NIMH/OARC Special Event for Autism Awareness Month
A Portrait of Autism: Artists and Their Works
Jeremy Sicile-Kira
Jeremy Sicile-Kira is an intuitive abstract expressionist, who uses his gift of synesthesia to create his paintings. He sees and feels emotion as colors, and hearing voices and music elicits colors as well. In 2012, Mr. Sicile-Kira began to paint the colors he saw around people and events and writing descriptions of the emotional meanings of the colors he sees or hears. In 2016 his first curated solo art show was covered by national and local media, resulting in a sold-out show and many private commissions. His recent exhibits include The Color of Sound at the Museum of Art Oceanside; Horizon Exhibit at the MOSA Museum in Seattle, Washington; and an exhibit at the Ella Sharp Museum in Jackson, Missouri. His art hangs in public spaces including Boston Children's Hospital, Massachusetts; University of Scranton, Pennsylvania; San Diego State University; and California Department of Developmental Disabilities, Sacramento, California. Mr. Sicile-Kira is the subject of a short documentary, The Beautiful Colors of Jeremy Sicile-Kira by Aaron Lemle, which premiered on National PBS POV in January 2023. Mr. Sicile-Kira was one of the first non-speaking autistic students to graduate from high school with a full academic diploma. He gave a commencement speech using voice output technology. Advocacy for others like Jeremy who have no voice is an important part of his life. Jeremy co-authored a book A Full Life with Autism and served as a Youth Representative to the United Nations for the Autism Research Institute (NGO); as a youth leader for the Autistic Global Initiative, and as a youth advisor to the California Employment Consortium for Youth (CECY). Currently, Mr. Sicile-Kira serves on the Spellers Advisory Council for the Teva Community. He attended Community College until he discovered his real passion of painting. Mr. Sicile-Kira is based in San Diego, California.
Artwork
Materials
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Book: A Full Life with Autism by Chantal Sicile-Kira and Jeremy Sicile-Kira
- Videos
