Despite disabilities, they feel 'The Power of A.R.T.'
(reprinted from the Florida Times-Union and edited)
By TANYA PEREZ-BRENNAN
The Times-Union
King Cannon knew exactly what kind of painting technique he wanted to use. It was the drip, pour method. Once he had decided to cover the canvas in bright green paint, he knew red was his next move.
As messy as that sounds, his hands were never covered in paint. In fact, he wasn't even near the canvas. He was busy focusing on what kind of painting he wanted to create.
"Sometimes, I think about it first," Cannon said, as he sat in his wheelchair. He was watching Diana Le Munyon bring his art alive. Le Munyon was the one covered in paint, her jeans splashed with dabs of red and yellow. Her finely manicured red nails clasped the Styrofoam cup of red paint, pointed to fall on the canvas wherever Cannon saw fit.
Cannon is one of five unique artists who use a special technique to create art, even though they are severely limited by physical disabilities. The methods include having a helper called a tracker and sometimes using a special laser to direct the tracker's movement. The artists have 20 works on exhibit in a show called "The Power of A.R.T." at the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art (JMOMA).
Artistic Realization Technologies, or A.R.T., was created by Tim Lefens, a New Jersey-based artist. Lefens went to The Arc Jacksonville's Medically Fragile Program last year to train people in using A.R.T. methods. George Kinghorn, chief curator and deputy director of JMOMA, sat in on a session and was intrigued by the process and the art that resulted from it.
"Many of the pieces are abstract but exhibit great use of color and brush stroke," Kinghorn said. "I was impressed by the whole spirit of the project."
After Lefens trained the staff, the students adopted different artistic techniques, said Diane Halverson, who sits on the non-profit's board. Although a tracker like Le Munyon is there to help, every decision that goes into making the art comes from the participants, Halverson said. "She's the person putting paint on," Halverson said. "They're the artists."
Some may be skeptical of this. Isn't the tactile experience, the hands-on part of art, integral to creating it? Lefens likens the process to an author dictating a novel to a secretary who types the words. "It's not that anyone can just randomly push paint around," he said. "They have to go through the process of revealing themselves. ... These guys are dying to get it out. They're not afraid; they're desperate to do it."
Others have to be willing to recognize the potential that disabled people have and how technology like this can be successful in empowering them. "The technique and the results are all true, and they're long overdue to be unleashed," Lefens said. "The hang-up isn’t the disabled people; it's the general population that's not quite ready for this."
Le Munyon stopped for a breather after working with Cannon and Maria Denson, who made her painting with a laser attached to her head so she could direct Le Munyon. "It's amazing, the stuff they come up with," Le Munyon said. "I'm impressed every time we paint."
The Power of A.R.T. runs through Monday, April 18, at JMOMA, 333 N. Laura St.
(across the square from City Hall). The regular JMOMA fee is $6 for adults; it’s
$4 for children; seniors over 65, students, and military with ID. Information: (904) 366-6911.