Our inaugural art auction
Christi Nichols joined the team in early 2022 as OSG’s first Fundraising Coordinator, a hard role to fill and one that we truly needed. Thanks to Christi’s energy and creativity, she spearheaded the launch of our inaugural silent Art Auction, which featured 40 original pieces by four extremely talented artists: Amrit Khurana, Seanna Gallagher, Laura Messenger, and Zafar N. Chaudhry.
Featured Event
Christi Nichols joined the team in early 2022 as OSG’s first Fundraising Coordinator, a hard role to fill and one that we truly needed. Thanks to Christi’s energy and creativity, she spearheaded the launch of our inaugural silent Art Auction, which featured 40 original pieces created by neurodiverse artists and other OSG families.
“Art in all its forms has been a large part of my neurodiverse sons’ education,” Christi says. “I have learned that ‘Art’ provides an outlet for communication of thoughts, feelings and vision of the world when spoken language may not be available to do so. Art allows not only neurotypical persons to express themselves, but most importantly gives those with expressive language issues the ability to have a concrete dialogue with others when it has not been possible before.”
This highly personable inspiration led to the birth of Per L’Amore Dell’Arte/For the Love of Art held June 5th.
Four talented artists, Amrit Khurana, Seanna Gallagher, Laura Messenger, and Zafar N. Chaudhry all contributed their original works to the auction, but there’s one artist in particular we’d like to acknowledge, and that’s Amrit. Her impressive body of work was shipped from India and both she and her work are featured in the award-winning documentary, The Reason I Jump, previously shown at the 2020 Sundance Festival. You can read more about all the artists below.
Please listen to Amrit’s message to the OSG community, it’s beautiful:
Amrit Khurana’s message to OSG from Our Stomping Ground on Vimeo.
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The $20k we raised will help benefit the artists and their families as well as OSG’s mission to build inclusive communities.
In addition to thanking our supporters, we’d like to extend a special shout out to the very talented and award-winning Chef Danilo Orofino, who provided delicious Italian delicacies and refreshments; Ellis Hamilton a self-taught musician, composer, performer, and Berklee College of Music graduate who provided beautiful entertainment throughout the afternoon; all the OSG volunteers who helped set-up and breakdown the event; and of course, our Fundraising Coordinator Christi.
“I was honored that OSG was as eager as I was to introduce our extended communities to the beauty and the inspiration that art can give us all,” began Christi. “I’m eager to continue using Art and all other art mediums in our future fundraising efforts. We’re poised to not only support OSG with our community programs but also our artists in providing financial stability for their futures.”
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If you’d like to further support Our Stomping Ground, please donate here. We also have a few remaining pieces available, which you can view here. Please contact Christi directly if you’re interested in purchasing one of these beautiful pieces: christin@ourstompingground.org.
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Read about the artisits:
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Amrit Khurana
Amrit is a 26-year-old non-verbal artist on the autism spectrum who lives in Noidai, India. At a young age, she demonstrated an incredible connection with colors, patterns and rhythms and today speaks through her paintings with unbridled clarity. Her inspiration comes from common people – the day-to-day affairs of men and women who pass by, never sparing a thought for others. Through her paintings, everyday people are transformed into strong, vibrant personas.
Amrit’s sense of composition along with her use of a distinct color palette touches the soul and transcends what we think we see into a world of sublime fantasy. Step into her world and see it with her eyes.
You can discover more about Amrit at:
Seana Gallagher
Seana is a local artist and perpetual art student. She has taken classes at the Art League School since 1989 and maintains a studio in her home in Alexandria, VA. She has participated in local art shows and art fairs including Art on the Avenue, in the Del Ray section of Alexandria. Seana’s artwork was featured in Elan magazine and she has a permanent exhibition of aviation-related paintings at the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center.
Seana’s connection to Our Stomping Ground is through her daughter, Erin, an active OSG member who is looking forward to moving into our Waypoint community this summer. Seana is graciously donating several paintings and art lessons to help raise funds for our non-profit.
You can discover more about Seana at:
Seana1011@mac.com
Laura Messenger
Laura is a self-proclaimed “glass nerd” who loves working in fused and stained glass. Her daughter, Christina, is an active member of OSG. Like Erin, Christina is also looking forward to moving into our Waypoint community this summer.
Zafar N. Chaudhry
Zafar is a 32-year-old autistic man who graduated from George Mason University with a degree in Communications. Zafar uses his love of photography, painting and writing to communicate how he views the world. Among his many achievements, Zafar (under the pen name Zephyr), wrote a children’s book called, Who Makes the Rules? Types of Government, but it’s photography where he’s most comfortable, focusing his lens on moments in time, each with their own narrative. Many of Zafar’s works are on display in businesses around the Washington D.C. area.