| 4/10/2009 10:28:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| SPECIAL AWARD — A pastel titled “The Secret Room” by Rosella Ballerini of Whitewater won first place in the VSA arts of Wisconsin competition. VSA arts of Wisconsin is affiliated with VSA arts, an international, nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society in which all people with disabilities learn through, participate in and enjoy the arts. VSA is an acronym for Very Special Arts. Ballerini is shown above with her winning artwork. — Daily Union photo by Chris Welch. |
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Very special Whitewater artist wins first place in state exhibit
By Chris Welch
Union staff writer
WHITEWATER - Whitewater's Rosella Ballerini is a very special artist. Literally.
Her pastel artwork, "The Secret Room," recently won first place in The VSA arts of Wisconsin in Madison.
VSA arts of Wisconsin is affiliated with VSA arts, an international, nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society in which all people with disabilities learn through, participate in and enjoy the arts.
VSA is an acronym for Very Special Arts. It also stands for Vision (of an inclusive community), Strength (through shared resources) and Access (through artistic expression).
The mission of VSA arts of Wisconsin is to expand the capabilities, confidence and quality of life for children and adults with disabilities by providing programs in dance, drama, creative writing, music and visual art.
Ballerini's pastel painting, "The Secret Room," was one of five winners in the adult category for VSA arts Wisconsin. The award was presented during a Madison ceremony on March 21.
"My art is hard to explain; it is scattered, just like my brain," Ballerini jested. "I do not have one specific area. I do painting, India ink, a whole bunch of things. And when I see something, I just use it as a canvas. Sometimes things end up on paper and sometimes they do not.
"People are my inspiration, and so is my faith," she noted. "That is what keeps me going. As I have gotten older, I have not painted as much. But when I do, it is actually better. The work is more centered. I don't do as many now, but the ones I do are more thought-out."
Ballerini started painting when she was 11 years old.
"My father bought me my first paint box, and they sort of freaked out when they saw what I could do, but I had no idea if it was good or not," she recalled.
She still has that first painting, a horse-drawn carriage in a very Impressionistic style.
Ballerini earned a scholarship to an art institute, but then her disability prevented her from attending at that point in her life.
"I had a lot of emotional and mental issues, like most artists do," she mused.
Her life had a number of peaks and valleys, which prevented her from painting on a set schedule. "There were months and years when I could not paint," she said. "Then I get bursts of energy when everything just happens. It has been about 10 years, and I just recently started up again."
Ballerini submitted four pieces to the VSA competition, and one was selected for the award.
"I really did not think it was that great," she mused. "But I needed to send in four pieces, and I just added that one to meet that limit. And then it won."
The manner in which she found out she won the award is an equally bemusing.
"I did not hear from them for a long time, so I just called them up and asked how to get my work back," Ballerini recalled. "And they said, 'We haven't been able to reach you, but you won.' So now I will be on their website.
"I am proud to be part of this, because I don't think most people realize what it is like to have a mental illness," she said. "But this is part of my work.
"I think people need to hear about it and get it out in the open," she continued. "People need to know that everyone with a mental illness is not a serial killer. We are actually nice, good human beings. Some of us need medication, and some of us don't. Some do well and others don't. But that is true for everything. I think the media and television industry has really misled people about things like bi-polar disorder or depression."
For Ballerini, it is important to make people aware that bi-polar or depression disorders are neurological in nature and not, as she said, "a copout."
"We still, in America, refuse to talk about mental illnesses," she said. "It is not a death sentence. If people don't accept you, that is OK, because life will go on without them."
"My illness has been chronic, and it runs in my family," she added. "I have chosen to deal with it on my own, and through my faith. God has been strong in my life. As I get older, I see that everyone struggles with something. It's not what you get, it is what you make of it. Many people are afraid when they get a diagnosis, but you work with it and get help for it. And if you're an artist, you just paint a lot."
Ballerini said she first heard about VSA when she was donating her paintings to a local domestic violence organization.
"The director there got me hooked up with VSA," she recalled.
Little did she think she someday would win recognition, though. The award has been a bit of a perspective-changer for Ballerini.
"I have learned that my work is worth something," she said. "I think Very Special Arts taught me that. I have had my work appraised at very high prices. But I don't see that value; what matters to me is what people feel when they see my work. I am just now starting to realize I might be able to make a living off my work if I would stop denying my work is worth money."
Ballerini said she is planning to exhibit in a lot of shows next year.
"And I hope my artwork inspires other people, and that I get to know them on a personal basis," she said. "I hope they give me some feedback, because I am not scared about that anymore.
"I used to be afraid of people discovering who I am, but I am working through that," she added. "I also hope my artwork can serve as a legacy for my children."
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