Make-A-Wish Art Exhibition
by Amy Modesti
Since 1987, Make-A-Wish Northeast New York has granted more than 2,000 wishes to children fighting illnesses throughout the local area. These wishes aim to bring hope and joy to the child, their family and those involved in its fulfillment.
Saturday, May 7, the first of its kind Make-A-Wish art exhibition was fulfilled at The Arts Center of the Capital Region for 11-year-old Troy resident Esme Savoie. Savoie, a storyteller, fights intractable epilepsy and other health challenges that inhibit her ability to speak, walk and eat. Using only an eye gaze as a means of communication, it took several years for Savoie to communicate what she wanted for her wish.
“When we started Esme’s wish journey, her communication with her talker was still very limited, and it was incredibly important that Esme be given the time and opportunity to articulate her wish,” said Wish Mom Hillary Savoie. She continued, “When she wished for an ‘Esme Museum,’ it was the first time Ez used communication to share a creative vision of how she wanted something to be, and from there, with the support of her communication team, her creativity exploded.”
From May 7 through June 4, visitors stepped into the creative mind of Esme Savoie in her exhibit, “Esme’s Stories: A Magical Journey.” Upon entering, visitors viewed photos of Esme with her family on three light green computer screens on blue podiums next to the biography QR code didactic. Using a smart phone or portable device, one could scan the QR code and pull up a YouTube video to listen to Esme’s biography. The three remaining QR codes for the remaining stories, “Magical Ninja Pirate Story,” “Surfing Story” and “Magical Dogs Story,” were found inside “Esme’s Stories” itself.
“Esme’s wish is wholly unique, yet representative of all Make-A-Wish wishes. We’ve never done a wish for a museum exhibit. It’s one of a kind, yet all wishes are founded in a child’s imagination, and imagination takes center stage in Esme’s wish. Esme writes using an eye gaze and she writes these stories that are part autobiographical and part fantasy. They go off in these wild tangents and it took several years for Esme to be able to communicate what she wanted for a wish” said Mark McGuire, director of marketing and communications of Make-A-Wish Northeast New York, to The Eastwick Press.
Walking through “Esme’s Stories,” one can view a tricycle with a mustache, a magical ninja pirate sailing a pirate ship in the sea, a giant surfboard, a giant shark eating a peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich, a castle on a cliff and three sled dogs mechanically moving up and down next to a sled. Each segment one viewed told a magical tale of Esme meeting a pirate, her experience surfing on a surfboard while on vacation and being pulled on a sleigh by sled dogs while on vacation at Lake Placid. Upon exiting “Esme’s Stories,” one can view a beautiful array of painted butterflies and birdhouses with birds perched in high shrubbery. At the entrance, the tall ninja pirate greets visitors with a rhyme: “Knock Knock? Ketchup. Ketchup with me and I’ll tell you.”
“Esme’s Stories: A Magical Journey” was whimsical and beautiful. Savoie has the creative vision and drive to tell a tale about her magical, beautiful life with all its unique twists and turns that have viewers and listeners captivated. And it was all done with the assistance of the contributing artists, The Arts Center of the Capital Region and the exhibit sponsors including brother and sister duo, Jocelyn and Chris Arndt, who performed for Savoie while Savoie was receiving medical treatment at Boston Children’s Hospital on opening day and Make-A-Wish Northeast New York.
For more info about Make-A-Wish Northeast New York, visit https://wish.org/neny.
