Aimee Hofmann paralyzed at 30 by a horrible disease, uses her wheelchair and paintbrushes to create amazing works of art.

Needless to say Aimee Hofmann is an INSPIRATION to many! 

 At 30, she suffered from the neurological condition, Transverse Myelitis, an inflammation in the spinal cord that caused complete paralysis from level T10 of the spine. After learning she would never walk again, art gave her peace during the difficult stages of loss, grief, self-reflection, and re-discovery. Art helped her emotionally heal, as well as find joy again.

 

Throughout the years that followed, while facing a new life with a disability, Aimee created a number of collections. Her works featured landscapes, abstract florals and swirl patterns, which have continued to evolve into deeper abstract work.

 

Her unique abstract art has inspired many with its vibrancy and depth, symbolizing the resilience and strength found in the journey of recovery.

 

Aimee is being honored on June 6th by Burke Rehabilitation Hospital with the Burke Award, their highest honor. This year’s theme is the "Healing Power of the Arts," which highlights the transformative impact of the arts in rehabilitation and recovery. Burke is a nationally renowned rehabilitation hospital located in White Plains NY and Aimee’s impactful artwork adorns the walls throughout Burke Rehabilitation’s buildings.

 

Aimee joined me to share her pride in how her unexpected journey brought her to this moment and how art contributes to the rehabilitation and recovery process for patients.

I asked Aimee to talk about what she does every day and how she does it. 

Her most recent collections she said, express a newfound freedom that embraces the beauty of imperfections, renewal/rebirth and nostalgia and the symbolism of one's unique life journey.

 

“After I became paralyzed throughout the years that followed, I learned so many life lessons. I did a lot of self-reflection and self-rediscovery work. One of the things was that I learned to let go of perfectionism, and it's something that I struggled with throughout my whole life. And so, my latest work features, for example, paint in diverse textures and various consistencies, which I liberally pour and splatter all over the canvas. And this kind of embracing the beauty of imperfections, allowing the paint organically to react instead of focusing on being perfect and that is a complete reflection of my personal journey. "

"And so, acquiring a disability has also helped me discover this newfound courage that was born from the realization that there is nothing to fear because I realized that the future will always be uncertain for everybody no matter what. So, this epiphany has allowed me to relinquish control over outcomes, allowing my intuition to guide the creative process instead of focusing so much on the final results, if that makes sense.”

 

Everything Aimee creates makes total sense.

In addition to individual collectors and Burke Rehabilitation, Aimee Hofmann’s work is part of corporate collections at Amazon, JPMorgan Chase & Co., HSBC, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Intuit, State Street Bank, Ipsen, Brown Advisory and Vigil Neuroscience. She has also shown at local and regional arts centers and has been a guest speaker at the Harvard Business School.

 

Aimee Hofmann lives with her husband and two children in Westchester County NY. She is a two-time hand-cyclist marathoner, avid swimmer, fundraiser, and guest speaker. As disabilities advocate her goal is to continue to create awareness about inclusion and fair representation for people with disabilities. 

 

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About 'The Burke Award': Given by Burke Rehabilitation, it is conferred upon an individual or group who has made significant contributions to the field of rehabilitation, either through personal achievements, the development of research or the establishment of programs and facilities to assist individuals with disabilities. It recognizes strength and courage in overcoming the challenge of a disability or a significant contribution to the understanding of physical disability. It remains the highest honor bestowed by the Board of Trustees of Burke Rehabilitation Hospital.

 

The Burke Award Dinner is Burke’s premier fundraiser, with proceeds supporting Burke’s outstanding rehabilitative care services and the Healing Power of the Arts fund.

 

Your generous support of the 2024 Burke Award being held on June 6th will make a difference in the lives of the thousands of patients Burke serves each year.  

 

Enjoy being inspired to learn how art heals by the fabulous Aimee Hofmann in this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show.