Talented autistic artist’s future hangs in the air
by Kofi Ayim
Amoako Buachie was born autistic in Brooklyn to Ghanaian parents some 23 years ago. A self-taught talented artist, Amoako Buachie graduated from a special program at Public School 370 in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. His first major work, a watercolor painting called My friend Andre in honor of his close friend, won the NYC Department of Education Art Competition in 2010 and made it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Lincoln Center. So was his other work Day Dreamer Boy a year later. In the same year his painting Where the Wild Things Are went on display at the Lincoln Center through the Rush Arts Gallery.
Two years ago, Amoako gained the attention of the McCarton Foundation and had his works displayed at the Port Authority Terminal at New York City. In 2013, he was nominated for the Genius of Autism Award. In January this year, Amoako Buachie received the VSA (Very Special Arts – the international organization on arts and disability) Emerging Young Artist award in Washington D.C. with his acrylic on canvas painting of The Quiet Painters Peace.
Besides Amoako’s extraordinary talent in art work, he has photographic memory of dates and events. He has been featured in the New York Daily News, WABC-TV and a host of other media outlets.
If there is one thing the talented artist cannot tolerate, it’s excessive noise. He attempts to stem noise pollution with ear plugs.
It seems, however, that Buachie’s dreams of working as an artist for a big company has stalled with completion of the special school program at Brighton Beach. He cannot pursue a college degree because he has no High School Diploma, nor can he find any gainful employment. “That frustrates me” laments Akosua Mainu, Amoako Buachie’s mother. She hopes a guardian angel manager/agent would emerge in the life of her son to groom him into mainstream America where he could be productive to society.
To help Amoako Buachie please contact Akosua Mainu 718 434-0341 or Janet Lovell @ 718-258-1944
For more of the artist works visit http://www.artistamoako.com/gallery.html