Growing up with an autistic older brother was a great inspiration for JJ Ortiz.
“I always saw him drawing a lot. He would do maybe 50 to 100 sketches a day on paper,” said the senior at Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh. “That was how he expressed himself. He would tell stories, how he felt. I always thought that was cool.”
Now others share 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-based artist incorporated the organization as a nonprofit last year and serves as president.
The first session took place shortly before the end of the last school year with members of the Best Buddies program at Pine-Richland High School.
Ortiz is an artist himself and gave painting lessons. The participants were asked to create portraits of sunsets based on his example.
“The goal was to see art as a gift,” he said. “Before we started this lesson, I told them how special art is to me and that art should be a gift to give to others.”
With this in mind, each of the students personalized their painting for the selected recipients.
“From my perspective, it was really cool to see JJ give them the framework for his sunset painting and some of them followed suit. But everyone followed it in their own way,” said Anne Dolan, Paul’s vice president of art. “It was so much fun to watch and they all got really excited when they chose someone to give it to. I remember it was really exciting for them to think about.”
Although Dolan admits that she is not particularly artistically gifted, her background includes activities with similar goals to Paul’s art.
Through Move a Mountain Missions — which is affiliated with her church, Divine Mercy Parish in downtown Pittsburgh — she has traveled to Jamaica three times to volunteer for Mustard Seed Communities, an international organization that cares for abandoned or distressed children.
“I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about other people and how they communicate in different ways,” said Dolan, who lives in Fox Chapel. “And it was really a joy to bring that knowledge to help JJ with everything.”
Her grandfather, James Dolan, is chairman of the board of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Association. Annual racing activities benefit the Autism Society of Pittsburgh and the Merakey Allegheny Valley School in Robinson, another organization that serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
As for Paul’s art, Ortiz and Dolan plan to return to Pine-Richland if requested. They hope to bring the program to nearby school districts — like Hampton Township, where Aquinas Academy is located — and organizations that pursue related causes.
For example, another Move a Mountain Missions initiative, Brother Andre’s Café, provides paid employment to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, serves gourmet coffee and cookies, while providing a space for community spirit and Christian fellowship.
“I had the great privilege of witnessing this process,” Dolan said.
She was a classmate of Ortiz’s at Aquinas Academy and was intrigued when he told her what he wanted to accomplish with Paul’s Art.
“He asked if I would be willing to help out, and I said, ‘Absolutely,'” she recalls. “I’m happy to help a friend. Always.”
Schools and organizations interested in hosting Paul’s Arts events can email [email protected] or [email protected].
Harry Funk is a news editor at TribLive, serving as editor of the Hampton, North Allegheny, North Hills, Pine Creek and Bethel Park magazines. He has been a professional journalist since 1985 and joined TribLive in 2022. You can contact Harry at [email protected].
