Autistic Identity in Art

Timothy Folkema.

Kia ora e te whānau! Ko Timothy Folkema toku ingoa. He Whaitakiwātanga au, ā, he matarehu hoki.

It has been over a year since I opened myself to the world in an Altogether Autism Journal. I own my struggle, but it is by no means unique to me; I haven’t met a peer yet who has not experienced some level of discrimination or difficulty in simply being them. We all have stories to tell. We can all relate.

Serving my people has been my vocation and passion for well over ten years, leading to many wonderful collaborative efforts and achievements.

In early 2018, a fellow autist described his dream of an art gallery – one run by, and for, us. Together we decided to start small, beginning with a collaborative exhibition: Infinity. We had over ten entries in one day when the word got out; leading to a full show at the end of the year. Our ethos was, and is, simple: we are artists, creators, and want to be seen as such. We continue to defy the allistic view of us through our creative outlets. Now, we are defining our own destinies. It’s our turn to paint our future.

Mā mātou anō mātou e kōrero e hoa mā!

In this workshop, we will be looking at ‘being’ autistic as an identity and culture. This will include language useage and preferences, cultural norms, and daily struggles to maintain our unique culture.

It will begin with an introduction to the topic as stated above, outlining some of the current trends in autistic advocacy and autistic rights movements, as well as myths, followed by an arts-based activity representing the language and translation difficulties between neurodiverse and neurotypical communities/individuals. We will end the session with a recap and Q&A session, where you can “Ask an Autist”.

Theomin Balcony, H D Skinner Annex.