in Baltimore, MD, currently serving 25 artists and growing. Founded in 2010 with the mission of providing multi-modal arts programming to individuals with disabilities, Make Studio aims to put art and abilities to work throughout Baltimore and beyond to create more inclusive communities for all via ongoing exhibitions, public programs, and studio service. Make Studio is motivated by a consideration of quality of life for and a celebration of the whole person, and we believe that providing avenues for communication, connection, & empowerment to artists with disabilities equally benefits individuals and their communities.
I am a 22 year old female an autistic that would like to share my art with the world.
I am very uplighting and give me hope to be independent as an autistic adult throughout my art. It is difficult for my to express my feelings verbally, but I have the ability to illustrate in a detail and in a fun way with the different emotions. It may seem that I am not in touch with the world in the contrary, I am aware of every detail around me. I am always recording every little action and storing every minute in my brain and notes about the mindfully things in life.