Special painting event planned in Philadelphia for Helen L. Diller Vacation Home for Blind Children
For more than 10 years, artistic prodigy Autumn de Forest has used her talents to make the world a better place, passionately spreading the message of the importance of arts education and teaching other children how to tap into their own creativity. With her Labor Day weekend exhibit at Ocean Galleries in Stone Harbor, NJ (9618 Third Avenue/609.368.7777), Autumn de Forest will be working with children from the Helen L. Diller Vacation Home for Blind Children (Avalon, NJ), providing them with a unique painting experience to work alongside her, creating art that will be used to raise funds for the Diller Home.
The young artist will appear at Ocean Galleries over Labor Day weekend during special receptions taking place from 6:00 PM until 10:00 PM on Friday, August 31, Saturday, September 1, and Sunday, September 2. Her exhibit, “Autumn de Forest – The Power of She,” is open daily from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM Friday, August 31 to Sunday, September 2, and 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Monday, September 3. All artwork in her new collection has been painted specifically for this event and will be available for acquisition.
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“Autumn de Forest – The Power of She”
During her past three visits to Ocean Galleries, Autumn has spent time at the Diller Vacation Home for Blind Children and has a special place in her heart for the kids who participate in the summer camp.
The Helen L. Diller Vacation Home for Blind Children in Avalon, NJ has been providing a seashore escape for visually impaired children for over 40 years. For eight weeks each summer, between mid-June and mid-August, the Diller Vacation Home operates a camp that offers many of the children participating a first experience of feeling sand in their toes or tasting salt water on their lips. Support of the Home is provided by volunteerism, foundation grants, general donations and community organizations.
When Autumn learned that this year’s Stone Harbor exhibit will fall outside of the Home’s summer camp dates, she asked if there was a way she could visit with some of the children from the program. The staff at the Diller Vacation Home made special arrangements to partner with St. Lucy Day School for Children with Visual Impairments in Philadelphia (4251 L Street) so that Autumn could meet up with several of the school children who also attended camp at the Diller Home this past summer.
“We were happy to accommodate Autumn’s request and are thrilled that she continues to support our organization,” said Monica Coskey, who serves as a board member for the Diller Home. “The children are always inspired by Autumn’s warmth and compassion, and we know whatever artwork they create will be a very special piece. The Diller Home has worked closely with St. Lucy’s over the years, since many of the school’s children have vacationed at the Diller Home. We are very grateful to St. Lucy’s for providing us with the venue for this special event and know the children will enjoy this experience with Autumn.”
Although it is Autumn’s incredibly sophisticated artwork that has put her on the map since she was just five-years-old, she has consistently used her gift to help others. In addition to helping the Diller Blind Home during past visits, she worked on a special fundraiser to help raise money for the victims of Sandy when she returned to the gallery in 2013, just after the horrific storm. Through her art, she has helped raise funds for relief efforts in Haiti, Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, and many other charities. In fact, her charitable foundation has contributed more half a million dollars to help those less fortunate.
In 2015, Autumn was recognized for using her talent to help others when she received the International Giuseppe Sciacca Award for Painting and Art. The prestigious award was presented at the Vatican during a ceremony in Rome. During her visit to Italy, Autumn was extended a private audience with Pope Francis, where she presented him with her painting “Resurrection,” which now resides in the Vatican.
Autumn’s special painting event with children from the Diller Blind Home will take place at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at St. Lucy’s. The painting created during the session will be part of the Live Auction at the 2018 Barefoot Ball, taking place September 8 at the Windrift Hotel in Avalon, NJ. For more information on the Barefoot Ball, contact Joanna Heston (jheston@dillerblindhome.org).
The “Autumn de Forest – The Power of She” exhibit opens on Friday, August 31 and runs through Monday, September 3, 2018 in the Stone Harbor, NJ location of Ocean Galleries (9618 Third Avenue/609.368.7777). Autumn will be at the gallery to sign purchased artwork from 6:00 to 10:00 PM on Friday, August 31, Saturday, September 1, and Sunday, September 2. All artwork in the collection is available for acquisition.
In addition to an extraordinary collection of artwork and custom-framing, Ocean Galleries also offers a variety of hand-made crafts from local, regional, and national artists in America, such as glass, pottery, jewelry, and furniture. All summer exhibitions take place at the Stone Harbor location of Ocean Galleries (9618 Third Avenue), which is open 10:00 AM until 10:00 PM through Sunday, September 2. Labor Day hours are 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM. For more information, call 609-368-7777 or visit oceangalleries.com
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For more information on “The Power of She” exhibition, visit Autumn de Forest to Exhibit in Stone Harbor, NJ Over Labor Day Weekend
Established in 1986, Ocean Galleries is a distinguished fine art gallery and custom-framing retailer with locations in Avalon and Stone Harbor, New Jersey. We represent national and local artists, originals and fine art reproductions; with a mission of personally introducing our clientele to the fine artists and their coveted artwork. Ocean Galleries is considered one of the best custom framing operations in the industry for quality and design, with all framing done in-house. Ocean Galleries also offers a wide variety of hand-crafted items such as glass, jewelry, and furniture. Over the years, the gallery has become nationally known for hosting renowned artists such as Peter Max, Josef Kote, Autumn de Forest, Romero Britto, Charles Fazzino, Graham Nash, Ringo Starr, Hessam, Aldo Luongo, Jane Seymour, Don Hatfield, Howard Behrens, Jiang, Wyland, Viktor Shvaiko, Sam Park, and many others. As a regional and national dealer to individuals and corporate collectors, Ocean Galleries promotes artists with extraordinary abilities and established value, while practicing the highest standards of credibility and integrity in a comfortable and unpretentious atmosphere. For more information and store hours, visit OceanGalleries.com