He’s just the right combination of artist, engineer, and big brother to excel at helping individuals of all abilities experience the joy of making a mark and creating art.
Dwayne Szot grew up in a mid-western foster home with a foster brother and sister who had cerebral palsy. Other children and adults with disabilities lived in the home and Szot observed and respected the challenges they faced. He credits that experience with giving him the motivation to create Zot Artz.
Originally, as an artist and engineer, he designed and built machines that he used to apply color to huge surfaces including building walls, roofs, and even a frozen lake. Having studied how a machine could extend his own ability to make a mark and remembering his foster siblings, Szot was inspired to create a mechanical device that would serve to extend a disabled person’s ability to make a mark. He founded Zot Artz to create adaptive art tools and make them available to providers, programs, and other organizations.
Zot Artz is a creative outlet for people of all ages from preschool children to senior adults. Everyone can stamp, draw, and print to make their mark. It’s all play, but participants learn, explore and develop skills while having fun together.
