This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Aug. 13, 2012 - Long before Cbabi Bayoc set out to paint “365 Days with Dad,” he was committed to promoting black fatherhood through his art.
Bayoc admittedly launched the 2012 project help him make a living. But his devotion to portraying effective, involved African-American fathers stems from a decades-long passion and is just one example of the power of visual art to bring about change.
Other recent efforts run the artistic gamut: The Sheldon exhibition of Patti Gabriel’s “Northern Haiti: Human Landscape,” benefitting Haitian health care; The Pulitzer’s “Staging Reflections of the Buddha,” in conjunction with Prison Performing Arts; and Maplewood’s Turner Center for the Arts’ (TCA) “Let Them in Art” exhibit last month.
TCA, founded in 2006, gives artists with disabilities space and materials for their work, to promote self-expression in a warm and accepting environment. Four days a week, Melelani Perry, 33 rides her low-slung recumbent tricycle to TCA’s studio to create collages out of recycled paper and other materials. It has been a transformative experience, according to her mother, Denise Perry.
“It’s like Mele is not just a young adult with Down Syndrome; she’s an artist,” Denise Perry said.
Living the dream
Re-defining one’s self is what TCA is all about, according to executive director Nate Larson. Through their work, the artists begin to identify as unique and resourceful at the center and in the wider world.
“The decision-making that goes into, ‘Do I use red or blue here?’ can be extrapolated into daily life decisions.” Larson said.
But for Melelani Perry, spending time at the center is rewarding for its own sake.
“They’re all friendly. I like seeing people’s laughter, joy and happiness,” Melelani Perry said.
For 23-year-old Michael Weidle, TCA provides not only an art space but a volunteer position. He organizes paintbrushes and other material there six hours a week and also attends two art classes.
When Weidle was 12, a hemorrhage resulted in a traumatic brain injury, costing him much of his short-term memory but leaving him with his intelligence, knowledge of every word to every song he ever heard, and his clever wit.
The Turner Center often captures Weidle’s comedic routines on videos and is helping him with an illustrated book of jokes. A sample of the humor, which is Rated G for the book, involves two iconic Muppets characters:
“Ernie, tell me your favorite ice cream.”
“Sherbet.” (Sure, Bert.)
“He is funny,” Weidle’s mother, Diane Weidle said. “And he’s living his dream; he just loves the company he finds there, and he loves picking up a pencil and paper and just drawing.”
“It’s very therapeutic,” Michael Weidle said. “It helps you focus on something you’re making, and just get away from life and focus on your art.”
Seeking donations and sponsorships
Until April, when the locally based TCA was granted its nonprofit status, it was entirely supported by Bridges Community Support Services. Now, TCA depends on individual and corporate donations. The organization recently received an important sponsorship from Emerson and is seeking funds from St. Louis Developmental Disability Resource office.
Some money comes from class fees and art sales. Three-hour classes cost $10 or less, on a sliding scale. Sales, typically in the $20-$100 range, are usually split 50-50 between TCA and the artists to support the 100 or so clients who make use of the space every week.
Upcoming shows include a Friday, Aug. 24, exhibition of work from TCA’s summer camps and a Friday, Sept. 3, showing called “Animals.” Both take place at the center’s 3109 Sutton Blvd. location.
TCA is open to a wide range of artists. Those with mental illness, traumatic brain injury, or any kind of developmental disability from diagnoses on the autism spectrum to Down Syndrome to learning disabilities are accepted.
For the artists, the rewards are greater self-esteem and self-confidence, which lead to the ability to accomplish more of their dreams.
“The staff extends my daughter’s vision about what they think she can do -- and what she thinks she can do,” Denise Perry said.
Watch Michael Weidle’s humorous summer update on Turner Center in this YouTube video.
