Embracing Neurodiversity is a collaborative exploration of two very distinct approaches to art-making, as influenced by different neurological diagnoses. Painter Karin Cloutier has ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), and sees her diagnosis reflected in her abstract and spontaneous techniques. Relief printmaker Morgan Tartakoff is Autistic, and understands that as a major influence to her slow, deliberate, and detailed practice. While these diagnoses can manifest in a multitude of ways for different artists, for Cloutier and Tartakoff, the result is a drastic contrast in styles, design, and process.

The artwork in this collection illustrates how, for each artist, their neurodiversity feels in the brain or influences their life. The artists’ unique experiences are expressed in individual works, like each artist’s representation of the brain: Tartakoff’s literal and rigorous carving in Autism: Between the Folds of My Brain versus Cloutier’s interpretive, abstract ADHD: You Figure It Out. Their distinct styles are clear in their collaborative work, too, such as Cloutier’s wires and colorful bubbles winding around Tartakoff’s technical gears and straight lines in The Motion of Thought- a visual manifestation of how the two artists get from thought to thought throughout the day.

As different as Cloutier and Tartakoff’s processes, and brains, are, there are moments of cross-over. A strong sensitivity to issues of justice and fairness are common with both Autism and ADHD, referenced by the artists in pieces like Where Are We Now? and World of Acceptance. In the latter, the artists address inclusion specifically, depicting bees working alongside a variety of bugs, despite their typical behavior of attacking “intruders” to their hives. Another piece, Expectations, speaks to the pressure both artists feel as neurodivergent people and as women in a society that challenges both groups.

Collaboration involving two seemingly opposing approaches had its difficulties. “At first, our differences slowed us down,” says Cloutier, “but over time, we began to influence each other. My work grew more deliberate, while Morgan’s became more abstract. This blending of styles was transformative, reminding us of the value of stepping outside our comfort zones.” Tartakoff adds, “As we embraced our own neurodivergent strengths, combined with perseverance and hard work, collaboration opened the doors of creativity that we would not or could not have opened individually… [This work] points to the vital importance of diverse thinking.

Cloutier and Tartakoff are friends and neighbors and live in Uxbridge, MA..