F.C.’s New Paragon Theaters Decorates Lobby with Local Autistic Painter’s ‘Story in Blue’
A truly remarkable day at the movies!
On Saturday morning, July 26, The Little City’s brand new Paragon Theaters Founders Row at 112 Founders Avenue unveiled local autistic painter Michael Lindsay’s abstract and dynamic “Story in Blue,” prominently displayed in the ultra-modern, 7-Screen, 600-seat cinema’s lobby and lounge spaces.
Since when do brand-new, major cinemas commission and feature the abstract paintings of local artists on the spectrum?
Lindsay’s 48 x 72-inch poured acrylic-on-canvas “Story in Blue” is designed dramatically to usher theater-goers’ attention, bring joy through bold action-oriented color splashes, and allow viewers to interpret the artwork “as they wish,” a homage to how those on the spectrum often interpret the world in their own unique and brilliant ways.
Wanting to “give back to the Falls Church community,” Paragon Theaters’ Founders Row Owners, Michael Whalen and Michael Wilson, of Florida, commissioned Lindsay – who’s on the autism spectrum and is also epileptic – to paint the work after they had read “Painter with Autism Wins Falls Church Arts Award” in Arlington Magazine. As we reported then, Lindsay had won the People’s Choice Award for his work “Full Circle in Blue,” in Falls Church Arts’s “Full Circles” show in February.
“I said, '.... it’s pretty barren in here. Why don’t we get some art?,” Whalen recalled jovially in his speech before the unveiling. “And we were so fortunate to stumble upon the artwork of Michael Lindsay. And I cannot think of an artist in this area whom we would be more honored to have his work shown to anyone that comes through the door. This is Michael’s experience, the artwork, and everyone who sees it has their own movie experience. So, hopefully, they’ll look at this painting and get inspired by the work and talents of Michael Lindsay.”
"Story in Blue" is an "abstract exploration of emotion, memory and imagination," the painting's blurb says. "....Blue and complementary contrast, orange, flow freely across the canvas forming organic shapes and dynamic patterns. This piece offers you the chance to seek your own story within its bold colors and movement."
"Michael Lindsay is a talented young Northern Virginia artist who also has autism and epilepsy," the blurb continues. He "finds happiness expressing himself through painting and loves color, especially Blue, “which to me is the most beautiful color of all — shades of water, sky and blue bells. I always try to use some blue in my art.”
Following Saturday morning’s private unveiling ceremony with friends and family – kept small at Lindsay’s request – Paragon then provided a free sensory-friendly screening of the new blockbuster hit F1 starring Brad Pitt. As part of Paragon Theaters’ regular charitable giving, they provide free Sensory-Friendly Screenings for neurodivergent audiences and family members on Saturdays, allowing those with noise, hyper-stimuli, and other sensitivities to enjoy major-release films in a comfortable, toned-down setting.
“We’re happy to be here in the Falls Church community and as part of Paragon and what we do, we like to give back to the communities, so we tend to do a lot of charity work and a lot of different things for different groups,” Whalen told us. “And one of our big things is we do sensory-friendly movies.”
“The beauty of it is – we want everyone to enjoy the experience and no one should be excluded from that. So, we have the sensory-friendly movies once a month on Saturday mornings. And we came across the work of Michael Lindsay, who is first and foremost an accomplished artist. Let’s start with that," Whalen continued. "But, he’s autistic and we asked him to paint our lobby and to come in and express his beauty through art of what the lobby should look like and we are so honored to have him here and to unveil his artwork that will sit in our lobby and for everyone to see and enjoy. That’s Michael’s experience. But, for everyone who sees the painting, we want them to have their own experience by seeing the artwork as shown through the eyes and hands of Michael Lindsay.”
We asked Whalen how they manage to make films sensory-friendly – especially roaring ones like F1 about Formula One race car drivers. “The houselights are a little lighter and the sound is a little lower and we allow children and families to do what they want,” Whalen said. “So, if they don’t want to sit in their seat and they want to move around the auditorium and watch a movie from over here or over there, or to walk around, they have the freedom to experience the movie as they want to experience the movie.” Essentially, it boils down to their sensory-friendly slogan: "Lights On, Sound Down, Free to Move Around."
Plus, the zero-gravity reclining seats are heated in the theater’s Lux Boxes, providing extra comfort, and the screening takes place in one of the smaller auditoriums, helping to prevent sensory overload. “It’s very comforting,” Whalen said. “I mean all the recliners are very plush and they’re all very comforting. And the Lux Box has their own pod, so you can sit with a friend or family member and really enjoy a movie.”
“It’s important to give back to the community,” Whalen continued. “My partner Mike Wilson and I, we’ve been at this for a long time. We’ve been blessed to be successful in the business. Mike and I own the company. So, we’ve decided it’s important to do as much as we can with charities and things. In Florida we did something with Sweet Dream Makers which gives beds to kids who don’t have beds. So, we try to do as much charity work as we can. We’re so excited to be in Falls Church and hopefully do some more fundraising and things for the community.”
We spoke with Michael Lindsay's mom, Debra Lindsay, as we approached her son’s “Story in Blue.” I asked her what the painting means to her. “I didn’t know much about modern art, but you’re supposed to ‘see what you see’ in there…. It represents a lot of different things. Michael sees a stream and he sees happiness….”
“It’s a very dynamic painting and for a movie theater lobby it seems to be quite active which makes sense given the kinds of films they show,” I suggested. “Yes,” she replied. “And he’s a huge Disney cars buff – I mean like the Number One Fan in the World probably – and that orangeish-red is a big color [points] in [the movies] Lightning McQueen and Radiator Springs, so it kind of like 'pops of that,' he also mentioned.”
Asked how she feels to know that Paragon Theaters is dedicated to providing free once-a-month Sensory-Friendly Screenings on Saturdays, Debra Lindsay replied, “I think it’s incredible! And I honestly think Paragon Theaters, this theater group, is very unusual to have that kind of heart, you know what I’m saying? I mean it’s very unusual that they’re personalizing it for the story of one young artist who has special needs and they’re making this a place where a community of people can be comfortable.”
“So it’s just like you’re highlighting one member of the community and making it a special place,” she continued. “And to go out of their way to do that? You know, they’re changing his life. And it’s just such a beautiful thing. So, I’m his mom, and, of course, I’m really biased. But, even if it were another [artist], I’d be like, ‘You know, this is really incredible!’ And most movie theaters don’t have any real art and this is like an art gallery here in the movies. So that really is special as well, I think.”
Michael Lindsay’s mentor and art teacher, Randa LoGerfo, described how she and Michael approached the arts commission he received from Paragon Theaters. “I sat with Michael and we talked about colors and we talked about what feelings to put in,” she said.
“I know he’s comforted by blue,” I said, remembering his artist statement for his award-winning “Full Circle in Blue.” “Yes, LoGerfo replied. And there is blue in this painting…. bold colors and bold shapes.”
LoGerfo met Michael Lindsay’s mom, Debra, through the Arlington Arts Alliance, after Debra put out a call asking for recommendations for help for her autistic son with a passion for art. Having run an art department for an international school in her native Jordan, LoGerfo offered to help Michael and the family, Arlington Magazine reported.
So, how did LoGerfo guide Michael in creating an artwork in response to Paragon’s arts commission? “We received a picture of the [movie theater’s] lobby, so we thought about the colors and the owner also said he wanted a white background, so we thought about it,” LoGerfo said.
Asked if Michael Lindsay expressed pride in his painting, LoGerfo said, “Yes, but he’s very, very humble. But, he liked every aspect of the painting.”
The only thing he wasn’t happy about,” LoGerfo added, “was having too many people around, so he asked if this could be a private event. He’s uncomfortable with too many noises.”
Near the Lindsay family we met Beth Sutton whose neurodivergent son, Luke, was sitting nearby wearing sound-canceling headphones. She described Michael Lindsay’s paintings as having a therapeutic effect. “I might have gotten Michael’s first public painting in my office,” Sutton said. “I’m a healthcare provider and he knows my devotion to a specific Catholic site and he painted me a picture of it to put in my office and it’s so beautiful. I get questions and compliments about it daily and it actually brings people to a different level of healing when I tell them what the site is and also who made it for me.”
Sutton had not heard about Paragon Theaters’ Sensory-Friendly Screenings. “I’m just learning about that,” she said. “Desperately needed in the community for sure. We have a lot of kids who are not able to attend movies and do things with their family because the environment is just too hard for them. And movies happen to be one of the biggest [challenges], in terms of overstimulation, because they’re taking in so much stimuli from every channel in particular, right? It’s very overwhelming. They have dis-regulated neurological systems, and then they’re anxious on top of it, because there’s too much stimuli, so we needed more sensory-friendly places in this area.”
Asked how she met Debra Lindsay, Sutton said, “Moms connect and then the kids connect.” [Laughs]. And now the Suttons are our “dear, dear friends – a wonderful family. Deborah is one of the best people I know in the world.”
During the unveiling ceremony, Debra Lindsay introduced Donna Budway, director of partnerships and advocacy for Our Stomping Ground, a local nonprofit with the mission of building “inclusive communities and strengthening neighborhoods through diverse programming, sustainable and affordable housing and social spaces for people of all abilities.”
“We’re always looking for places to connect in community,” Budway told us. “And we’ve been looking for a theater and this is just so exciting. We have a lot of spellers [those who use spelling as their primary means of communication] and nonreliable speakers, like Michael, and I think our list is almost a thousand people now, but there are just a lot of people, and people who have just been historically isolated and put outside of the community. But, now we have friends who are traveling independently to other friends’ apartments and coming into community spaces like this and we have a lot of really serious movie and film consumers and now we have a place to come. And the theater could not have been more inclusive and welcoming. The fact that they found Michael and they found the art. We’re just super-excited about this partnership.”
Budway met the Lindsay family “because Michael Lindsay originally started as a speller to communicate…. And, in Arlington, we’re the second smallest geographic county in the U.S., so we all kind of know each other. But, I didn’t know Michael was an artist. I didn’t know this theater was here…. But now there’s his art in this theater and it’s incredibly gorgeous….”
“I mean, what he has accomplished! I am so proud,” Budway said. “I myself have a child who’s an unreliable speaker and had a lot of life experiences that Michael did. I mean, to see this public display of his incredible work. I mean, this could be his livelihood. He’s now a professional, commissioned artist. And the fact that Paragon opened their doors to this young artist is just amazing!”
For recent articles on Paragon Theaters Founders Row, see these stories below:
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