After a few years of art classes, Ali can finally see her paintings hang on walls in Hey, Cupcake! The bakery is a fitting location for Ali's painting specialty, which most recently is various artistic dessert specialties.
This recognition for Ali is special for her art teachers at The Arc of the Capital Area, where she is able to hone her talent, because it means one more person has looked past Ali's mental disability to appreciate her as an artist.
"I love cupcakes so much. Cupcakes are my favorite dessert," Ali said. "I think people will love my cupcakes."
Getting to express herself through art—an act that previously resulted in celebrity-dog paintings like Fergie as Chihuahua—is not the only benefit Ali gets from painting at The Arc. She also met her best friend through classes there.
"I love coming, it's so much fun," Ali said.
The Arc, a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities integrate with the surrounding community, has provided Ali with art classes, moving her through the program to help her reach the level of professional artist.
"We do a critique process, and it's kind of out of necessity. Once they've been doing their work for a while, it's nice to lay it all out and show them what progress they've made," said Ann Weiding, The Arc program manager. "It does a lot for their focus and for their ability to grow as a young adult, as an artist and not just get praised for finishing something but actually working hard at getting to something that's skilled and appreciated by everybody."
That professional work will soon be on display at The Arc's 15th annual Building Bridges art exhibit Oct. 22 at The Hyatt Regency on Barton Springs Road.
"The event is mostly fed by this program but it comes back to all our other programs, which is the beauty of it," said Aimee Chonoski, The Arc marketing and volunteer coordinator. "It's a big part of what keeps [The Arc] going."
The gala is The Arc's biggest fundraising event of the year. About 50 percent of the art for sale at the gala will be from The Arc students, while the rest will come from local artisans.
"We're always just trying to be integrated into the Austin art scene. We're out there, we're putting out art. We're not just trying to put a label on the back of it that says, 'buy this product because it's made by someone that's disabled.' Nope, they're an artist, this is who they are," Weiding said.
Funds raised at Building Bridges will also help people like Frank, a 44-year-old man who incurred a traumatic brain injury in a car accident when he was 10. He attends programs at The Arc like movie night and coffee club, even though he said he is very picky who he hangs around so he does not surround himself with negative influences.
"[I like] being able to be with people other than myself," Frank said. "I get to be with a whole community full of people. [Being] by myself is boring."
Frank's case worker, Sandy Lane, meets with him at least once a month as friends to ensure things are going well.
Because Frank was already established, meaning he had his own source of income and already knew how to use transit options to get around town, his meetings with Lane can take place in a public environment where she can still help address any unexpected problems that may arise.
There are two case managers at The Arc who handle adult cases, each with about 32 cases on their plate. Not everyone comes to The Arc as independent as Frank, so each case is handled differently and has different needs, Lane said.
"People like me get made fun of in television and movies, and I think that's disgraceful," Frank said. "That's not funny when you make fun of people."
