Today we’d like to introduce you to Ally Manno.
Hi Ally, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am an autistic woman who has been getting support from the Chattanooga Autism Center in the past.
It was through them and the adult transition program I was in that I got a teaching gig at the Hunter Art Museum. I teach abstract painting techniques for adults and teens on the autism spectrum, but they are open to everyone.
I also discovered the Hart Gallery via an overheard conversation from one of my students, and I sell and make a lot of art at that Gallery as well.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. I suffer from mental illnesses that have been debilitating at several points in my life. I have been hospitalized at least ten times because of suicidal ideation and general psychotic breaks.
My general processing also takes longer due to my autism and it’s been hard to deal with as well. I am seeking disability income as we speak.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an abstract painter who mostly specializes in acrylics, but I have been dabbling with watercolors and mixed media experimentation during the Hart Gallery’s open studio days.
I am most known in my community for teaching sensory-friendly art classes for neurodivergent adults and teens. What I am most proud of as far as that is concerned is my ability to teach. I never thought I would have been able to do it, but I guess I’m good at being a leader when under the right circumstances.
What sets me apart from others other than being autistic is also being a classically trained singer and a hobbyist writer. I mostly write fanfiction, but I also sometimes write poems or creative nonfiction too.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Risk is necessary for growth. I am one who admittedly seeks comfort over any perceived danger, as most people are, even if they don’t admit it. I guess the biggest risk I’ve taken so far is living so far away from my parents.
They live up in Virginia while I moved down here to go to school at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I went there for their adult autism support program called Mosaic.
I have to thank my parents and my grandma for introducing me to the program because they have given me a lot of support over the years. Risk is necessary to grow as I said, but you don’t always have to take risks alone.
Contact Info:
- Email: allymariemanno@gmail.com
