Vision-Impaired Evergreen Park Girl Seeks Votes In 'America's Most Artistic Kid' Contest

EVERGREEN PARK, IL—Just 8 years old, Theia Sweeney, of Evergreen Park, already has the soul of an artist. Legally blind, Theia has created tactile paintings and sculptures that can be enjoyed and experienced by others who are visually impaired.

The Evergreen Park second-grader is in the semi-finals for the national “America’s Most Artistic Kid,” a program presented by Bob Ross, the late host of the PBS program “The Joy of Painting,” who believed that everyone was an artist.

Readers can vote up Theia, who as of Tuesday afternoon was in fourth place of the semi-finals. You can vote for free once a day, or, make a donation to Blood Cancer United, where each additional dollar donated equals one vote.

>>> You can help Theia advance to the finals by voting for her at America’s Most Artistic Kid.

Theia was four months old when her mother, Erica, first noticed her daughter’s extreme sensitivity to sunlight.

“She was unable to open her eyes,” Erica said. “I noticed something in my belly, to be honest.”

Soon after Theia turned a year old, she was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma. As it progressed, doctors began finding more things wrong with her eyesight. Theia has since had 21 eye surgeries, including cornea transplants.

“It has been a long journey,” Erica said. “We’re hoping to maintain and preserve her remaining eyesight.”

Recently, Theia’s doctors at University of Illinois Hospital gave the official diagnosis of Singleton Merton Syndrome, an extremely rare disorder that causes many conditions, including abnormal accumulation of pressure of the fluid of the eye (glaucoma) and/or abnormal sensitivity to light (photosensitivity.

Although almost completely blind in her right eye and with low vision in her left eye, Theia continues to joyfully make art. She uses all of her senses when painting, thickening the paint to make it dimensional, with different textures for each part of the painting. Theia also loves sculpture, making bowls with tactile surfaces so they can be experienced through a visually impaired person’s fingertips.

Theia started painting for fun when she was two years old. Both Theia and her big brother, Micah, 12, have been involved in the arts in their mother’s studio.

“I’m an artist, and both of my kids grew up with painting,” Erica told Patch. “More recently, Theia has been saying she wants to be an artist. I saw the [America’s Most Artistic Kid] contest.”

Competitors will have two different avenues to showcase their artwork in the Bob Ross exhibit in Indiana's Minnetrista Museum. One young artist will be voted as America's Most Artistic Kid in the People’s Choice category, taking home $20,000, appearing on a special episode of The Joy of Painting with Nicholas Hankins.

The Joy of Painting's Nicholas Hankins will personally select one additional artist to display their work in the Minnetrista Museum along with the People’s Choice champion.

Theia is hoping to qualify for the finals based on votes at America’s Most Artistic Kid/Theia.

“Theia’s more excited about the chance to have her work displayed in a museum,” Erica said. “If she wins, I plan to put the money in her college fund.”

You can vote for Theia in the semi-finals until 9 p.m. CT Thursday, April 16.