By Cindy Adams

When Darius arrived at enCircle's Lynchburg Minnick School earlier this year, he was guarded. Quiet. Withdrawn. The staff who work hard to know their students just couldn't get a good sense of him as a person. Art changed that.

"At first, Darius barely let you see him, but art tends to help people relate on a friendly, creative basis," explained Tammy Case, Lynchburg Minnick's Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher. "It's a great equalizer when you are all in a flow of self-expression."

One thing they learned about Darius is that he is meticulous. When he chooses shapes, it's intentional. When he chooses colors, it's to reflect exactly what he wants to say. He is very focused.

"See this gold ink," Darius said pointing at his artwork. "I chose that color to make the piece look like an ancient artifact."

Art opened the door. The more Darius created, the more of himself he revealed. What emerged was a young man who was thoughtful, precise, deeply feeling.

He pointed to one section of his art piece that didn't go exactly as he wanted. He meant to make the line straighter, but the ink bled just outside the line.

"This part was a little bit of a mistake but, other than that, it’s not bad" he said. "I appreciate that I made it. I'm glad that I made it. I’m just happy for myself."

The art room at Lynchburg Minnick School is a gallery celebrating a variety of artistic styles, techniques and perspectives. It's filled with imagination, including drawings, watercolors, sculptures, mosaics, paper mache and, maybe most importantly, artist statements.

"Creating is good for the heart," Darius said.

Those words carry real weight. EnCircle's Minnick Schools are designed for students who learn differently to build confidence, grow at their own pace and get the individualized support they need.

"In this art room, they find their voice and explore who they are as an artist," Tammy said. "I could pick any of the students. I could pick Darius, Ja'Nyra, Dwayne, Jordan. I could pick Nick, Landon, Dy'Tavion. This work has just brought out something in each of them. They are all artists."

At first reserved, Darius now enjoys talking about his work, even the challenges of it. On his paper mache piece, he pointed to a part that was difficult to attach and explained the steps he took to make it happen. On his drip sculpture, he described the shape it took on and how he had to just lean into that.

"It makes me feel good inside. It makes me feel warmth, peace, happiness—all that."

ARTIST'S STATEMENT: When people see my art, I want them to be happy, and I want them to feel good on the inside. I want them to say, 'Who made this?' and I want them to enjoy what they see.  Darius