Paint A Miracle hosts fall open house & fundraiser in Rochester

All right, so Paint a Miracle wants you to fall in love with art. How, I mean, hard can that be, right? This is all happening at its open house and fundraiser happening tomorrow evening in Rochester. Yeah, so Paint a Miracle executive director Shelly Propson-Lennon is here to tell us how to get tickets. Also joining us, supporter and parent Beau Guy. Thank you both for being here. Thanks for having us. So talk to us about, because one, this is your daughter's artwork right here, right? And it's encaustic art. It's made with... Wax, melted wax and paint, pigments. Wow. Wow. And so you guys do a lot of artwork with those living with disabilities, right? Yes. Can you talk more about that? Yeah, that mission, I guess, right? Yeah. Yes. I mean, I guess we've been around for 24 years. We serve artists of all ages and abilities. We offer fine arts classes and we adapt it to whatever the needs are of the individual, whether it be someone living with autism, someone with traumatic brain injury, maybe Depression, whatever the person needs, we adapt the class to. But then one of the other things that we really do is try and get their work out into the community, exhibit, sell it. Have the community get a chance to meet our artists and to see why they're so inspiring. Would you say, I mean, this can be life-changing for someone, right? I mean, to be able to realize that they have a talent like this and to be able to do it in a comfortable way. Truly. I mean, I've had so many people talk about, you know, it's given them a reason to get up in the morning. It's helped them redefine themselves. It's given them a sense of purpose, really a vocation as an artist. And as a parent, I've watched Carly's been going there for over 20 years, and her planning and executing of her paintings has become very methodical and very extremely, extremely intentional. Thank you. And she... Absolutely loves her time at the studio to the point where we've actually got her enrolled in two classes a week. Oh, wow. And the other thing that happens within the classroom is the camaraderie. They become a little bit of a family in a lot of ways. They cheer each other on. They support each other's art. And it's an environment like no other. I mean, we're seeing some of the other artwork on the screen there. Oh, wow. Those are some of her pieces. Yeah. That's awesome. I mean, what's that like as a parent? I mean, clearly, this is an impact on so many people, but as a parent, just seeing her thrive and so many others thrive. I'll tell you what, that's Carly right there. And this is the one place in the life of this person who lives with disabilities. This is the one place where she walks in the door. And everything is in her control. Yeah. I mean, they can't get to the studio without someone taking them. They have so many things they need assistance with, various kinds of assistance, because it's all different kinds of people. But this is the only place she owns everything. And she walks in the door. And it's her decisions what colors she's going to use. It's her decisions what she wants to paint or what she wants to work on or how to do it. And the staff there is amazing because they take you where you are and they give you the tools you need or the support you need in order to create something. And I've had parents say to me, yeah, but my kid's not artistic. And it's like... It has nothing to do with being artistic. It has everything to do with just having a project to work on. Thank you. And there's just no judgment. And it's, I don't know. And the independence and the confidence and just the dignity that it fosters. Exactly. And like I said, it's only a place in their lives, some of them, that they own, that they have all the decisions are on them. Tell us about, we're running out of time, just how about the open house tomorrow, how that works? It's from 5.30 to 8.30. We will be selling, uh, Tickets at the door for anyone who would like to come last minute. It's at our studio in downtown Rochester, but it's also at the Rochester Mills Beer Company. And so it's kind of like a strolling open house. And you'll have the opportunity to have some food and drink, enjoy some art activities. There's an artist meet and greet where you get to meet the artists, see their work, and have a chance to purchase it. That's great. Awesome. Well, hey, go out, check it out. And, I mean, again, congrats to you guys. Can't wait to see everyone out and enjoy.