In August, when First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin visited Farmville to tour the “My Ukraine” exhibition at the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts, she had no idea she would find the artist for her and Governor Glenn Youngkin’s official Christmas card.
But find him she did.
Displayed alongside the work from Ukrainian artists were paintings from a workshop LCVA staff holds with Longwood LIFE–a non-degree program for individuals with intellectual disabilities to help them gain skills for independent living in a college community setting.
Longwood University’s commitment to art as a core tenet of educating students with disabilities is certainly worth highlighting and celebrating.
First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin Tweet This
One of those artists is Ja’Rell Brooks, who has been in the Longwood LIFE program since it was a pilot program. His art–and the mission of the program–made such an impression on First Lady Youngkin that when she returned to Richmond, she reached out to LCVA staff with the very special request: to paint the image that will appear on one of the governor’s annual Christmas cards.
“Longwood University’s commitment to art as a core tenet of educating students with disabilities is certainly worth highlighting and celebrating,” said First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin. “Starting with Ja’Rell’s creation, our Christmas cards will feature different artists in order to highlight Virginia’s talented, fine arts community.”
As part of the Longwood LIFE program, Ja’Rell has taken art classes with professors like Kelly Nelson and has made rapid strides.
“Ever since he was little, he has always been drawing. For many years, he stuck with Sharpies and paper, but the art classes at Longwood helped him push outside his comfort zone and he began doing pencil drawings and especially painting.”
Samantha Hansen, Ja’Rell Brooks' mother
“Art is one of the main ways Ja’Rell expresses himself,” said his mother, Samantha Hansen. “Ever since he was little, he has always been drawing. For many years, he stuck with Sharpies and paper, but the art classes at Longwood helped him push outside his comfort zone and he began doing pencil drawings and especially painting.”
For the Christmas card painting, Ja’Rell was asked to paint the Governor’s Mansion at the holidays. Working from a photo, he created three paintings that were submitted to the First Lady’s office. The one they chose features festive decorations hanging from the front portico, wreaths displayed under the windows of the 200-year-old house, and red flowers around the fountain at the center of the circular driveway.
“We are so proud of Ja’Rell,” said Emily Grabiec, director of outreach for the LCVA. “We’ve loved watching his artwork develop over the years, and this is such an incredible moment for him.”
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