behind the artwork

Thank you ArtPrize visitors for your enthusiastic response to Wing and a Prayer!

ArtPrize visitors have added nearly 20,000 wishes and prayers to the Wall of Hope. With only two days left of the nineteen-day exhibition, my paper was completely gone. But that didn’t dissuade ArtPrize visitors.

When I left my gallery room on Friday evening, I knew my paper supply would be gone by morning. But when I arrived on Saturday morning, what I found astounded me. Several of my business cards were hanging on the wall. I stepped closer to look. A wish or a prayer was written on each card.

Determined visitors had found a way to add their wishes and prayers. Employing their own creativity, the visitors had poked holes through my cards with ornament hooks. Fifty of my business cards now hung on the Wall of Hope.

Thomas, an Amway Grand Plaza Hotel bellman, gave me a paper punch and additional pens. I spent the morning punching holes in the rest of my business cards. Without skipping a beat, visitors continued to hang the new cards.

Wing and a Prayer had taken a new flight path of its own. By combining a Wall of Hope with nearly 20,000 wishes and prayers and almost four thousand paper birds that swoop 32-feet across the ceiling, I thought I had created imagery that portrayed an overwhelming force of hope. But—spontaneously—ArtPrize visitors created an even greater message of hope.

“Hey, Logan,” the kids taunted. “Go get the gas meter and bring it over here.” Innocently, Logan, who has Asperger’s syndrome, ran over to the gas meter and attempted to pull it off the house.

As he tugged, the kids laughed. Logan mistook their laugher for approval. “But when the game was over,” his dad said, “the kids ditched him, leaving Logan in tears.”

Despite constant shunning, Logan’s heart remained gentle. When students forgot their lunches, Logan was the first to say, “Do you like potato chips? You may have mine.” Logan also remembered to bow and give thanks before he ate no matter where he was.

Although Logan didn’t know how to engage in normal dialogue, years of therapy and a committed dad sharpened his verbal skills. Recently, Logan surprised himself when he delivered a witty comeback; reactions confirmed his cleverness. “Dad,” he said with a huge sense of pride, “I just knocked it out of the park.”

Note: A special thank you to the families who shared stories of children within Hope Network.

“Please don’t use the ‘A’ word,” said David’s mother. “The word autism wasn’t allowed in my vocabulary.”

She explains, “But David was wired differently. If things didn’t go his way, he had a huge melt down—screaming, hitting, or slamming doors. At night, I only had about ten hours off duty before he woke again. I struggled with horrible despair.”

After years of therapy, David began to make progress. Eventually, his IQ jumped from 50 to 80. A real miracle. He even graduated to a public school, and after his seventh birthday, he no longer wore diapers.

“Though it has taken a long time to accept the word autism,” David’s mother continued, “I now understand that autism doesn’t define my son; it isn’t a tragedy. There are other aspects of my son’s personality like being friendly and kind that don’t have anything to do with autism. David is still a great kid; he just happens to be a great kid with autism.”

Note: A special thank you to the families who shared stories of children within Hope Network.

As of Saturday evening, ArtPrize visitors added 16,000 wishes and prayers to the Wall of Hope.

Wing and a Prayer showcasing at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.

During the radio interview, Shelley Irwin made mention of the television show later on September 19. I was invited as an “Ask the ArtPrize Artist” guest on the WGVU television show.