We recently connected with Maureen Tarkington and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Maureen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The reason I started Shane Tarkington Art and Autism in the Arts Show was to create a business that my autistic son’s art could be sold through. Something that would make him a viable member of society. It began as a small show at home with 50 friends and family and it grew to 300 people in seven years. We just had our 8th Annual Autism in the Arts Show and I was pretty excited that we got 100 people to attend. The pandemic definitely put a halt to our business. The card rep that we used, couldn’t deliver to stores that weren’t open! Over the past two years, things have picked up and new stores are looking to carry his cards and other items. The mission I am on to grow this company is so Shane has income after I am gone. It is a daunting process to go through when you have to plan for another person’s life for the rest of their life. You can’t fall short because you won’t be here to fix it.

Maureen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

There are different ways to look at Shane Tarkington Art branding. You have this amazing young man who was challenged by his own deficits of communication and then you add the pressure that society puts on him and the therapist that want to “normalize” him. He always rises above what I think he will be able to do. He really likes to please people and be polite but he is just like all of us who have limits to what we will take. When Shane creates his art, he enjoys being in his teachers homes, and it has to be just the two of them. I have witnessed it from another room and it is a beautiful dance most days. His teachers have to phrase their requests/instructions differently inorder to get the results to finish the project. It is so rewarding when he finishes a commissioned piece that we deliver to the client and see their face light up with joy. Many times they are drawn to tears because he has captured the soul of the animal or the piece brings the client back to the place that they want to have a painting of. The cards have his story on the back and there have been times that recipients of said cards reach back to the giver and thank them for sharing the card with the beautiful story behind it. The connection with our community at large has been strong and heartfelt. We are very grateful to have the following that we have.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Coming out of COVID was a challenge. People were not meeting in large groups, so I started to look into pop-up shops. It was a way to get in front of the pubic. We have been very successful in getting more Shane Tarkington Art products into the publics hands and homes. It is a lot of work! My whole extended Ford expedition is filled to the prim with racks for display and products. You never know what the crowd is going to want, so you try to bring a smattering of everything. Then if someone needs something else I can ship it out but there aren’t too many orders going out after the event.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I keep in touch with my clients through Instagram/Facebook/LinkedIn and evites to events. We have been so lucky to have so many people who want to see Shane Tarkington Art take off. They give us leads on places they feel would be a great fit. The vendors we collaborate with, tell their customers about Shane’s different swag opportunities. So we have had the good fortune of receiving positive vibes from the community at large.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shanetarkington.com
• Instagram: @shanetarkingtonart
• Facebook: Maureen Tarkington
• Linkedin: Maureen Tarkington

Image Credits
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