colored pencil and ink; 11×14”
“My art piece is about autism rights. People with autism should be included in activities and community participation without any discrimination. The puzzle pieces imply a mystery to be solved or something to be put together. They represent how people perceive autism. Autism affects people in many different ways and most people just don’t understand it. Regardless of how one’s brain works, all people are entitled to full equal human rights and to be treated with dignity, respect, and inclusion.”
ARTIST BIO: Ronnie Thigpen is a Grade 12 student at Butler Tech School of Art (SOA).
PROJECT: After learning about human rights in Mrs. Valerie Folz’ Government classes at Butler Tech School of the Arts, 45 high school students chose a human rights issue they wanted to research. Then in Mrs. Mary Catherine Ruby’s Visual Art + Design classes they visually communicated their voice through their art using symbolic imagery to represent the human rights issue they had selected.