Aquinas Academy students promote expressiveness through Paul’s Art

Growing up with an older brother who is autistic proved to be a major inspiration for J.J. Ortiz.

“I always saw him doing a lot of drawings. He’d do maybe 50 to 100 sketches a day on pieces of paper,” the Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh senior said. “That’s kind of how he expressed himself. He’d tell stories, how he felt. That always was cool to me.”

Now, others are sharing in the coolness.

Ortiz founded Paul’s Art, named after his brother, with the mission of promoting self-expression for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The O’Hara resident incorporated the organization as a nonprofit last year and serves as president.

The initial session took place with members of the Pine-Richland High School Best Buddies program shortly before the end of last school year.

As an artist in his own right, Ortiz provided instruction about painting and assigned participants to follow his lead in creating portraits of sunsets.

“The whole goal was about seeing art as a gift,” he said. “So before we started this lesson, I told them all about how art is special to me and how art should be a gift that you can give to others.”

With that in mind, each of the students personalized their paintings for designated recipients.

“From my perspective, it was really cool to see that J.J. gave them the framework for what he’d done to paint his sunset, and some of them followed it. But they all followed it in their own way,” Anne Dolan, Paul’s Art vice president, said. “It was so fun to watch, and they were all really excited to pick someone to give it to. I remember that was really exciting for them to think about.”

Although Dolan admits to not being especially artistically inclined, her background includes activities with purposes similar to that of Paul’s Art.

Through Move a Mountain Missions — affiliated with her church, Divine Mercy Parish in Downtown Pittsburgh — she resident has taken three trips to Jamaica to volunteer for Mustard Seed Communities, an international organization that provides for children who have been abandoned or live in deep deprivation.

“I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve learned a lot about other people and how they communicate in different ways,” Dolan, who lives in Fox Chapel, said. “And it’s been really a joy to bring that knowledge with me to help J.J. through everything.”

Closer to home, her grandfather James Dolan is chairman of the board of directors for the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Association. Each year’s race activities benefit the Autism Society of Pittsburgh and Merakey Allegheny Valley School in Robinson, another organization that provides for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

As for Paul’s Art, Ortiz and Dolan plan to return by request to Pine-Richland. They hope to take the program to nearby school districts — such as Hampton Township, where Aquinas Academy is located — and organizations that serve applicable causes.

For example, another Move a Mountain Missions initiative, Brother Andre’s Café, provides gainful employment for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, serving gourmet coffee and cookies while provides a space for community and Christian fellowship.

“That is one thing that I’ve been really privileged to witness as it has grown,” Dolan said.

An Aquinas Academy classmate of Ortiz, she was intrigued when he told her about what he hopes to accomplish with Paul’s Art.

“He asked if I’d be willing to help out, and I said, ‘Absolutely,’” she recalled. “I’m happy to help a friend. Always.”

Schools and organizations interested in hosting Paul’s Arts events can email johnortiz@paulsart.org or annedolan@paulsart.org.