For Immediate Release

Local Artist Uses Talent to Help People

Living with Disabilities

Artist Matt Sesow to Headline in Charity Art Auction, ARTview 2004

Washington, DC- At the age of eight, the propeller of a landing airplane struck Matt Sesow, severing his lower right arm, as he played in an airfield with his friends. Living his life as an amputee has not stopped Sesow from pursuing his dream as an artist. Today, thirty-seven year old Sesow is quickly gaining acclaim in galleries in New York and Washington, DC. Sesow, who lives in the Adams Morgan, will be one of the 50 talented artists donating his works to benefit adults and children living with disabilities.

St. John’s Community Services will hold its third annual art auction fundraiser, ARTview 2004, on Saturday, October 23, 2004 at the Carnegie Institution located at 1530 P Street NW from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. ARTview 2004 benefits adults and children living with disabilities. The admission fee is $75. Guest will have the opportunity to bid on art from local artists with and without disabilities, self-taught and trained, from the outsider art arena.

“I was just painting for fun. I didn’t think my paintings were good enough to have anyone actually buy them,” Sesow says referring to first time he began to paint. Sesow stumbled into his art career while visiting a friend who shared a house with some artists. One day they brought out some art supplies and he started to paint and couldn’t stop. Sesow sold his car and purchased an apartment with his IBM stocks to devote more time to his art. His complete devotion to his new-found career is as deep and as board as the topics he presents in his paintings.

Politics, religion, love and even gentrification are all topics that Sesow uses for motivation. Sesow says,”I pretty much use anything for an idea.” Sesow’s 31 Days in July, is a project that was conceived from the front page photos of the Washington Post during the month of July 2004.

Sesow’s art depicts images of people and things that have happened in his life. Some of his images have people with missing limbs and people pointing at someone with a disability. Sesow believes that painting has helped him overcome his disability.

For Sesow money does not determine the overall worth or success of a painting. He uses the shocked and mesmerized demeanors of his fans and critics to equate accomplishment. “If I get an emotional reaction, then I’ve been successful.” Sesow markets his art from his modest studio apartment, art fairs, and his website www.sesow.com.

St. John’s Community Services, a non-sectarian agency, has supported Washington area communities for over 136 years. St. John’s provides community-based services to children and adults living with developmental disabilities. Through these services, individuals with disabilities are able to develop life skills and build relationships with their non-disabled peers to become integral members of their communities. Services include Special Education for students ages 5-22 in the District of Columbia and Community Living, Supported Employment and Community Participation Services for adults.

For more information on ARTview 2004, contact Sandra Bishop at 202-274-3405 or visit www.sjcs.org/artview.htm.