Otto van de Wijgaart: pop culture artist Port Stephens Port Stephens by News Of The Area - Modern Media - January 2, 2025 Otto with Port Stephens Mayor Leah Anderson in Raymond Terrace. FINDING a path after school can be tricky, especially when you have additional needs, but Otto van de Wijgaart is taking charge of his future by following his passion. The Newcastle-based pop culture artist lives with autism and intellectual delay, but this has not prevented him from becoming Uniting’s 2024/25 Abstract Abilities Art Ambassador. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au Last month, Otto met Port Stephens Mayor Leah Anderson and the team from Uniting in front of his newly revealed mural outside Best and Less in Raymond Terrace. He has created a montage of personalities and characters vying for attention – the art of the front row – all coming together like a VIP “Guess Who”. Otto has gifted the use of his artwork for postal envelopes to support “Avenue: A workplace for all” and its charity model “DISKOFLIKS”. This is a community-driven video store, which works with Lifeline Op Shops to resell movie, music and gaming discs, creating meaningful work for people with disabilities. It also generates income to support Lifeline’s work in suicide prevention. Otto’s mum, Bernadette, is clearly proud of his contribution: “the murals… look spectacular”. “Otto also has a collection of prints in the Mitch Revs Gallery as part of the ‘Makers and Creators’ team, and he has a studio space at The VIBE Carrington, where Grant Walmsley (Screaming Jets founding member/guitarist) is his mentor in the Arts.” For more information on Otto’s work visit sites.google.com/view/ottodraws/meet-the-artist. By Simon EKINS ‘Calming Ocean Movies’. ‘Chaos Ocean Movies’. ‘Film Legends’.
