“I love ART”
Andrew was born in 1993 and, at the age of three, was diagnosed with profound autism. Hyperacusis makes him sensitive to certain sounds, loud noises, and different pitches. He also has OCD and apraxia of speech, which make verbal communication difficult.
Since the age of three, art has become Andrew’s primary form of expression and communication. Drawing has helped him tremendously to stay calm and grounded. Primarily self-taught in his early years, Andrew began attending MoMA’s Create-Ability monthly art program at the age of 11. He participated from the program’s inception and has attended consistently since 2019, with hopes of returning to MoMA in the future. Each year, he displays his artwork in the museum’s annual exhibition for the group, which is on view to the public.
He has also attended ARC’s “Art for You” weekly program and participates in weekly art and music therapies with Music for Life Creative Arts.
Andrew has exhibited his work at VOLITION Gallery at the Bell-Ans Center of Creative Arts in Orangeburg; ARC’s fundraising events; the Rising Above Bakery Art Exhibition in Nyack; two local library exhibitions; and ARC’s VOICES 20 exhibitions in 2024 and 2025 at SUNY’s Martin-Mullen Gallery in Oneonta, NY.
Currently, Andrew works under the guidance of Lauren Rudolph and has previously studied with Alice Mizrachi and Bill Batson.
He enjoys working in all mediums; however, pen, pencil, marker, glue, and Crayola Twistables are his favorites.
The terms Outsider Art and Art Brut describe the passionate energy of Andrew’s work. Art Brut was coined by French painter Jean Dubuffet, meaning “raw art.”
Andrew also enjoys the culinary arts. He loves his cooking lessons with Chef Pearl and has been surrounded by cooking and baking from his Nonna Josephine all his life. He is an excellent bowler and once placed second at the Special Olympics, scoring seven strikes in a row in one game.
During the pandemic, we began taking weekly music lessons, which evolved into Andrew taking weekly piano lessons. He loves playing and continues to show remarkable improvement with his teacher, Sara, at Music for Life Creative Arts. Over the last two years, Andrew also joined a theatre group with Music for Life Creative Arts and has performed in three productions at Elmwood Theater and The Angel in Nyack: Guys and Dolls, Hercules, and Aladdin. In Hercules, he performed a solo piano piece accompanied by his music teacher, Sara.
Exhibition History
2013 to Present - MoMA’s Create-Ability yearly exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art
2015 - ARC Art Exhibition at VOLITION Gallery, Orangeburg, NY
2018 - ART SPEAKS – Piece by Piece, art calling at Bell-Ans Center of Creative Arts, Orangeburg, NY
2023 - Rising Above Bakery Art Exhibition, Nyack, NY
2023 - Solo Exhibition: RETROSPECTIVE, Piermont, NY
2024 - Solo Exhibition: SIGNS & Symbols, Orangeburg Library, NY
2024 - ARC’s VOICES 20 – SUNY Martin-Mullen Gallery, Oneonta, NY. 3rd Place Winner
2025 - ARC’s VOICES 20 – SUNY Martin-Mullen Gallery, Oneonta, NY. Top 50
2026 - Love, Peace & Unity. Artists of The Arc Rockland Group Exhibition
