Established in 1973, Creative Growth Art Center is an internationally recognized nonprofit based in Oakland, California. It is the world's first independent art center dedicated to advancing the careers of artists with developmental, mental, and physical disabilities. Today, Creative Growth supports 140 artists, many of whom have sustained decades-long studio practices and exhibit widely in museums, galleries, and public collections around the world.
CURRENT EXHIBITION
DEAF STARS SHINE
ON VIEW FROM JULY 17th - AUGUST 29TH, 2026
Deaf Stars Shine is the first presentation of the Creative Growth Deaf Artist Group. This exhibition showcases the vibrancy of Deaf Culture through the multi-sensory visual languages of artists who have cultivated community and a space to create freely. In honor of the inaugural exhibition of the Deaf Artist Group, the Opening Reception for Deaf Stars Shine will feature remarks, art-making activities, and music. Teaching Artist, Greg Crawford will be playing dance music and the Deaf Artist Group has designed custom balloons for guests to hold up to speakers to feel the music through.
MEMBER PREVIEW: Friday, July 17, 5–6 PM
PUBLIC OPENING: Friday, July 17, 6–8 PM
📍 Location: Creative Growth Art Center, 355 24th Street, Oakland, CA, 94612
SPOTLIGHT EVENT
7th Annual Creating Communities Conference: The Expanding Landscape of Art and Disabilities
October 5TH - 8TH, 2026
The Creating Community Conference brings together artists and professionals from progressive art studios* across the United States and beyond, along with professionals active in disability arts, rights, and theory, to discuss best practices, advocacy, and the evolving landscape of art and disability. Launched by Creative Growth, the conference covers a range of topics from hands-on studio practice, exhibiting, collecting and representing artists with disabilities, self-taught art, outsider art, disability studies, mental-health, radical pedagogy and more, expanding the conversation on platforming the creative production of marginalized communities, opening up the art world to disabled artists, and the transformative power of art.
📍 Location: Detroit and Ann Arbor, MI
SPOTLIGHT NEWS
CREATIVE GROWTH ARTISTS SHINE ON
CBS SUNDAY MORNING
We’re honored to share that CBS Sunday Morning recently featured Creative Growth in a national segment celebrating our 50th anniversary.
Correspondent Luke Burbank took viewers inside our Oakland studio to spotlight the incredible work of our artists —and the transformative power of inclusion, creativity, and community.
The segment honors the vision of our founders, Florence and Elias Katz, and highlights Creative Growth’s global impact through exhibitions, brand collaborations, and more.
A huge thank you to CBS for sharing our story with the world.
“I cannot think of a more important art institution in the United States. They pioneered the whole model of working with artists with disabilities.”
— Katy Siegel, SFMOMA
SHOP CREATIVE GROWTH
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
WILLIAM SCOTT
View the process behind Praise Frisco: Peace and Love in the City, a work commissioned by SFMOMA as part of Creative Growth's landmark exhibition The House That Art Built. This piece captures artist William Scott’s optimistic vision of San Francisco, where his vibrant imagination transforms the city's architecture into an idealized urban landscape. Documented by Creative Growth staff, the creation of this work highlights Scott’s artistic journey, as seen in his Bay Area Walls mural. With bold colors and expressive brushstrokes, Scott conveys a hopeful and dynamic perspective of the city, celebrating peace, love, and community in his reimagined San Francisco.
CURRENT AND PAST EXHIBITIONS
NEWS & EVENTS
Visit The Creative Growth Art Center
Creative Growth Art Center is located in the Downtown/Lake Merritt area of Oakland, California. We are a 10 minute stroll to the lake. Our two-story tall art center was originally an auto shop and has tall ceilings and big windows. We are surrounded by still functioning auto shops, restaurants, newly constructed tall buildings, and a few historic homes. Our studio and gallery have separate entrances. The studio entrance is the most accessible for wheelchairs and other mobility aid users. Inside, the studio and gallery are connected by a long ramp. In the back of the studio there are accessible, gendered bathrooms. To access a single-stall gender neutral restroom, please ask a staff member. Outside, there is a wooden parklet to sit and rest in.
FOLLOW US