This video tells the story of Richard Wawro, an artist from Scotland who was diagnosed with autism from a very young age. Despite severely limited vision, Wawro was deeply invested in his drawings and was supported by Dr. Becker, the producer of the film and an expert on the condition.
The piece includes interviews of influential people in Richard’s life, such as his family, caregivers, friends, and teachers – including the first person to encourage him to draw. It also explores Wawro’s use of drawing as coping mechanism, a means of self-fulfillment, and an occupation and highlights the discrepancy between Wawro’s artistic ability and level of intelligence as indicated by his IQ. It calls into question the ways that intelligence is measured and forces us to examine that perhaps there are multiple types of intelligence, some of which are not measurable or easily standardized. Wawro completes several pieces during the film, giving viewers the opportunity to witness his process from start to finish and draw their own conclusions about Wawro’s level of intelligence and talent.
This video was formerly included in the Expressive Media Arts Therapies Films Collection distributed by Expressive Media Inc.
