Painting: Grace Walker Goad
Despite the profuse fog of cough-inducing, sinus-grating construction dust and the ear-aching shrill of buzz saws, I realized quickly I was on hallowed ground. I followed my host, Lisa Hester, down the hall, away from the lobby and front office areas under reconstruction to the conference room of the Tennessee Arts Commission. There I found myself humbly in the presence of a large Charles Brindley wall-encompassing painting. A Herb Williams crayon sculpture was sitting with in its typical curious muse-state over in the corner. And the Grace Walker Goad I held in my hand was about to join their ranks.
In my heart I felt a Spark of Joy. My mother/mentor pride was Swelling. And I knew that my 15-year-old artist daughter, who has autism, had accomplished a rare Milestone -- something coveted among Tennessee artists. She’d just sold a mixed media painting, above, to the commendably active and artist-friendly Commission, whose collection is merged with and managed by The Tennessee State Museum. A bit of a coup for kid with a severe disability who can barely string a sentence together and usually not more than four words. Who still cannot write her name. But one thing that my daughter, Grace Walker Goad can do is paint. One of our ministers once said, Grace’s mode of communication is through art.
It’s way past time I formally introduce her to this blog that’s named in her honor -- also the name of a yet-unpublished book I’ve written about our life together and a blog that’s one-third about Art, one-third about Autism and one-third, about which I write most, All The Rest of Life. Grace was diagnosed with the enigmatic disorder of autism at age 32 months in 1997. A year into the typically grueling rigor of standard early intervention, I wondered if there was more. Where was the joy of creating visual art, of dancing, making music? The types of typical teaching facilities where I might enroll her for instruction weren’t suited or willing or able to teach to her different learning style. So I searched arduously in Middle Tennessee for therapists trained in these disciplines. We discovered a child with perfect pitch and perfect rhythm. But what struck me most was the hyper-active child that turned Zen when she crudely grasped a paint brush and contemplatively studied the blank paper before her and the lush palate to her side. Color and composition became her strong points.
Grace continues through today to study with private art teachers and therapists. She began showing her work at age six. At age eight she began selling. She’s shown on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, a list of area universities and shows and is carried at Shimai in Nashville. In addition to the state museum, Vanderbilt University owns a Grace Walker Goad and has purchased an additional piece to commemorate autism researcher Wendy Stone, Ph.D.'s 20-year career there. Former US Senator Bill Frist, MD and former NFL hall of famer Dan Marino, are among a number of individuals who hold her work privately. In 2007, because of her art, she and I were guests on the autism episode of ABC’s “The View.”
Someday, when I’m not writing, hobbling at running her original card and print business and trying to live this life with autism and All the Rest in the process, we’ll take her show on the road. That’s a definite. Seriously, first, we’ve got to enter high school next year and take the many necessary next steps of growing into adulthood with the Great Challenge of disAbility. But as long as Grace wants to paint, she will be mentored and nurtured. And the future…well, it looks bright. Here’s hoping that there will be many more milestones to come our way. I’m betting -– knowing -– that there will be. Indeed.
Thank you!
Posted by: Leisa A. Hammett | March 21, 2009 at 11:45 AM
Congratulations. How exciting!!
Posted by: Rebekah Pope | March 20, 2009 at 07:40 PM