In Heaven Everyone Will Shake Your Hand

Book excerpt: Julie Baldyga's artwork is distinctive and compelling, and a book about her work is long overdue.Throughout her childhood, Julie's parents took her to doctors in an attempt to learn more about why she was so different from most other children: nonverbal, antisocial, obsessed with wires and hoses and engines. Twice, doctors advised her parents to institutionalize her, saying that she could otherwise be a danger to herself and others. Fortunately, her parents did not take the doctors' advice: Julie would grow up to be a luminous human and a brilliant, prolific artist."In Heaven Everyone Will Shake Your Hand" takes an in-depth look at this distinctive self-taught artist and her work. This collection of oil pastels, ceramics, and photographs of her "heavenly people"--400 remarkable life-size human figures-- not only showcase this singular artist but will also serve as a poignant reminder of what is possible when we refuse to write people off.