There was a buzz of excitement at Miami Lakes Town Hall the night of April 10, when 15 artists, their families and friends gathered for the “Art Without Limits” showcase.
The artists used a variety of materials on paper and canvases.
Vice Mayor Bryan Morera called their work “honest, expressive and fearless.”
Vivian Levy, chair of the Special Needs Advisory Board which presented the show, told a chamber filled with supporters, “Events like these are so important because they create spaces where every voice is seen, heard and valued.”
The artists learn at the Edgar J. Hall Special Population Center in Hialeah; with the Hope for Autism Team and the South Florida Autism Charter School.
Damon LeClaire, 15, a freshman at Barbara Goleman Senior High School, said his “Tulips in Spring” pencil and watercolor was inspired by Impressionist painters. The leaning flowers in his work were reminiscent of Van Gogh’s “Irises.”
Gabriel Basulto, 39, lives in town. His “A Sunday in Miami Lakes” is a pencil drawing on canvas of the Holstein herd of cows that is kept on pastures along Commerce Way.
He began making art when he was 13 and sometimes uses oils. He makes photographs of landscapes, too.
“I like nature,” Basulto said.
Blanca Perera-Malagon and Jorge Malagon were very proud of Basulto that night.
“We’ve always lived in Miami Lakes, and for the town to give them a spot for the community to come and admire their work, that’s really special,” Perera-Malagon said.
Some of the artists have exhibited in gallerys before. For Joanna Lopez, 34, from Hialeah, it was her first show.
“I love it,” Lopez said. She made her work, “The Game Room,” with a pen, paint and paper.
As guests toured the exhibit, they sipped wine and snacked on hor d’oeuvres by Chef Veronica and desserts by Events by Maggie while violinist Juan Manuel Campos performed.
To learn more about the artists whose work is on display at 6601 Main St. until April 30, go to TinyUrl.com/yc7cwefs.