11.20.23
Cheryl Russo: Member of Horizon House and Exhibitor at the Museum of Fine Arts!
The following article was written by Cheryl Russo in conjunction with Horizon House to commemorate her experience at the 50th Anniversary of Gateway Arts that took place at the Museum of Fine Arts.
On October 18th, Catherine Taatjes – the Program Director of Horizon House in Wakefield – and I went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where several of my paintings were being displayed for the 50th anniversary of Gateway Arts in Brookline. Gateway is a program for individuals with various disabilities to create and sell artwork. The event was called “The Art of the Possible,” and it was a celebration of 50 years of Gateway, as well as the art and artists who have been a part of it.
Catherine and I arrived fashionably early and enjoyed the hors d’oeuvres. We watched a slideshow of artwork created by Gateway artists, which included my own artwork. At the event itself, I had two paintings – one of Jerry Garcia and one of John Lennon and Yoko Ono – as well as a John and Yoko bandanna that I designed. The John and Yoko painting was displayed on an easel.
After I was done with my hors d’oeuvres, I stood in front of my painting and explained it to the audience that stopped by. A man came up to me and told me that, while he didn’t like John Lennon or Yoko Ono, he loved the picture so much that he wanted to buy it. It turns out that man was none other than Jonathan Kraft, President of the New England Patriots, and he did end up buying my picture! The fact that he not only loved my artwork, but bought it in spite of the fact that he didn’t like the people depicted, was deeply gratifying to me.
Catherine is one of my favorite people, and it meant the world to me that she came to the event. Greg, the director of Gateway Arts, as well as other friends of mine from Gateway were also there. Experiencing such an important event, surrounded by people I love, made this night one of the greatest of my life. I got to have my artwork displayed at the MFA – a dream come true.
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