The art of being David

For more than 15 years, artist David Reed has been exploring his creativity through paint, watercolor, drawing and collage. This November, a special Willoughby exhibit will bring those years of creativity together in one place.

“David Reed, Artist: A Differently-Abled Art Exhibit” will be held Friday, Nov. 13, from 6-9 p.m. at Stella’s Annex Art Gallery in Willoughby.

David, an artist with developmental disabilities, has spent years studying with private instructors, developing his talents and creating a growing collection of original artwork. His work has previously been shown in a limited number of venues, where prints of his pieces have also been sold.

Three main walls of the gallery will showcase work from three areas of study: pop culture collage with Perris Mackey at Stella’s Art Gallery; acrylic painting and upcycled collage with Linda Zolten Wood; and drawing and watercolor with Stacie Pinover.

Each art instructor will include one of their own signature pieces along with many of David’s works.

But the exhibit is about more than looking back. David’s family and creative team are also working to make sure he has opportunities to continue creating well into the future.

As his parents, local author Kelly Reed and NASA scientist Brian Reed, prepare for retirement, the family is establishing a non-profit webpage for David through RISE Community Advancement.

David currently rents studio space at Gatewood Home/Share in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood.

Plans also include creating a full-color paperback book featuring David’s artwork, along with an online print-on-demand collection offering reproductions of his work. Proceeds would help offset the cost of future art classes and studio rental fees.

The family is also working toward a bigger goal: helping make art more accessible to others with disabilities.

As grants are pursued, plans call for establishing a fund in David’s name at Stella’s Art Gallery. In addition to helping cover David’s class fees, the fund could eventually provide opportunities for other people with disabilities to experience different art classes and discover their own creative paths.

David Reed, Artist: A Differently-Abled Art Exhibit takes place Friday, Nov. 13, from 6-9 p.m. at Stella’s Annex Art Gallery, 38033 Euclid Ave., T1, Willoughby. For gallery information, call 440-266-9111.

Tax-deductible donations to support David’s continued art education may be made through RISE Community Advancement at rise-community.org. Donations should be designated for the David Reed Artist Fund.