An exhibit is being held at Villa Maria College for a decade-long Autism Services art student. Eighteen-year-old Matt Mansour developed a strong interest in painting at a young age, showing an early gift for color mixing.
Dana Ranke is the director of arts programs at Autism Services and used to be Mansour’s art teacher.
“Matt’s 18 and he’s already been included in many community exhibits through our agency and shown in lots of galleries and venues throughout the community, and he has actually—his art has also been collected by many people. He’s found an audience. So at 18 he’s accomplished a lot already,” Ranke said.
The exhibition, titled “Rainforest,” is Mansour’s first solo exhibit.
“His current body of work is kind of in keeping with what he’s always enjoyed doing most. He’s always been open as a student to try new things, and comfortable with any project that we offer, but he’ll always come back to painting on canvas,” Ranke said. “He’s very enthusiastic and you can see that when he’s working. He has a real connection to what he’s doing and he loves taking on the most ambitious painting projects that you can offer.”
The exhibit runs until August 4. It is free and open to the public.
