Little City Hero: John King

Although John King has an intellectual disability, he overcomes daily obstacles to work on what he loves most, his art. John is one of three full-time artists who work out of the Center for the Arts (CFA) studio, located on Little City’s therapeutic Palatine campus.  

In 1982, John moved to Little City when he was 23 years old and has been involved in art ever since the CFA opened over 20 years ago. When he explores the studio in search of materials and inspiration for his work, nothing goes untouched. John has a vast variety of work as he likes to draw, paint and create sculptures. 

John has exhibited his work in renowned galleries across the country next to some of the world’s best artists. His art has been featured at numerous galleries around the Chicago area including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. John enjoys exhibiting his work because it gives him the opportunity to share it with others. 

In his drawings and paintings, he is known for his renditions of happy people making his art instantly recognizable. John is often a reflection of his work; he has a cheerful personality and is always smiling. 

“John is an extraordinary artist and we are lucky to have the opportunity to support his talents. He is a great example of what a hero is; John fights his disability while pushing his own boundaries both as an individual and an artist. He continually surpasses our expectations,” said Little City Executive Director Shawn E. Jeffers. 

He also spends a lot of time in the media lab creating computer-generated images. John uses a collage technique and draws from a large database of stock pictures that he has collected over the years. His media style is similar to the way he creates sculptures; he carefully chooses a selection of found objects and begins assembling them in a layered fashion.  

 John not only creates art in the CFA, but he also works there as a studio assistant where he gets paid for completing various jobs around the studio. John is extremely helpful in this position; he loves to help people and knows where everything is whenever someone asks for an item. 

“John, in his own quiet way, will watch what everyone is doing. He’ll often project your needs and show up with something that you would have asked for before you get a chance to ask for it. He enjoys his role as studio assistant so much that sometimes I think that he would rather be doing these things than creating art,” said Frank Tumino, Center for the Arts Administrator. 

In addition to being an artist, John plays on the basketball team and is a member of the gold medal Special Olympics softball team. He also enjoys swimming and goes to the pool every day before going to the CFA to work.  

Little City’s CFA is an award-winning program dedicated to providing opportunities for artistic expression. This program combines artists both with and without disabilities. Professional artists act as facilitators encouraging artists to expand their reach and skills. 

To buy John King’s artwork, visit: www.littlecityarts.org.  

For information about other Little City Heroes visit www.littlecity.org/hero.