Artist Spotlight: Vito Bonanno

You just never know when a blog post idea is going to hit you! As I was driving down Whitney Avenue toward Hamden, there was a colorful, happy looking truck headed the opposite direction that caught my eye.

Photo via vitobonanno.com

As I was driving, the name "Vito's Mobile Art Mart" had me intrigued. I wondered what exactly is a Mobile Art Mart? In my head, it was a mix of the Big Green Truck and The Clay Date. Curiosity had me to the point that I did a Google search on the name and found that this was a truck for local artist Vito Bonanno's mobile art gallery. You can learn quite a bit about Vito on his portfolio website. From his biography, I learned that he was diagnosed with PDD/Autism at a young age and uses art as a form of release from his disability.

Despite his every day challenges, Vito's work has been exhibited in places such as Eastern CT State University, an I-95 art project, and the Jacob Javits Center in NYC. His artwork generally consists of mixed media. However, my favorite piece is a compilation of still photos and video, seen below, entitled "Cellphone Memories". I know we all have photos and videos on our phones, but Vito took some of his "obsessions", threw in a catchy little tune and turned it into something pretty awesome. You'll see plenty of nods to New Haven, too. ;)

I have yet to meet Vito Bonanno, but I'd love to see his artwork featured around New Haven. I was intrigued by his truck and awestruck by his story. Wishing Vito the best of luck in his artwork and beyond!