News | Events | Showcase | Films/Shows | Resources
Welcome to the ASD Arts! page. This new resource is intended to serve as a showcase for a wide range of creative work which is produced by people with ASDs. It also aims to provide a creative entry point into understanding ASDs. Autism Society Canada is currently compiling materials in order to expand this section of the site. If you would like to share your own work, or know of works that should be included on this page, please contact us!
News:
Budding Spielbergs Make Award-Winning Film. Nicola Fifield, York Press (York High School, UK), October 16, 2008: A team of talented young film-makers from York have come out top in an international contest to make an animation about the condition they suffer from...
Autistic Woman on Cross-Canada Tour. NorthernLife.ca, July 29, 2008: Sara Sobey and her mother, Kim Souch, are on [the] Kaleidescope Ride Tour across Canada, promoting autism awareness... Sara, 19, was born with autism and began singing at the age of three as a way of communicating...
Events:
Ideal Art Contest: Ideal Way is inviting community artists with an intellectual disability, and living in Ontario, to participate in the Ideal Art Contest. The contest is free, and any works produced in 2008 are eligible for entry. Paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculpture are all accepted up to December 31, 2008. Visit www.ideal-way.ca for an Offical Entry Form, Rules, etc. or contact Addie J. Daabous, Executive Director at info@ideal-way.ca or tel: (416) -620-4500.
God's Middle Name, a two-person 90 minute play, is a compelling tale of one mother’s journey through the uncharted territory of raising an autistic child. View Tour Schedule.
The Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL), in collaboration with the Association pour l’intégration sociale d’Ottawa (AISO) and the Ottawa School of Art will be holding a Pan Canadian Art exhibition during the 50th Anniversary Conference of the Canadian Association for Community Living, November 18-21, 2008 in Ottawa. The opening of the exhibition will be held on November 20, 2008 to present the works of art to the conference participants and to the public. Download call for artwork [English PDF] [French PDF] | Download consent form [English PDF] [French PDF].
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Showcase:
 Thanks to Grace Culliton for allowing us to use her artwork in the ASC website design. Grace was born in 1988, and was diagnosed with autism at the age of five. Grace demonstrated talent in art at an early age. She has won several awards for her work. Her art is characterized by strong use of colour, and a mature sense for spatial design, patterns and textures.
Order beautiful Art Note Cards from Grace Culliton: Popular note cards featuring original Art Prints by Grace Culliton, a young artist with autism. Grace demonstrated talent in art at an early age, and despite the significant challenges she faces as an individual with autism, has won awards and recognition for her work. Note cards are 41/2’ x 5” on high quality stock (also suitable for framing). Several series to choose from.
Claire Morrall: The author explores Asperger's syndrome in her latest novel. Danuta Kean, The Independent: The main protagonist in her new novel, The Language of Others, is another enigma. On first impressions, Jessica is a troublesome child, painfully withdrawn and, as Morrall admits, "difficult to deal with". As the story unfolds, her inability to read people, especially Andrew, the tantrum-throwing violinist whom she goes on to marry, is frustrating. Later, her passivity when faced with Andrew's abuse and her 24-year-old son Joel's adolescent reticence is infuriating. But as Morrall reveals Jessica's past and Jessica narrates her present, it becomes apparent that her inability to deal with the mess of human emotion is the result of undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome... [Hodder & Stoughton publishers website]
Erik Originals. A website showcasing a range of woodwork by Erik Warren. Existing works can be purchased through the site, and the artist can be commissioned to create custom works.
Glimpse is a new publication from The Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders that showcases the unique perspective contained in the writings and artwork of individuals with a history of autism and other developmental disabilities. [PDF]
KiSara – Kaleidoscope Ride. KiSara (Kim Souch and Sara Sobey Souch) are a mother-daughter musical duo who have been touring Ontario since 1997. Their family's journey through Autism and ASD has culminated in Kaleodoscope - a musical celebration of abilities and life. Music Video: [YouTube]
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Myimagiville and our Imagifriends, D.J. Svoboda. Imagiville and its inhabitants are the culmination of Daniel Svoboda's creative efforts in response to some difficult years at school. An aspiring writer and illustrator, Svoboda's art offers a path from the encounter with difference to its acceptance. The site showcases Svoboda's work and the services that he provides as an artist. |
Steven Wiltshire is a London-based artist, named Member of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his services to the art world. Best known for his panoramic cityscapes (often drawn entirely from memory), Wiltshire's work has garnered critical attention since his childhood. In 2006, he opened a permanent gallery of his work at the Royal Opera Arcade.
The Pilgrims: The Jounrey to A New World for Autism. Amanda Copeland, Raygun Productions/Pilgrim Pictures. Three amazing, courageous children on the autism spectrum lead the way along the fabled Camino de Santiago, walking for a revolution in delivery of diagnosis and intervention for the autism epidemic world-wide.
The only film of its kind ever made about autism. Coming January 2009.
YouTube Clip: Stephen Wiltshire has been called the "Human Camera." In this short excerpt from the film Expedition ins Gehim (Beautiful Minds: A Voyage into the Brain), Wiltshire takes a helicopter journey over Rome and then draws a panoramic view of what he saw, entirely from memory.
YouTube Clip: Alex, ten years old, has been diagnosed with mild-moderate autism since the age of four. This year, Alex overcame many of his fears to start his dream of becoming a comedian, and did a stand up comedy routine for his school talent show (in front of about 500 students!).
YouTube Clip: John "Hai" Knapp, a musician/singer/songwriter and healthcare activist in the United States, performs "Viva la Companie." Knapp expresses a deep concern with the lack of affordable healthcare in the US, and his music as well as advocacy work call attention to a critical need for reform.
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Films/Television Shows
Adam
This film is a love story about a man named ADAM (Hugh Dancy) who has Asperger’s Syndrome, a high functioning form of autism. ADAM finds it difficult to be with others and often escapes into his love of space exploration. When BETH (Rose Byrne) moves into the apartment above him, he uses his unique, often funny, and sometimes painful social skills to begin to build the personal relationship that he so desperately desires. Adam is a romantic character piece about the obstacles to intimacy and the compromises we all make for love.
After Thomas
U.K. BBC TV movie. 2007. A true story about a couple's struggles to meet the challenges of their son's autism and his increased ability to communicate through the family dog.
Autism the Musical
U.S.A. 2008. Autism the Musical is a documentary that follows the lives of five children with autism that write and produce their own musical. Available on HBO On Demand.
Autism is a World. A coproduction of CNN Presents and State of the Art, Inc. by Gerry Wurzburg. In Autism is a World, Sue takes the audience on an extraordinary journey inside autism to explain what she feels and does. How she relates to others. What it has been like to go to college and run her own life. This is a view of autism as it has rarely been seen--from the inside out.
The Black Balloon
Australia. 2008. An autistic older brother takes the family on an emotional roller-coaster ride.
Autistic Son Reveals Family Shame and Strength [Review of The Black Balloon]. Stephen Holden, New York Times, December 5, 2008.
The Boy Inside
Canada. 2006. Filmmaker Marianne Kaplan turns the camera on her own family, creating a rare and intimate first-hand portrait of living with Asperger Syndrome (AS). The film follows Kaplan's son Adam as he makes his way through Grade 7. His condition creates many challenges for him among his schoolmates and he is painfully aware of his separateness.
Mozart and the Whale
U.S.A. 2005. Starring Josh Hartnett and Radha Mitchell, Mozart and the Whale is a story of two individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome who develop a romantic relationship after meeting at an autism support group. Shows that individuals on the autism spectrum can and do have happy, loving relationships.
Rain Man
U.S.A. 1988. Golden Globe Winner for Best Film. Actor Dustin Hoffman portrays Raymond Babbitt, an autistic savant, who is being cared for by his younger brother played by actor Tom Cruise.
Snow Cake
U.S.A. 2006, Snow Cake stars Sigourney Weaver playing the role of Linda Freeman, a high-functioning woman with ASD. The story follows her friendship with a stranger and others in her small home town.
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Resources
Applied Theatre Research and Autism Network (ATRAN): An online network uniting professionals and parents interested in applying theatre techniques to help individuals with autism.
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