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Saint Mary’s University senior Holly Schuh (pronounced ‘shoe’) received the Smithsonian Award of Excellence and $2,000 for her acrylic on canvas, “Pause,” in an exhibit on display at the Smithsonian’s Ripley Center.
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Schuh’s piece is a part of “Driven,” an exhibition that highlights the works of emerging artists with disabilities. Out of 204 applicants, 15 finalists were chosen, and their works will be featured in the display until Dec. 31.
Schuh’s technique of detailed art was changed from a process of minute details “to bold brush strokes, and a complex color palette gave way to a simplified use of three colors” due to Schuh’s diagnosis with hereditary neuropathy with pressure-point palsies (HNPP).
This rare, slowly progressive, hereditary neuromuscular disorder makes an individual very susceptible to nerve injury from pressure, stretch, or repetitive use. Schuh said she was diagnosed with HNPP her freshman year of college, and absolutely everything changed.
Shocked and frustrated, Schuh wasn’t able to work for a year and a half until the initial stage of the disorder subsided a bit. According to Schuh, the disease is supposed to go in “swells” or “ups and downs.”
“I thought, ‘How unfortunate that I, a person who plays piano, plays sports, paints, draws, had a job as a digital artist, could barely brush my teeth,’” Schuh said. “But later, after time passed, I realized that I have a great deal to be thankful for and that I can now stop living for myself all of the time. Instead I try to put the energy and strength that I do have into living for other people.”
Plans have changed for Schuh, and her once double major of studio art and music gave way to studies in biology and chemistry. Preparing for graduate school are Schuh’s new plans, as she feels called to study in public health with a focus on global health.
Throughout this experience, Schuh’s artwork has been and continues to be inspired by “God and by human emotions and struggles … acts of kindness … acts of complete selflessness …[and] love.”
The winning painting, “Pause,” was actually a reflection of Schuh’s own actions and what she believes this world needs to do.
“There are times when we are so wrapped up in our worlds that we forget about other people; we forget about the simple needs that aren’t being fulfilled for many people in this world,” Schuh said. The painting represents that moment when people do think about others, focusing on something other than themselves, she said.
“In that tiny pause,” Schuh said, “we can wash away ignorance, apathy, and hopelessness.”
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