By Mia Porretto for La Louisiane, The Magazine of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
When Alex Mack approaches a canvas, a conversation begins. As she draws, Alex imagines a dialogue between the characters she inscribes on the canvas. The figures – who Alex calls “my peoples” – never change, but the stories behind them do.
Alex began drawing at age 2. She filled spiral bound notebooks, nursery books, old magazines and journals with her peoples, who represent friends, family members and other individuals Alex knows. For her, art is a form of self-talk, which is often a private way for people with Down syndrome to express themselves.
But Alex isn’t a private person. She shares her figures – and the stories and the love behind them – with everyone she knows.
She creates her artwork to enable others to get to know her on a deeper level, she said. “When people hear my story and see my art, I want them to know who I am,” she said. Alex added that every time she shares her artwork, she hopes that the happiness she feels while creating the pieces is obvious to her audience. “My goal is to spread love and joy,” she said.
Recognizing Alex’s passion and talent, Lisha Mack, her mother, decided to provide Alex with the tools she needed to share her passion. The pair began collaborating to create abstract pieces that gained attention and support from residents in their hometown of Longview, Texas. Lisha Mack first paints acrylic, abstract works. Alex then adds her “my peoples” drawings on top to create one-of-a-kind pieces. With their artwork in high demand, the duo started a business that Alex named “My Peoples Art.”
The daughter and mother sell canvases large and small at local art fairs; others, they donate for charity auctions or to area nonprofits. The art is alluring, but the stories behind the pieces – which Alex can recall simply by looking at paintings and drawings she created even years ago – are an added appeal.
Alex was the first person with Down syndrome from her school district to graduate with a traditional high school diploma. In high school, she was a cheerleader and involved in several campus organizations.
Her extracurricular involvement has continued as a student at UL Lafayette, where she takes classes as part of the UL LIFE, or Learning is For Everyone, Program. It assists young adults with intellectual disabilities in their pursuit of improving academic, social and career development skills.
UL LIFE participants are assigned student mentors. Madeline Reinhardt is one of Alex’s. “I see students turn to our mentors for everything from class help to life advice,” Reinhardt said.
She said Alex has an ability to show unwavering kindness to everyone she meets. “Alex has a heart for others. She can strike up a conversation with anyone and everyone. She lights up every room she walks into.”
Another way Alex lights up rooms? Her artwork. Dr. Caroline Jurisich, UL LIFE director, encouraged her to create a painting that showcased the University’s inclusive and diverse community. The painting now hangs in the Office of the Dean of Students. Another of Alex’s paintings is in the Delta Delta Delta sorority house. Alex joined the sorority’s Phi Nu chapter after enrolling at UL Lafayette. She has been elected to leadership positions each year since.
The painting – titled “Deltas Only” – features “my peoples” drawings inspired by her Tri-Delta sisters and incorporates the sorority’s colors of silver, gold and blue.
“She brings joy and light into the chapter,” said Claire Savoie, a Tri-Delta sister and UL LIFE mentor. “She loves it, and her love for it is contagious for everyone else. She brings a whole new type of love and meaning to things.”
This article first appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of La Louisiane, The Magazine of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Photo credit: Doug Dugas