Autumn de Forest receives International Vatican Award in Painting and Art
Artwork by Autumn de Forest
Park West Gallery is proud to announce that its youngest artist, Autumn de Forest, has been named the recipient of the Giuseppe Sciacca International Vatican Award in Painting and Art.
As the award recipient, Autumn will attend a ceremony on November 7, 2015 at the Great Hall of the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Vatican City.
The award and its nominations are granted to individuals under 35 years old who have shown talent in the fields of knowledge and art, and have shown themselves to be role models to their community and a moral and educational example in society’s development.
“Mary and Child” (2015), Autumn de Forest
The award was founded in 2001 by the International Association of Culture and Voluntary Work ‘Uomo e Società ’ [‘Man and Society’] and named after Giuseppe Sciacca, an architecture student noted for his sporting activities and social concern. He died at age 26 following an accident when his parachute failed during celebrations in honor of the Blessed Virgin of Divine Love in Rome.
Autumn’s nomination was predicated on her artistic aptitude and desire to merge her creative talents with a sense of duty to the global community. She was the chosen recipient of the award because her humanitarian and charitable efforts have been significant.
These charitable commitments have included The Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, The Diller Blind Home for Children, and This Bar Saves Lives, an organization that distributes the miracle food “PlumpyNut” to starving children worldwide. In addition, Autumn has created public art installations celebrating the re-building efforts of the New Jersey shore.
A mosaic by Autumn de Forest
Dr. Joanne Ruthsatz of Ohio State University, the county’s leading researcher on child prodigies, calls Autumn “an advanced artistic prodigy,” which she says includes more than the young painter’s aptitude for art.
“As Autumn clearly displays, one sure indicator of a prodigy is when an exceptional talent is coupled with an intense concern for helping others, often times combining their abilities with their sense of charity,” Ruthsatz says.
Autumn is a prolific painter who, at the age of 6, began creating what became an incredible oeuvre of works. Her exhibitions have defined her as one of the most accomplished and recognized artistic prodigies of our time. Autumn is also the youngest artist ever to be represented by Park West Gallery.
Autumn has the honor of being the youngest artist ever featured at the National Art Education Association’s annual convention, where she appeared alongside art legends such as Peter Max and Chuck Close.
The Vatican’s International Giuseppe Sciacca Award is not only an incredible honor for Autumn, but a step on the path that Autumn has chosen to take in her mission to combine the pursuit of visual and aesthetic beauty with the desire and willingness to contribute to the global community.
