The Colorful World Created at Abilis

Need to add some color to your world?

If you talk to the Greenwich YMCA’s CEO Edward Philipp he can commiserate. Well, he could until Wednesday evening.

The growing partnership between the Y and Abilis, Greenwich’s nonprofit agency that supports people with developmental disabilities, took a step forward with the unveiling of a colorful, creative art show that now brightens the white hallways of the YMCA facility at the corner of East Putnam Avenue and Mason Street.

The show highlights “the natural ability of our clients to capture the movement and color” of their subjects and imagination, explained Lolly Ross, Abilis’ executive director. “We have some really talented people.”

The partnership between the two nonprofit agencies dates back for years, Philipp said. Abilis clients who live in local group homes are able to use Y facilities free of charge, and their work group meets daily at the Y.

“We have a lot of white walls and they have some great art. We have 12,000 people who come through these doors every month. I don’t know of any other place in town where you can get that kind of exposure,” Philipp said. Philipp said he hopes that there will be a revolving art display that is updated periodically as Abilis clients create their art.

• A tour of the art show opening can be found in this Greenwich Patch Facebook photo gallery.

Susie Figgie explained she created her painting of brightly-hued hearts “for my brother for his wedding gift. I wanted a really special wedding gift for Harry and Danielle. They got married May 3 … I made it for them because I want them to be happy in their lives.”

The goal of the partnership is to create more community exposure to the Abilis artists’ creativity and work which is for sale. Various sizes of the artwork are available and a complete compendium of the work is available in a 2015 calendar planner ($20) that was designed by Abilis marketing coordinator Keelin Daly, who also frames the paintings.

Daly explained that there are plans to create a corporate artwork program in which the art can be recreated on a large scale to decorate corporate offices and board rooms. And any painting can be recreated to a scale to accommodate the purchaser’s needs, Daly said.

The original framed works are reasonably priced — $25 to $200, with 60 percent of the sale paid to the artist and 40 percent rolled back to Abilis to buy art supplies. The artwork also is reprinted as notecards, prints and magnets.

All of the work can be purchased through Abilis Gifts, the gift shop tucked behind the greenhouses of Abilis headquarters at 50 Glenville St., or at www.abilus.us. The gift shop, which also features soaps, jewelry and home accessories made by Abilis clients, is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Photo: Susie Figgie of Greenwich with one of her paintings.Credit: Barbara Heins.

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