Categories
Art Exhibit M

Art as Language

Teachers noticed Joey Evangelisti’s incredible artistic skill when he was just a young boy. Though unable to communicate verbally — Joey is autistic — he uses visual art to express a variety of experiences and fascinations. His talent is what is known as a “splinter skill”— a remarkable capacity or genius in a certain domain, primarily associated with Autism.

Joey Evangelisti, Iron Horse Gold Key

  • Joey Evangelisti, Iron Horse Gold Key

While in school at Richland Elementary, Joey drew a mural of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which was submitted and put on display at the Macy’s in New York and later at the Nashville Metropolitan Airport. “One of the things that was interesting, and the Macy’s people noticed,” says Joe Evangelisti, Joey’s father, “is when he did a whole rendition of the parade from beginning to end, he included a lot of details that normally someone would not notice. In fact, the people at Macy’s said that the only people who would notice [these things] would be the people who produced the parade. He sees all that.”

Joey Evangelisti, Train Fused

  • Joey Evangelisti, Train Fused

Joey Evangelisti, Trolley

  • Joey Evangelisti, Trolley

Joey Evangelisti, Trains Lined Up

  • Joey Evangelisti, Trains Lined Up