Curt is a dynamo on wheels.  Even though he is one of ODAS's older studio artists, you'd never know from his youthful spunk and moxy.  Curt is a strong advocate for those with disabilities and serves on several councils including the Governor's Council for the Disabled.  Curtis speaks openly about his experiences living in an institution and the progress he has witnessed for himself and other individuals with disabilities over the past decades.   His passion for continued progress is truly an inspiration.  

 

If Curtis isn't in motion, there is no doubt that his mental wheels are spinning.  He constantly pushes himself to expand his body of work.  Most recently he has experimented with incorporating recycled cans and toy cowboys and Indians into his art.  Curt's positive attitude and his unique artistic sensibility are a true enhancement to Open Door.  Curt is proud to have his paintings in a growing number of private art collections and he is extremely honored to have a piece of his artwork hanging at the Ohio Statehouse.

 

Sharon has been with CCHS Inc. for more than eleven years.  She began in Park West Court Apartments and after two years became the Transportation Coordinator, the position she still holds today.  Sharon's favorite aspect of her job is getting to know the residents and her positive attitude and kindness make her a favorite among coworkers and clients alike.  She is an especially generous fan of the artists at Open Door.  She has a sizable art collection that is split between her and her son's homes.  She loves hearing about an Open Door artist discovering a hidden talent and all the artists love showing Sharon their latest creation.  There is hardly a visit to Open Door that Sharon doesn't utter at least one "Oooh" or "Aaah". 

In addition to her impact in the lives of countless individuals with disabilities over the past eleven years, Sharon is the proud mother of two daughters, two sons and grandmother of two grandsons.  Sharon is also an animal lover and her household includes two dogs and six cats.  Sharon is a consummate collector.  Aside from Open Door artworks, she collects rhinestone pins, flamingos, Jim Beam bottles, hot wheels, and glass baskets.  With such varied interests, it is no wonder that Sharon is such a unique and fun person. 

We get lots of exciting donations here at Open Door.  In this section we feature what happens when one of our creative participants reworks the ordinary into the extraordinary.

A gigantic bin of new and used crayons was donated to Open Door from a volunteer who saved them from an untimely fate of dumpster death.  We do not use crayons all that much at Open Door, but studio artist Ashley Pauley put her thinking cap on and genius struck.  She created an interesting surface out of the crayons, reworking these art materials into an interesting canvas of sorts.   

 

Marty Freireich then went to town adding colorful paint strokes and Voila! "Crayola Creation" was born!  We are all huge fans here of this imaginative collaboration and the fantastic result.  

Open Door always takes donations.  Big thanks to the supplier of the crayons for her generosity of supplies and time to Open Door!    

The hard plastic caps on most bottles are not recyclable.  They are a great material for art, however, and Open Door will be accepting donations of these kinds of lids indefinitely.  Any size, shape and color will do and the more the better!  Water bottles, liters of soda, laundry detergent, and milk jugs are just a few of the many sources that are already in your home.  So please start stashing away those little plastic gems and on your next visit to Open Door to see some great art unload those caps.  Reduce the amount going into landfills and support a local non-profit with supplies.  What more could you want really?

Thanks in advance for saving those lids!