In 1998 my youngest brother, Kelton, was diagnosed with autism, a developmental disability that affects communication and social interaction. Autism currently affects 1/88 people in the United States. Kelton is a talented individual who runs cross-country and track, wrestles, plays the drums, loves history, and collects bobble heads and keychains.

This year Kelton decided to enroll in his first art class where he discovered his skill for drawing. His unorthodox style made me reconsider my artwork and examine the differences and similarities that exist between our perspectives. According to Paul Collins’ Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism, artists are four times more likely to have autism in their families. Considering the number of artists in my family, this statistic made me question the similarities that exist between Kelton and me. For this reason, we have decided to draw one of his 6,481 keychains a day for one year. These drawings will be as simple and uninhibited as possible. This project will explore our individual perspectives and examine the similarities that exist between us as artists.

Day 165


Kelt got two more keychains in the mail today from my friend Amanda! Here is a drawing of 1/2. Now he has 5,841. We also finished another sculpture piece:

Piece #6, shoe laces

This is the 6th piece for our new project. We haven't written the artist statement yet or figured out the specifics, but want to work with a variety of materials, such as wax, glue, and clay, etc., to see what Kelt likes. I'm curious to observe his process and learn if sculpture is a medium that he enjoys. I'm also interested in his relationship with the different materials. So far he's enjoyed wrapping and tying the most.

The materials are also important because people with autism often have unique responses to sensory stimuli. Examples include high threshold for pain, oversensitivity to sounds or being touched, exaggerated reactions to light or odors, or fascination with certain stimuli, etc. Hypersensitivities and/or hyposensitivities vary depending on the individual; for people with autism the continuum can range from no reaction to responses in all five senses.

This material was inspired by artist Judith Scott.

Photograph by Leon Borensztein for the book One is Adam One is Superman


Borensztein showing Scott her picture in the book

"Judith Scott was a fiber artist who was isolated from outside influences because of the severe impact of deafness and Down syndrome. She was very independent and self-directed. Crafting armatures of bamboo slats or other discarded materials, she wrapped these forms with lengths of knotted cloth or yarn. Her sculptures reflect little cultural input and are highly individualistic, expressing Judith's own personal vision." -Excerpt from One is Adam One is Superman: The Outsider Artists of Creative Growth
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