They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder but for the Portage County Board of Developmental Disabilities, it is easy to give each piece of art submitted to the Portage County DD Limitless Art Show a stamp of approval. In its continuing effort to provide support to those with developmental disabilities, the social service organization based in Ravenna hosted a community art show throughout Portage County for the third straight year.
“We held about 20 events throughout Portage County and DD awareness month to us is more than about just hosting events, it is really about inclusivity and incorporating everyone together,” Portage County DD Communications and Human Resources Manager Tim Torch told The Weekly Villager on April 26. “We really tried to be all across the county and incorporate it, but it is not just us, it is everyone together and everyone needs to know about this.”
Although March has been designated as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month by the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, Portage County DD continued to celebrate those with developmental disabilities in April.
In only its third year, the Portage County DD Limitless Art Show had 195 people enter an art piece in the show, surpassing last year’s total by over 30 pieces. When the Limitless Art Show was created three years ago, there were only 70 pieces that were submitted.
All applicants were individuals who have some sort of disability, most of whom have already graduated from school and are adults.
Of the 195 pieces, 149 were for sale and 70 pieces were sold. All pieces were sold for a price of up to $50 and for each piece that was sold, the proceeds went directly to the artist who created it.
“It is a validation of the work,” Torch said. “It really lets them know that someone appreciates their hard work and their creativity and everything that went into it, the passion that went into each of the pieces of art that were on display and sold. We have a lot of community partners that have actually made the choice to put up the art across the entire county throughout the month of April. That has been huge for us.”
Not all of the pieces were available for purchase and some were displayed for viewing pleasure only.
According to Torch, the Portage County DD Limtless Art Show was inspired by suggestions from staff to create a community art show. He said that the organization wanted to give everyone in the DD community an outlet to share their abilities. Art pieces that were submitted consisted of paintings, pottery or different types of sculptures.
Through April, the Portage County DD held five art shows throughout the community at libraries in Kent, Ravenna, Streetsboro, Garrettsville, and Portage County DD’s Happy Day Service Building in Ravenna.
Even after the final show, the art continued to be displayed in Portage County locations including the libraries, Hometown Bank, North Water Brewing Company and West Main Street Winery and Brewery in Kent.
At the Reed Memorial Library in Ravenna, it marked the second straight year that it participated in the DD Limitless Art Show.
“We love being involved,” Reed Memorial Library Director Amy Young told The Villager. “We do a lot with Portage DD and we have been really working the last few years on making a lot of our programming events that we do here more accessible to patrons with disabilities and so we love having them here and the artists enjoy showing their pieces.”
According to Young, different community members or groups had frequently tried to sign up to have their art displayed on the walls of the library. She added that the art was well-received by the majority of patrons who usually visit the Library.
She said that the Limitless Art Show helped open people’s eyes to the fact to those with developmental disabilities were just as if not more capable.
“I think sometimes other members of the community are surprised by that.They get a better understanding; they are more accepting of others in the community and are surprised,” Young noted. “We are happy to facilitate that new understanding.”
Young said even she took the time to appreciate the hard work and time that went into several of the pieces that were submitted.
“I think they do a great job and the ones we have met in person describe their art to us or walk us through it,” she noted. “They are serious and dedicated artists and they have a very particular style and are very particular image or emotion that they want to get across.”
