When Lorenzo DiAndrea awakens in the morning, he makes his bed, dresses, has breakfast, and goes to the Saori loom sitting in his bedroom. While this might seem to be an unremarkable beginning to a new day, it’s the life force for Lorenzo. He is an artist. A Saori weaver and a printmaker. He also experiences intellectual, developmental and medical challenges, including autism with limited language. He expresses his thoughts and feelings through his art.
Lorenzo, now 26, began weaving on a small loom in his first grade classroom. He liked the movement of bringing yarn through an object. He also found that this activity, shared by others, allowed him to connect with his peers. Loop of the Loom, then located in New Jersey, became a welcoming place for him under the creative direction of owner, Yukako Satone. He continued his weaving practice through middle school and beyond, ultimately presenting and selling his work and becoming quite well known and admired in his community.
He and his mother, Michelle Marigliano, a developmental psychologist, warp his Saori loom together, but Lorenzo’s choice of yarns and weaving techniques are his own. Currently, he is using “pink and white and red” and has put aside the shuttle, preferring to just lay in the yarns. “The result is some interesting textures that please him,” Michelle says. “Lorenzo is intuitive about color theory” she adds. “He looks at videos related to color selection, analyzes logos, and carefully observes his surroundings.”
Now garnering national recognition for his talents far beyond his community, Lorenzo received the 2019 New Jersey Governor’s Award in Arts Education. That same year he was honored by Very Special Arts (VSA), the Kennedy Center's international organization on arts and disability, as one of 15 noteworthy emerging young artists in the United States. The artist's work was part of a national tour.
When asked how he wanted viewers to feel after seeing his work Lorenzo said, “feel better.” And, indeed, when you see the color selection, the patterns and textures, and the joy of expression evident in his weavings, you can’t help but feel better. You can follow Lorenzo's work through the links below:
