This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Aug. 15, 2012 - Hal Moran of St. Charles considers himself gifted, not disabled.
Sure, his Tourette syndrome, ADD and dyslexia can make life difficult, but they also enhance his existence. Through an unlikely chain, that enhancement is helping to improve the lives of people in Kenya, Uganda and other African nations, thanks to a local arts organization.
VSA Missouri is part of a national group supporting artists with disabilities, chiefly by exhibiting and selling their work in shows across the country. Through VSA, Moran, 55, exhibits his photography and related anthologies, born of his unique vision of the world.
The money Moran clears from art sales goes to causes he and his wife hold dear, including the Blood:Water Mission’s “1000 Wells Project.” The project has brought clean water sources to 1,000 sub-Saharan Africa communities and is expanding to provide more communities with water sources and HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention.
“We’ve donated a minimum of $200 a month for eight to 10 years. We’ve probably contributed enough to build several,” Moran said. “That’s kind of a neat thing.”
Seeing peace in a sunset
As a boy, Moran always knew he was different. Words jumping around the page made reading difficult and sitting still was challenging. “Nervous energy” is the diagnosis the family doctor gave his parents.
But memorization came easy: He still remembers his father’s driver's license number and the VIN number of his first car. Along the way, another difference emerged that he would later use in his photography.
“I see things most people might pass by,” Moran said. “When I go through life, I don’t just see a tree or a sunset -- I see peace. I see the stories and the metaphors associated with the energy.”
Moran, who now works for a company subcontracting transportation for Medicaid and Medicare patients, began experimenting with a friend’s camera and darkroom when he was 21. But money once spent on film and processing was needed for diapers and formula when his daughter came along in 1985.
In recent years, digital photography has made his hobby more affordable. And sales through VSA exhibits -- the work of VSA artists typically sells for between $100 and $500 -- began paying for his avocation, with enough money left over to create and sustain his giving plan.
Moran’s photos have been shown in Washington, D.C., and other cities, and are part of VSA’s current “Where We Can Read the Wind” art and anthology tour. The exhibition will culminate in a Jan. 18-Feb. 23 exhibit at St. Louis’ Regional Arts Commission (RAC).
“My wife and I are in this for the long haul,” Moran said. “As I approach retirement, I hope to be able to get more deeply involved in the arts movement and VSA, and other art organizations.”
New spin on a ceiling fan
For Shannon Drew of Wentzville, having her work shown to the public adds another layer of joy to her passion for making art. She and her mother Shirl Luczak will visit “Where We Can Read the Wind,” Drew’s third exhibition, when it comes to Jefferson City in September.
Drew, 40, is legally blind, mentally challenged and a prolific artist. For Drew, making art is a close-up endeavor, done with her head nearly lying on the canvas or other material so she might at least glimpse a dim view of the process.
In a recent project, Drew took apart a discarded ceiling fan, decoupaged the blades and hung them on a wall. When she’s not busy creating a new piece, Drew’s on the prowl for more recyclables, according to her mother, Shirl Luczak.
“She’s always looking for something we’re trying to throw out,” Luczak said. “She has a box stashed with toilet paper rolls and empty plastic bowls.”
Building relationships and confidence
Previous VSA projects include the 2009 “Blindness isn’t Black” anthology representing 23 Missouri artists and writers with disabilities, and the January 2012 “Speaking Volumes” exhibit at St. Louis Artist Guild featuring the works of artists with vision and hearing disabilities.
VSA does a lot with a little. It has one full-time employee, new executive director Gina Alvarez, to oversee the agency, whose name once stood for Very Special Arts but now stands alone as the word “special” falls out of favor as a disability reference.
Primarily funded by the Missouri Arts Council, the national VSA program and RAC, VSA not only exhibits artists’ work, it contracts with artists and writers with disabilities to offer programs and workshops in classrooms, adult care centers and other facilities.
VSA’s services have expanded beyond the disability community. Now, the mission includes those in any disenfranchised group including the homeless.
“In whatever underserved population there is, VSA can fill a need,” Alvarez said. “The arts are such a great way to build community relationships, build confidence and bridge gaps.”
