February 5 – March 7, 2019

The Department of Art & Art History in the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University presented the exhibition Paint Your Story by Debra L. Dieppa in the Biggin Gallery. This exhibition was made in collaboration with DisArt. 

The exhibitions director of DisArt, Elizabeth VanArragon, gave a lecture about DisArt – “Disability Arts and Culture Inside the Gallery” at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art in Auburn. 

About the Artist

Though originally from Wisconsin, Debra settled in West Michigan at an early age. Her first exposure to art came in 1999, when she was introduced to Heartside Gallery, a community art studio located in downtown Grand Rapids. Since, Debra has blossomed as an artist and is entirely self-taught. Over the years she has participated in numerous art shows and has been selected for juried art competitions for the past six years. Art has become a powerful form a therapy for Debra, and a beautiful way to process through some of the difficult experiences of her life. Debra is drawn to working with acrylics and oil pastels, and she primarily finds inspiration from her own feelings and emotions. Sometimes her art reflects a deep, inner place, and sometimes she focuses on subject matter that is more idealist and hopeful. Either way, her artwork comes from her soul. Debra looks forward to continuing to explore her artistic style with new art forms, and one day she dreams of attending an art school.