Artist. Illustrator. Writer. Autism Advocate.

 Carissa Mordeno Paccerelli is an international award-winning artist from the United States.  She has always had a proclivity to express herself through art.  Before she was verbally communicating, she was already drawing and expressing herself through art.  She started drawing when she was a toddler, but her artistic talent became evident at age three.  At age six, she was diagnosed on the autism spectrum.  

Growing up, it was a challenge for her to speak to people.  She found it helped when she took a pencil to paper and began drawing.  Art in its many forms helped her express her feelings in a multitude of colors and emotions of characters.  She has been doing art commissions since 1st grade.  

At 15, she had her first solo art exhibit in Pasadena, California.  She has received a wide variety of awards and recognition for her artwork and has been seen in numerous exhibits, fairs, and festivals in Canada, Slovenia, Korea, and the United States.  At 17, she published her first book, "The A Book",  a collection of satirical comments and illustrations about Autism. 

Carissa is a self-taught artist at a young age and her parents were relieved to learn of the Creative Arts, Media and Design (CAMAD), a studio arts-focused program offered by their school district.  She attended the CAMAD's Visual Arts & Design Academy.  She also attended an advanced arts high school program at the Otis College Arts of Design on a full scholarship awarded by the highly-competitive Ryman Arts.  She was a four-time scholarship recipient of the Art Center College Teen program and the Armory Center of Arts.  She also attended highly-competitive high school summer art programs at CalArts, UCLA, Idyllwild Arts Academy, and Woodbury University.  

After high school, she was offered a four-year scholarship at the Otis College of Arts & Design in Los Angeles and College of Arts in Seattle.  She deferred both offers and, instead, enrolled at the Pasadena City College majoring in Studio Arts & Arts History.  

 Carissa was awarded the Pasadena Educational Foundation's Norman Schmidt Visual Arts Scholarship at her High School graduation.   In her first year at PCC, she was awarded the Jeanne Ward Scholarship for Visual Arts. 

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California Congressional Certificate of Recognition - Congressman Young Kim

California Legislature Assembly Certificate of Recognition for Artistic Achievement - 

Assemblymember Chris Holden

California Legislature Assembly Certificate of Recognition - 

Assemblymember Cottie Petri-Norris

California Congressional Certificate of Recognition - Congresswoman Judy Chu

California State Senate Certificate of Recognition - Senator Carol Liu

California Legislature Assembly Certificate of Recognition - Assemblymember Anthony Portantino

First Place, 7th ANCA INAP Award for Visual Arts, Vancouver, Canada

Winner, 2021 KASEC's Dream Art Contest Anaheim, California

Winning Artwork, VSA & US Department of Education Art Exhibit, Washington, D.C.

Three-time Bridging Boundaries Awardee, PUSD's No Boundaries Art Exhibit

Pasadena, California

Three-time Chalk Arts Winner, 

Covina & AutismHwy Chalk Art Festival

Covina, California

Pasadena Tournament of Rose - Parade of Roses Artistic Art Contest Winner

Pasadena, California

​​​Master of the Arts Showcase Grand Prize Winner, Pasadena-Altadena Links 

Disability Rights Legal Center & Art of Autism IDEA Art Contest Winning Entry

San Diego, California

Visual Arts Award for Excellence, PUSD PTA Reflections Art Contest

First Place, One City One Story Art Contest, Pasadena Public Library

​Scholastic Art & Writing Award

Silver Key & 3 Honorable Mentions 

PTA Reflections Arts Award Recipient, California PTA

​Mayor's Award, SoCal High School Youth Art Competition, Doerje Chang Buddha III Cultural & Art Museum, Covina, California

Award Recipient, San Gabriel Valley District of Women's Clubs Art Contest

SOLO EXHIBITION: 

“Artwork by Rissa P” 

Pasadena, California

GROUP EXHIBITIONS:

2021 PCC Student Juried Exhibition

Pasadena, California

"Color of Sound"

Oceanside of Museum of Art

Oceanside, California

International Art Exchange Exhibition for the Disabled "The VR Exhibition of the World 7 Countries" 

Seoul, South Korea

Milestones Masterpieces Art Show Warrensville Heights, Ohio 

"Under Quarantine"

 PCC’s Division of Visual Arts & Media Studies, Pasadena, California

Selected Artwork for Backdrop 

2018 ANCA World Tour Show

Bled, Slovenia

​Selected Artwork for Backdrop

Anne Torsiglieri's "A" Train Play

Skirball Center, Los Angeles 

Theater Row, New York

 Mainly Mozart Genius Showcase 

San Diego, California

"Diverse Perspectives"

Sophie's Gallery - Art of Autism Exhibit

El Cajon, California

Art of Expression Exhibit

National Autism Conference

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Social Justice Show

SCA Project Gallery

Pomona, California

  11th Annual Young Artist Exhibit 

Long Beach, California 

South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival & Art Walk,  South Pasadena, California

Pasadena-Altadena Links Art Showcase Altadena, California 

 "Pain" Exhibit, USC Hoyt Gallery

Los Angeles, California

PUSD No Boundaries Art Exhibit Pasadena, California

Arts & Craft of Autism

Brighter Future Charity

Venice Beach, California

The Sketchbook Project World Tour -Brooklyn, Atlanta, Miami, Austin, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Toronto

USC Institute for Genetics Art Gallery

Art of Autism, Speaker

Los Angeles, California