The ARTiculations Ability Exhibition — a forum for artists with disabilities in Genesee, Wyoming, and Orleans counties to display their work publicly — will re-open with a new artist at Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) in their office at 319 West Main Street in the Crickler Executive Business Center in Batavia on Thursday July 1,2024. Titled “Art Unspoken”, it features the work of Megan Benzee.
She states, “I am an artist experiencing a genetic disorder. I enjoy sharing artwork with the world. I want to make everyone’s life full of color and meaning. I hope to make pieces that hold a place in someone’s heart.”
A reception with light refreshments will be held for the artist at the ILGR office from 4 to 6 PM on Monday July 8th. A product of a partnership between ILGR and the University Heights Arts Association (UHAA), the Exhibit will be on display through September 30, 2024.
Background
Megan’s adoptive parents first encountered her at the age of 10 weeks in Guatemala; she came home to Wyoming County with them at 5 months and is now an 18-year-old U.S. citizen. Her family had to take her to Philadelphia to see specialists about her rare, incurable, genetic disease, but Horseback Therapy, using a retired therapy horse, kept in a neighbor’s stable, has permitted her to function without her electric wheelchair on occasion. When homebound, she expresses herself through her art, and, although self-taught, she credits her amazing teacher Diane Campbell for encouraging her since Sixth Grade and recently won the District-wide Iroquois Superintendent’s Award.
An admirer of the late Mexican surrealist painter Frida Kahlo and similar artists, she loves to do pet portraits for people, particularly the eyes, often drawing with her bird Claude on her shoulder and her cat Esther on her lap.
An invitation
Other artists with disabilities residing in the Genesee, Orleans & Wyoming County areas are encouraged to submit their work to this juried competition, as there will be additional ARTiculations planned quarterly exhibits in the future.
For questions on the event, please call Catherine DeMare at (585) 815-8501, ext. 400.
Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is a member of the Western New York Independent Living, Inc. family of agencies that offers an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.
