The Cleveland State University Library will host a brown bag lunch featuring guest speaker Debra Chwast, who will share her inspirational story of the challenges and joys of raising her son, Seth, who was diagnosed with autism as a young child and later discovers his talent to create beautiful, large oil paintings.

Her presentation, “Turning Darkness into Light: Pain, Bliss, Autism,” will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at noon in the library, located in Rhodes Tower, 1860 East 22nd St. A related painting exhibition, “A Different Kind of Journey: The Paintings of Seth Chwast,” will be on display on the library’s first floor through February.

Seth Chwast’s world changed dramatically at age 20, when he took an oil painting class at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Seth, who rarely speaks but has a high non-verbal IQ, began describing his world in his paintings. His work has been featured on NBC’s Today show and in local exhibitions and is included in both local and national art collections.

To learn more about Seth’s work, visit www.sethchwast.org. For information about the brown bag event or art exhibit at the CSU Library, call 216.875.9734.

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