Neurodiversity in the arts celebrated during Saturday event
MOUNT VERNON - Artists and those who appreciate art gathered Saturday for the Celebrating Neurodiversity in the Arts event at the Mount Vernon Library Commons.
Neurodivergent is a term that describes people whose brains process, learn and function differently than what is considered typical. Some common types of neurodivergence include autism, ADHD and dyslexia.
The event was hosted by the grassroots initiative Celebrate Neurodiversity, which was founded by La Conner Library Foundation Director Sarah Rabel in 2025.
"Without getting too political, in January of 2025, I decided that I needed to show up differently for the coming four years than I did previously," Rabel said. "I am a person of faith, so I prayed, and I really sat with, 'What can I do as one person with an amazing partner and family, but what can I do with the skill sets that I have living in a small community and what calls to me, and what can I do?'"
Rabel, who identifies as neurodivergent, founded the initiative to lift up the community, create an inclusive space and promote neurodiversity awareness.
She began with a speaker series but realized a larger event would be ideal. Saturday marked the event's second year.
Four panelists discussed their experiences as neurodivergent artists, using media such as digital art, watercolor and acrylic.
The panelists introduced themselves, showcased their art and explained how neurodivergence connects to their work.
The first to speak was Robyn Burdick, co-owner of Tillinghast Postal and Business Center in La Conner, who began painting in watercolor about a decade ago after the death of one of her grandparents, who had left their watercolor supplies to Burdick.
"It started off incredibly frustrating because it's such a hard-to-control medium," Burdick said. "Basically, through lots of training and YouTube videos and random bouts of hyperfocus, I ended up learning how to kind of embrace that and use that in the art, instead of trying to fight against it. And it's kind of forced me to let go of having to control everything, and it helps me tolerate imperfection."
Following Burdick's presentation, retired librarian Bob Richart spoke, sharing that his work primarily consists of wildlife paintings.
"I spent most of my life trying to hide or ignore what was going on inside my head, and art has been a way to appreciate and celebrate and explore who I am and what's happening inside," Richart said.
Richart was followed by Lana Wagner, who earned an associate degree from Bellevue College via the Neurodiversity Navigators Program and creates character-based art.
"Narrative, and using art to create and visualize it, has helped ground a lot of the bigger feelings in that way, like it's visual proof that I'm feeling an emotion," Wagner said. "It does exist, and it has a reason for existing, but it's not the end of the world. It is just a contained moment in time that can be overcome or interpreted."
Wagner was followed by Addison Hood, a 26-year-old with a lifelong love of creativity, who gave their introduction in a video in which they painted a colorful pair of roller skates.
"Art has been more than just a skill or a hobby to me; it's been a lifeline," Hood said. "It helps me to navigate the complexities of my neurodivergence, to express emotions that are really hard to put into words, and to celebrate the joy that I can find in everyday moments."
At the end of the event, Rabel spoke about how she would like Celebrate Neurodiversity to expand.
"I'm just me," Rabel said. "I'm not an entity; I'm not a nonprofit. But I would like to grow this into something that can have a little bit of funding and more of an official capacity, and then see where we can go from there."
For more information about Celebrate Neurodiversity, visit celebrateneurodiversity.net.
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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 5:56 PM.