Two unusual visitors brought gifts for patients at Middlesex Health’s Mayer Center in Essex on Tuesday. Blue Black and Purple Blue, two African penguins from the Mystic Aquarium, dropped by to inspire children with autism to both appreciate and make art.
The pair were here to present a painting made by their friend Green Red, a 25-year-old waddler known for his artistic talent and superior fathering skills. And the kids who come to the Mayer Center for autism therapy couldn't seem to take their eyes off his foot paintings.
“It’s beautiful. Good job. Colorful,” said 7-year-old Mythias, who was liberal with his compliments.
His mother, Marilyn Adorno, said he enjoys painting and especially loves painting birds.
“It's more of an emotional thing,” she said. “He can put it out there with the paint, with the colors. I believe it makes him feel better. Makes him feel good.”
Brian Taber, director of physical rehabilitation at the center, said the penguin art is to give kids joy as they go about their therapy and to also inspire them to make art. Something they’re taught to do there.
“It can be used as a way to give a kid an outlet to calm themselves, but it also can be a way to express themselves," he said. "Or potentially get out a feeling that they have or an emotion that they may have — that might be otherwise challenging for them to verbally say."
Samantha Aresco, supervising behavior analyst at Mayer, said that with summer vacation coming up, caregivers of children living with autism could start them off with some paint in a plastic bag placed by the window or a TV table. Aresco said finger painting is a fun way to stay focused and grounded.
Being grounded is what makes the penguin-made artwork possible. Josh Davis, assistant supervisor of penguins at the Mystic Aquarium, said penguins are trained to show the bottoms of their feet as part of their health care routine.
“We can use that behavior to create penguin foot paintings,” he said. “So while they're showing us the bottoms of their feet, we apply a thin layer of paint that's been deemed safe by our veterinarians. And then we put them down on canvas, and they walk across it to create one-of-a-kind pieces of artwork.”
