April 2019
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Interview with
Keri Bowers
Co-founder of The Art of Autism and Founder of Normal Films
About Keri:
Keri Bowers is co-founder of The Art of Autism, a nonprofit which provides a forum for displaying, selling and promoting the art of autistic individuals. She is also the founder of Normal Films, an indie film/production company producing documentary films in autism and other developmental disabilities. Keri’s work as an advocate, artist, filmmaker and writer has spanned nearly three decades and has helped to create a positive impact on the autism community throughout the world.
The core of Keri’s work in the arts & autism began when her son, Taylor, was diagnosed with autism in the early 1990s. With little known at the time about autism, and even fewer reliable intervention resources, Keri used painting, music, drama, movement, and video modeling to support Taylor’s language and developmental skills. Now 29, Taylor lives in his own home, with progressive supports surrounding him, and works as a video game reviewer.
Taylor, Keri and her youngest son, Jace, have made four feature films together, including Normal People Scare Me (2006), The Sandwich Kid (2007), ARTs (2008), and Normal People Scare Me Too (2016). Keri’s current film, Desire, is scheduled for release in 2020.
Keri is a featured columnist for Autism Asperger’s Sensory Digest and the owner of Bowerbirds Art, Fashion and Shoes, a collection “inspired by autism and painted by the heart.”
Keri Bowers is co-founder of The Art of Autism, a nonprofit which provides a forum for displaying, selling and promoting the art of autistic individuals. She is also the founder of Normal Films, an indie film/production company producing documentary films in autism and other developmental disabilities. Keri’s work as an advocate, artist, filmmaker and writer has spanned nearly three decades and has helped to create a positive impact on the autism community throughout the world.
The core of Keri’s work in the arts & autism began when her son, Taylor, was diagnosed with autism in the early 1990s. With little known at the time about autism, and even fewer reliable intervention resources, Keri used painting, music, drama, movement, and video modeling to support Taylor’s language and developmental skills. Now 29, Taylor lives in his own home, with progressive supports surrounding him, and works as a video game reviewer.
Taylor, Keri and her youngest son, Jace, have made four feature films together, including Normal People Scare Me (2006), The Sandwich Kid (2007), ARTs (2008), and Normal People Scare Me Too (2016). Keri’s current film, Desire, is scheduled for release in 2020.
Keri is a featured columnist for Autism Asperger’s Sensory Digest and the owner of Bowerbirds Art, Fashion and Shoes, a collection “inspired by autism and painted by the heart.”
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About The Art of Autism:
The Art of Autism is an international collaborative project and nonprofit composed of talented individuals who have come together to display the creative abilities of people on the autism spectrum (ASD). The Art of Autism accepts many art forms, including blog posts, art, poetry, video submissions and requests for book reviews. The organization seeks diverse viewpoints, including those from autistic people, parents, siblings, therapists, physicians, educators and others. The Art of Autism partners with other organizations who have similar goals for awareness, acceptance, education and provision of opportunities for its participants. |
Mainly Mozart Art Curation by The Art of Autism
Photo Credit: The Art of Autism |
Myrna Beth Haskell, managing editor, spoke with Keri about her experience parenting a child on the spectrum before parental supports were easily accessible, The Art of Autism’s projects that support autistic creatives and her production company, Normal Films.
Could you tell me about some of the challenges you experienced while raising Taylor?
I like to explain by saying that I was ‘doing autism’ before the internet. My son was born 29 years ago on Christmas Eve. I remember painting with my son in my arms – he was about four months old - and putting paint on his fingertips and grazing them across the painting. He freaked out. He hated it. At first, I was in denial. He was a boy…and boys develop slower than girls, right? But I also instinctively knew that I needed to keep doing this. Something inside me urged me to use art to stimulate. It took a while, but he eventually started to play with the paint. This is referred to as sensory integration today. He was slow to develop speech. At three years old, he maybe had 20 words. I reasoned that if he could say one word, he could say 2, and so I forged ahead by singing social stories* to him to encourage engagement.
My mission was for Taylor to live as independently and as inclusively as possible, and I was navigating my own way. This was before the DSM IV** included Asperger’s as a diagnosis, and he wasn’t diagnosed until he was six.
I was a single mom, and it was painful to have to hire a nanny to care for my children [Keri has two sons, Jace was born when Taylor was six], but I had to drive an hour and a half each way to my job at the law firm.*** I missed some of the precious moments, such as Taylor walking for the first time at about two years and two months. In the early years, a nanny would quit on a Friday, for example, and I’d have to hustle to find a replacement - a stranger - by Monday. So when a new person came into the home, it was difficult. Taylor was an anomaly, and he couldn’t communicate his wants and needs to these people charged to care for him, except through behavior.
I still have a drawing he made at three when he and his nanny got lost and had to ask a stranger to help them find their way back home. Those were frightening times that many working - and especially single moms - go through. But my son could not communicate, so the layers were more complex and worrisome.
*Social Stories are a social learning tool that supports the safe and meaningful exchange of information between parents, professionals, and people with autism of all ages. The people who develop Social Stories work on behalf of a child, adolescent, or adult with autism, the Audience. This is an evidence-based practice used world-wide. (Carol Gray, developer of Social Stories)
**Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association.
***Keri was a paralegal for Motley Crüe.
What is your best piece of advice for other moms with children on the spectrum?
Let your child fall down and fail in the safety of the life she has while you’re alive. She needs to learn to get up. If you wait until maturity, it will be more difficult.
It’s important to understand that learning cannot happen when a child feels bad about himself or herself. If my sons made a mistake, I would tell them, ‘How is that result working for you?’ Both of my boys learned to be good decision-makers because of this approach. Emotional wellness is also extremely important, and they need to be proud of themselves.
I would suggest that parents put their children into community service. This is a great way to learn social skills and for those on the spectrum to feel more connected and to look outward. They learn to empathize with those who need their help. We worked with an organization that sent gifts and needed items to battered women. When Taylor was 15 years old, he wanted to deliver the gifts himself, but that isn’t how they usually did things because of security. We found a way for him to be able to hand the gifts over at an event…that physical act of giving something to an actual person taught him about human connection.
I also believe that mothers and fathers need to nurture themselves in more powerful and consistent ways. I see so many who are weary, depressed, anxious, negative, exhausted, and/or isolated from joy and emotional well-being. It's easy to fall into putting our child first at all times at our own expense. We become martyrs of this ‘cause’ or to our child's needs. It becomes a cyclical force of exhaustive and often negative energy when we do not take time to nurture our own spirits, sense of play, relationships, hobbies and mental health. Parents need to say yes to life. Your child will know if you’re not happy.
You have a love of the arts. Is this why you decided to start a nonprofit that highlights the artwork of autistic creatives?
Painting, photography, dance, writing, music, film, and other creative and spiritual pursuits are the essence of my being.
Could you tell me about some of the challenges you experienced while raising Taylor?
I like to explain by saying that I was ‘doing autism’ before the internet. My son was born 29 years ago on Christmas Eve. I remember painting with my son in my arms – he was about four months old - and putting paint on his fingertips and grazing them across the painting. He freaked out. He hated it. At first, I was in denial. He was a boy…and boys develop slower than girls, right? But I also instinctively knew that I needed to keep doing this. Something inside me urged me to use art to stimulate. It took a while, but he eventually started to play with the paint. This is referred to as sensory integration today. He was slow to develop speech. At three years old, he maybe had 20 words. I reasoned that if he could say one word, he could say 2, and so I forged ahead by singing social stories* to him to encourage engagement.
My mission was for Taylor to live as independently and as inclusively as possible, and I was navigating my own way. This was before the DSM IV** included Asperger’s as a diagnosis, and he wasn’t diagnosed until he was six.
I was a single mom, and it was painful to have to hire a nanny to care for my children [Keri has two sons, Jace was born when Taylor was six], but I had to drive an hour and a half each way to my job at the law firm.*** I missed some of the precious moments, such as Taylor walking for the first time at about two years and two months. In the early years, a nanny would quit on a Friday, for example, and I’d have to hustle to find a replacement - a stranger - by Monday. So when a new person came into the home, it was difficult. Taylor was an anomaly, and he couldn’t communicate his wants and needs to these people charged to care for him, except through behavior.
I still have a drawing he made at three when he and his nanny got lost and had to ask a stranger to help them find their way back home. Those were frightening times that many working - and especially single moms - go through. But my son could not communicate, so the layers were more complex and worrisome.
*Social Stories are a social learning tool that supports the safe and meaningful exchange of information between parents, professionals, and people with autism of all ages. The people who develop Social Stories work on behalf of a child, adolescent, or adult with autism, the Audience. This is an evidence-based practice used world-wide. (Carol Gray, developer of Social Stories)
**Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association.
***Keri was a paralegal for Motley Crüe.
What is your best piece of advice for other moms with children on the spectrum?
Let your child fall down and fail in the safety of the life she has while you’re alive. She needs to learn to get up. If you wait until maturity, it will be more difficult.
It’s important to understand that learning cannot happen when a child feels bad about himself or herself. If my sons made a mistake, I would tell them, ‘How is that result working for you?’ Both of my boys learned to be good decision-makers because of this approach. Emotional wellness is also extremely important, and they need to be proud of themselves.
I would suggest that parents put their children into community service. This is a great way to learn social skills and for those on the spectrum to feel more connected and to look outward. They learn to empathize with those who need their help. We worked with an organization that sent gifts and needed items to battered women. When Taylor was 15 years old, he wanted to deliver the gifts himself, but that isn’t how they usually did things because of security. We found a way for him to be able to hand the gifts over at an event…that physical act of giving something to an actual person taught him about human connection.
I also believe that mothers and fathers need to nurture themselves in more powerful and consistent ways. I see so many who are weary, depressed, anxious, negative, exhausted, and/or isolated from joy and emotional well-being. It's easy to fall into putting our child first at all times at our own expense. We become martyrs of this ‘cause’ or to our child's needs. It becomes a cyclical force of exhaustive and often negative energy when we do not take time to nurture our own spirits, sense of play, relationships, hobbies and mental health. Parents need to say yes to life. Your child will know if you’re not happy.
You have a love of the arts. Is this why you decided to start a nonprofit that highlights the artwork of autistic creatives?
Painting, photography, dance, writing, music, film, and other creative and spiritual pursuits are the essence of my being.
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Art is a healer. I’ve never met a kid on the spectrum who wasn’t drawn to art, music, painting, drama, poetry….art of some sort. Parents should allow their children to express their creative selves.
Art therapy is a natural fit for autistics because art presents an alternative for verbal communication. One of the hallmarks of autism is impaired communication. Verbal self-expression and language is often especially difficult. People with autism are often highly visual thinkers. Expressing feelings and ideas through images is very natural for them and can be a welcome relief from the daily struggle to use words effectively. Art therapy can also help with social skills. (The Art of Autism website) The Art of Autism provides a space for creatives to place their art. It began as a concept in 2009. We were giving awards out called Hearts & Arts Awards to get some attention from politicians and community leaders. Sometime before 2014, I went to Debra [Debra Muzikar, co-founder of The Art of Autism]. She is the author of Artism: The Art of Autism (Sicoli Group Inc). We started using The Art of Autism loosely at first, and we incorporated in 2017. We are always looking for artists – it’s fluid. We teach them the hard part – marketing yourself. We also serve as a fiscal sponsor for many projects and programs - artists can receive funding for special projects from us. We’re happy to report that we’ve reached one million visitors this year. |
Co-Founders of the Art of Autism: Keri Bowers and Debra Muzikar
Mainly Mozart Gala, June 2018 Photo Credit: The Art of Autism |
Any successful events you’d like to share?
The event we did with Mainly Mozart [a nonprofit enriching the lives of musicians] was incredible. In May 2018, The Art of Autism curated the Genius Showcase for the Mainly Mozart nonprofit in San Diego.
The event we did with Mainly Mozart [a nonprofit enriching the lives of musicians] was incredible. In May 2018, The Art of Autism curated the Genius Showcase for the Mainly Mozart nonprofit in San Diego.
Artist, Jeremy Sicile-Kira, Painting Live at the Mainly Mozart Gala with Support Staff
Photo Credit: The Art of Autism |
Note: This art contest awarded cash prizes for North American individuals who identified as neurodivergent, ages 14 and older. The theme: “Finding Your Inner “MozArt.” The goal of the contest was to foster inspiration about the genius we all have within and to promote the activities of Mainly Mozart during Mozart & The Mind, which is the opening event of the month-long Mainly Mozart festival.
The Art and Poems for Peace initiative is another terrific project that coincides with U.N. International Day of Peace (September 21). During the month of September we reveal peace-themed submissions. And, of course, there’s the ongoing P.O.D.S. project [People of Diversity, Speaking], but I think you’re talking to Kimberly Tucker about that. Please see Kimberly Gerry Tucker’s comments about the inspiration behind P.O.D.S. from her featured artist page HERE. |
Peace Doves
© Keri Bowers The painting above was created by Keri Bowers for The Art of Autism's "Art & Poems for Peace" initiative. "International Day of Peace" was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire.
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Tell me about Normal Films. Was the film Normal People Scare Me the first you worked on with your son?
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Yes it was. My son was about 15 when he told me, ‘Mom, I want to make films and sell them.’ This brings us back to the community service. He wanted to pay for the gifts that we were giving – and this would be a way for him to contribute…make his own way…give back. I was skeptical at first because we didn’t know anything about making films. I also wanted him to want it more than I did, and I saw that in him. I realized I had to try to get something going. He decided that night that he wanted to call the film Normal People Scare Me.
We lucked out because, a short time later, we met Joey Travolta, and he agreed to take my son into his practical film class. [A couple of years later, Travolta founded Inclusion Films which teaches the art of filmmaking to people with developmental disabilities.] Normal People Scare Me started out as a short film directed by Taylor and me. [The short film garnered Taylor several awards at a California student film festival in 2004.] Later, Travolta produced the feature-length film Normal People Scare Me, and Taylor interviewed 65 people on the spectrum for that. [In 2005, Keri founded Normal Films which was the production company for Normal People Scare Me and several subsequent films] A decade later, we [Normal Films] produced Normal People Scare Me, Too (2016), and 75% of the film crew was on the spectrum - people who worked on the visuals and the music were on the spectrum, too. It is a truly inclusive film. What’s the latest film you’ve been working on? Desire is an anthology documentary film series with seven parts. It discusses sexuality and disability. We don’t think of people with disabilities as sexual beings. The JCC [Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan] is hosting me for filming about a dozen interviews in New York City. I’ve also filmed in Los Angeles, CA and Savannah, GA. I’ll be completing the film at the end of the year. |
Keri on set filming her latest documentary, Desire
Savannah Technical College Film Institute, March 2019 Photo Credit: Normal Films |
Anything else you’d like readers to know?
Autism is a reason, NOT an excuse. Life hands us pearls wrapped up in choices.
Where do you find sanctuary? (#WheresYourSanctuary)
I live in gratitude. If I’m lost on the subway or someone cuts me off on the road, I embrace the fact that I have so many reasons to be thankful. Even when I’m on my hands and knees, scrubbing the floor clean…it’s pure…it’s love.
Autism is a reason, NOT an excuse. Life hands us pearls wrapped up in choices.
Where do you find sanctuary? (#WheresYourSanctuary)
I live in gratitude. If I’m lost on the subway or someone cuts me off on the road, I embrace the fact that I have so many reasons to be thankful. Even when I’m on my hands and knees, scrubbing the floor clean…it’s pure…it’s love.
