NEI Announces Gallery Opening Featuring Florida Ocean Artist and Neurodivergent Creator, Ashton Howard

ST. PETERSBURG, FL / ACCESS Newswire / December 9, 2025 / The Neurodivergent Empowerment Institute (NEI) is proud to announce that nationally collected Florida artist Ashton Howard will be a featured artist at the gallery opening during NEI’s Grand Opening Wellness Event on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at 2200 2nd Ave S, Suite 134, St. Petersburg, FL.

Known for his ocean-inspired, light-saturated paintings and mixed media works, Howard has built a devoted following for pieces that capture the energy, movement, and tranquility of coastal landscapes. Raised on the Gulf Coast of Florida and now based in Pensacola, his work is celebrated for its immersive mood, dramatic skies, and powerful wave forms that reflect a deep connection to the sea.

At NEI, Howard’s work will be presented as part of a sensory-conscious gallery experience designed for neurodivergent and trauma-impacted nervous systems. His paintings, often described as meditative and transportive, provide visual “resting places” that align with NEI’s mission to create spaces where visitors can regulate, ground, and reconnect to themselves through art and environment.

“Ashton’s work is an invitation to breathe,” says Angela Fisher, PhD, founder of NEI. “His paintings hold that moment when light, water, and sky all line up just right-the same moment so many of our clients are trying to find within themselves. Featuring a local Floridian and neurodivergent creator whose work is both powerful and calming is an ideal way to open this space.”

The NEI gallery is curated to be:

• Sensory-conscious – soft lighting, spacious layout, and optional low-stimulation viewing

• Story-driven – art that reflects inner worlds, healing journeys, and lived experience

• Neurodivergent-affirming – highlighting artists who identify as neurodivergent and whose creative process reflects alternative ways of seeing and feeling the world

Howard’s work will be showcased alongside other artists whose pieces explore identity, regulation, and transformation. Select works may be included in a silent auction and fundraising initiative supporting NEI’s Neurodivergent Scholarship Fund, helping increase access to evaluation, accommodations, and integrative care.

The gallery opening is a central feature of Celebrate & Connect: A Grand Opening Wellness Event, a full-day experience that also includes expert talks on autism, menopause and the endocannabinoid system, GLP-1s and metabolic health, functional genetics, accommodations, PTSD, LGBTQ+ safety, autoimmune conditions, peptides, and veterans’ trauma recovery, as well as live music, wellness demonstrations, and sensory-friendly rest spaces.

Tickets and full event details are available at:
www.empowerautism.me
Event link: https://events.humanitix.com/celebrate-and-connect-a-grand-opening-wellness-event

For media inquiries, artist features, or gallery-related questions, please contact:
Ella Waters
ella@bionicbloom.org
727-371-8355

Contact:
Neurodivergent Empowerment Institute
Attn: Ella Waters
Phone: 727-371-8355
Email: ella@bionicbloom.org
Website: www.empowerautism.me

SOURCE: Bionic Bloom

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire