NIMH/OARC Special Event for Autism Awareness Month
A Portrait of Autism: Artists and Their Works
Sheila Benedis
Ms. Sheila Benedis was born with what she describes as "undiagnosed Aspergers." Ms. Benedis received little exposure to the arts growing up. Now, she lives near a park and finds inspiration from living close to nature. She shares that experiencing nature, such as trees swaying in the breeze and seasonal changes, is a form of meditation and inspires her work. Ms. Benedis is self-taught and started her art career making traditional functional baskets, which lead to creating basket sculptures. As she perfected her craft, she learned the process of paper making and began making artists books, which are accordions that produce sculptural forms. Her first artist book was based on the spring blossoming of the magnolia tree during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Benedis also writes poetry, which reflects her life and worldview. She has also produced altered books, where she takes a preexisting book and adds collage, watercolor, and her poetry. Currently, Ms. Benedis works with asemic writing. Here, her poetry is altered to render it partially illegible. The movement of the words and spaces inspire the shapes of these artist books. Ms. Benedis majored in mathematics at Mount Holyoke College.
