Creative Growth: The House That Art Built Presented by SFMOMA →

On View at SFMOMA April 6–October 6, 2024

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (February 21, 2024) – 50 years ago, against a backdrop of political activism and the rising visibility of the disability rights movement, Creative Growth Art Center was founded in Oakland, California, as the first U.S. organization dedicated to supporting artists with developmental disabilities. Today, Creative Growth continues to serve as an international and national model in the field of art and disability. In honor of Creative Growth’s milestone 50th anniversary and in celebration of SFMOMA’s unprecedented partnership with the organization announced last fall, the museum will present Creative Growth: The House That Art Built. On view from April 6 through October 6, 2024, the exhibition will feature a vibrant selection of recent acquisitions from Creative Growth artists. SFMOMA will concurrently present a major commission by Creative Growth artist William Scott as part of its free art-filled space on the museum’s second floor.

“These extraordinary artists and artworks express a limitless imagination and vision that we hope expands visitors’ understanding of the art that is being made in the Bay Area,” said Jenny Gheith, Associate Curator of Painting and Sculpture at SFMOMA. “We are thrilled to better represent work by artists from Creative Growth. This was a long time coming, given what an important role they have played in art conversations in the Bay Area, and we look forward to continuing this important work,” continued Nancy Lim, Associate Curator of Painting and Sculpture of SFMOMA.

Creative Growth was founded by Elias Katz and Florence Ludins-Katz and has grown to serve more than 140 artists each week in its studios and present artists’ work in galleries and exhibition venues around the globe. Bay Area organizations Creativity Explored and NIAD (Nurturing Independence through Artistic Development) were also founded by the Katzes—in 1983 and 1984 respectively—and are similarly devoted to artists with developmental disabilities. After announcing acquisitions from all three organizations this fall, SFMOMA became home to one of the largest holdings of art by artists with disabilities in the world. Creative Growth: The House That Art Built celebrates the oldest of the three organizations on its landmark anniversary and unveils more than 80 recently acquired works spanning acrylic painting, oil pastel drawing, ceramics, sculpture and film, dating from 1981 to 2021. The exhibition will also include archival material, highlighting the organization’s history and ongoing impact on the arts and disability movement, and the art world more broadly.

“We are both honored and humbled to partner with Creative Growth Art Center in this historic moment and present an exhibition that displays the staggering breadth of skill, vibrancy and imagination emerging from Creative Growth artists,” said Christopher Bedford, Helen and Charles Schwab Director of SFMOMA. “This effort closely aligns with SFMOMA’s vision to engage a more diverse range of artists and audiences, and our ongoing work to make the museum more accessible. There is much work ahead and we could not be more grateful for Creative Growth for taking this monumental step with us.”

“Creative Growth extends its gratitude to SFMOMA, its staff and board for their exceptional leadership in diversifying their collection to include marginalized Bay Area artists,” said Tom di Maria, Director Emeritus at Creative Growth Art Center. “By amplifying the artistic voices of individuals with developmental disabilities, this collaboration breaks down barriers within an often-overlooked community and offers an exciting opportunity for museum visitors to experience these visually captivating and deeply personal works.”

CREATIVE GROWTH: THE HOUSE THAT ART BUILT ARTISTS
Joseph Alef (b. 1981, Berkeley, California), who has practiced at Creative Growth 2001–2008 and 2013 to the present, creates abstract paintings that burst with energy. Their rhythmic compositions are filled with an expressive vocabulary of layered marks.

Before moving to Creativity Explored in 2001, Camille Holvoet (b. 1952, San Francisco) practiced at Creative Growth from 1988 to 2001. Holvoet creates psychologically rich drawings reflecting her memories, fascinations and daily life, exploring subjects ranging from the prescribed medicine she takes to her disorienting move to a new home.

A Creative Growth artist since 2003, Susan Janow (b. 1980, San Francisco, California) creates work across a range of media, including drawing, ceramics and video. Her best-known work, Questions (2018), is a 10-minute single-channel video that shifts between standard interview-like questions and personal inquiries.

Dwight Mackintosh (b. Hayward, California, 1906–1999) was 72 years old when he began working at Creative Growth in 1979. Over his 20 years at the organization, he developed a singular style of looped, radiating figures that blur the boundaries between internal and external body structures, inspired in part by his experiences with X-rays and a tonsillectomy at age 12. Other subjects include buses, musical instruments, self-portraits and an invented text that he transformed into flowing graphic imagery.

John Martin (b. 1963, Marks, Mississippi) has practiced at Creative Growth since 1986. Using vividly colored drawings, ceramics and woodwork, Martin combines memories of his childhood on a farm in Mississippi with his present life in Oakland.

Featured in the 2017 Venice Biennale, Dan Miller (b. 1961, Castro Valley, California) is one of Creative Growth’s most widely known artists. A Creative Growth artist since 1992, Miller works ambidextrously, using both hands to create densely layered paintings and works on paper. Words, numbers and punctuation populate the compositions, along with building materials and electrical objects. His clusters of drawn or typed words skate fluidly between elements to see and elements to read.

Donald Mitchell (b. 1951, San Francisco, California) Donald Mitchell’s drawings and sculptures explore the human figure, which he portrays as block-like bodies in dense crowds. His compositions often feature smears of color, while others are rendered in black and white, with a starkness that suggests anonymity and an air of loneliness. He has been a Creative Growth artist since 1986.

Judith Scott (b. 1943, Columbus, Ohio; died 2005, Dutch Flat, California) was an internationally known Creative Growth artist. Her work was featured in a retrospective organized by the Brooklyn Museum in 2014 and included in the 2017 Venice Biennale. Scott started working at Creative Growth when she was 43 years old and created art there for the next 18 years, until her death in 2005. Her intricate, layered sculptures use yarn, twine and strips of fabric to wrap and knot around an array of mundane everyday objects.

William Scott (b. 1964, San Francisco, California) has worked at Creative Growth for over 30 years and his work was previously acquired by SFMOMA in 2017. Scott’s portraits feature personal heroes, celebrities, politicians and church and family members. He often depicts them as alternate or future versions of themselves. Scott also re-creates the San Francisco cityscape in drawings and paintings that are meticulous and map-like, yet still engage in fantasy, for instance through characters like Godzilla or UFOs boarded by citizens of “Praise Frisco,” Scott’s name for his hopeful, gospel-filled vision of a future San Francisco.

Ron Veasey (b. 1957, Las Vegas, Nevada) Ron Veasey’s brilliantly colored portraits are inspired by a wide range of source material, including fashion magazines, photography books and National Geographic. Veasey isolates figures on the page, outlining them in black marker and filling the flattened forms with bold colors and patterns. By capturing subtle details, direct gazes and strong poses, Veasey highlights confident and intense personas that he has honed over more than forty years at Creative Growth.

Alice Wong (b. 1980, Hong Kong) For the past decade, Alice Wong has used vintage photographic portraits donated to Creative Growth as the foundation for her paintings. She obscures the forms and faces with acrylic markers and enamel to reimagine them in bright, artificial colors. In revitalizing decades-old imagery of anonymous people, she renews their relevance in ways that are both disorienting and humorous. Wong has worked at Creative Growth since 2003.

WILLIAM SCOTT COMMISSION
On the occasion of Creative Growth’s 50th anniversary, SFMOMA will also present a major commission by Creative Growth artist William Scott. On view from April 6 through October 6, 2024, the commission is part of the museum’s ongoing Bay Area Walls initiative, a series of site-responsive wall projects by local artists that actively engage with pressing issues of our time. Scott’s largest painting to date, the expansive commission merges two of his abiding interests: map-like renderings of San Francisco and portraits of the people who populate his life and dreams. Scott and his mother, for example, appear as youthful versions of themselves, smiling alongside members of their church and the musician Diana Ross. The background of the painting reveals the Alice Griffith public housing development near the city’s Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood, where the artist was raised. Scott’s realism expresses hopefulness and fantasy, culminating in a monumental celebration of “Praise Frisco,” his name for the new San Francisco he envisions for the future. The commission will be on view in the entryway to SFMOMA’s second floor galleries, located within the museum’s free art-filled public space.

EVENTS, PROGRAMS AND PRODUCTS
SFMOMA will host a series of events as part of its partnership with Creative Growth starting with an opening celebration on April 4, 2024, featuring the Gary Brown Trio and a DJ set by Creative Growth staff person, Amy Berumen. The fifth annual Creating Community symposium will take place on Thursday, May 23, 2024, and the 50th Anniversary Gala and Beyond Trend Fashion Show will be presented in September 2024, featuring fashion designs created and modeled by Creative Growth artists.

Coinciding with the opening of Creative Growth: The House That Art Built, the museum will debut a new space on its second floor dedicated to visitor participation. Interpretive displays, comfortable seating and opportunities to respond to the artwork will engage a wide range of visitors with different learning and communication styles and needs. The new space, entitled Art in Your Life, aims to foster human connection, deeper meaning-making and increased accessibility.

Lastly, SFMOMA’s Museum Store will collaborate with Creative Growth as well as peer organizations Creativity Explored and NIAD to offer exclusive merchandise featuring artist designs and ranging from clothing to books, prints, patches and pins. A portion of proceeds from every sale will benefit each organization and its artists.

ORGANIZATION
Creative Growth: The House That Art Built is organized by SFMOMA and co-curated by Jenny Gheith, SFMOMA Associate Curator of Painting and Sculpture, and Nancy Lim, SFMOMA Associate Curator of Painting and Sculpture; with Auriel Garza, SFMOMA Curatorial Assistant.

SUPPORT
Lead support for Creative Growth: The House That Art Built is provided by Randi and Bob Fisher, and Diana Nelson and John Atwater. Major support is provided by Mary Jo and Dick Kovacevich. Significant support is provided by Mary Jane Elmore. Meaningful support is provided by Marty and Rebecca Eisenberg, Maryellen and Frank Herringer, and Alison Pincus.

Praise Frisco: Peace and Love in the City was commissioned and executed by William Scott as a part of Bay Area Walls, a series of commissions initiated in 2020. Major support is provided by the Roberta and Steve Denning Commissioning Endowed Fund. Significant support is provided by the Diana Nelson and John Atwater Commissioning Fund. Meaningful support is provided by the Patricia W. Fitzpatrick Commissioning Endowed Fund and the Denise Littlefield Sobel Commissioning Endowed Fund.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
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San Francisco, CA 94103

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. Our remarkable collection of painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design and media arts is housed in a LEED Gold-certified building designed by the global architects Snøhetta and Mario Botta. In addition to our seven gallery floors, SFMOMA now offers over 45,000 square feet of free, art-filled public space open to all.

Visit sfmoma.org or call 415.357.4000 for more information.

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About Creative Growth
Creative Growth is a non-profit organization based in Oakland, California that advances the inclusion of artists with developmental disabilities in contemporary art and strengthens community by providing a supportive studio environment and gallery representation. Founded in 1974, Creative Growth is a leader in the field of arts and disabilities, establishing a model for a creative community guided by the principle that art is fundamental to human expression and that all people are entitled to its tools of communication.

Art in Embassies Announces Creative Growth Collection

As the United States approaches its 250th year, the State Department’s Art in Embassies program is working with cultural institutions, artists, families, and galleries to curate art collections that promote U.S. diplomacy. 

Art in Embassies announces the establishment of the Creative Growth Collection, comprised of 89 artworks created by artists from the Creative Growth Art Center, all of whom have developmental disabilities.  

The Creative Growth Art Center is a nonprofit based in Oakland, California, that promotes inclusivity in the contemporary art community by providing a platform for artists with disabilities. The selected works from the new collection span various mediums, including watercolor, ink, textiles, clay, mixed media, pastels, acrylics, linocuts, and digital prints. They will immediately become available for exhibit in U.S. embassies and Ambassadors’ residences under long-term loan agreements.

The Creative Growth Art Center not only represents the diversity of our democratic society but also has received the highest critical acclaim. Its artworks have been showcased in exhibitions at renowned institutions such as MoMA, the Smithsonian, and the Studio Museum of Harlem. With the guidance of professional artists, the Creative Growth Studio provides artistic support, high-quality materials, and a workspace for over 140 artists.  

Art in Embassies Director Megan Beyer and Chief Curator Camille Benton announced the Collection during Art in Embassies’ 60th anniversary dinner with ambassadors and cultural leaders at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. 

The Office of Art in Embassies, established in 1963, plays a crucial role in U.S. public diplomacy, connecting nations through curated exhibitions. It showcases the innovation and cultural prowess of the United States and fosters cross-cultural connections.

For more information about Art in Embassies, visit art.state.gov.

Press inquiries can be sent to Megan Beyer at BeyerMC@state.gov.

OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA ANNOUNCES MAJOR ACQUISITION OF WORKS FROM ITS CURRENT EXHIBITION FEATURING ARTISTS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

Over 70 Artworks by Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & NIAD Art

Center from Into the Brightness Exhibition Added to Permanent Collection

Exhibition Extended until Sunday January 28, 2024

(OAKLAND, CA) January 23, 2024— The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) announced today its acquisition of over 70 individual artworks — including paintings, sculptures, video, works on paper, textiles and more —featured in its current major exhibition, Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & NIAD, marking the largest acquisition drawn from a single exhibition in OMCA’s history.

A man with a joyful expression stands to the right side of the image, presenting a colorful outfit on a mannequin. He is wearing a graphic t-shirt, a grey zip-up hoodie, and dark pants. On his feet are red sneakers with white soles. To his left is the mannequin, dressed in a white blazer and pants adorned with rainbow stripes, stars, and various other designs. Behind them, an abstract sculpture hangs from the ceiling, and another gold-toned sculpture stands in the background. The setting appears to be an art or fashion exhibition.

On the eve of the closing of Into the Brightness, these additions to the Museum’s permanent collection represent years of partnership building, community engagement, and institutional collaboration with the three Bay Area studios: Creativity Explored in San Francisco, Creative Growth in Oakland, and NIAD Art Center in Richmond. Through this acquisition, OMCA will integrate these works into its regular rotation schedule within the Gallery of California Art, as well as featuring them in future multidisciplinary projects and exhibitions.

"Into the Brightness captured the overflowing gifts of the artists of Creativity Explored, Creative Growth, and NIAD,” said Linda Johnson, Executive Director of Creativity Explored. “Now, OMCA's milestone investment in artwork from the three Katz-founded centers means that the influence of disabled artists will continue to ripple through the Bay Area art world — and beyond. I can’t wait to see our artists’ works in conversation with others in future exhibitions.”

"We are honored by the Oakland Museum of California's significant acquisition from the Into the Brightness exhibition. This remarkable gesture not only celebrates the extraordinary talents of artists from Creative Growth, but also underscores the importance of collaboration and community in the arts,” said Tom di Maria, Director Emeritus. “The inclusion of these works in OMCA's permanent collection and their future display is a testament to the diverse and dynamic spirit of artistic expression in the Bay Area. It marks a milestone in our ongoing mission to foster inclusivity and accessibility in the art world."

“This historic acquisition of works by NIAD artists holds so much meaning. It is significant that the Oakland Museum of California is an East Bay institution and a bastion of social and environmental justice within the museum world. It matters that OMCA houses collections—not only of contemporary art but also of history and science—that are in a unique dialogue with each other,” said Amanda Eicher, Executive Director of NIAD Art Center. “As these works join OMCA's collection, we celebrate the more than three years of collaborative commitment on the part of OMCA's curatorial team. The inclusion of NIAD artists in this acquisition expands the scope of OMCA’s entire collection, and that is exactly what NIAD artists aim to do in the art world at large: make an impact.”

Core to OMCA’s collection stewardship and curation practice is a relationship-first approach with artists. Into the Brightness serves as a monumental example of this: the OMCA exhibition team worked directly with artists and studio staff at Creativity Explored, Creative Growth and NIAD Art Center over regular community convenings and many studio visits to determine how they would all collaborate together on this project and organize the exhibition. These efforts resulted in the largest museum exhibition in over a decade featuring more than 200 artists from the three Bay Area institutions.

Rooted in the idea that making art is a fundamental human practice and form of communication that all people are entitled to, Into the Brightness invites visitors to consider these artists’ perspectives on the world through their powerful work across multiple artistic disciplines including painting, sculpture, film, multimedia, textiles, and more. OMCA’s relationship with the three organizations dates back many years. Past collaborations include multiple years hosting Creative Growth’s annual fundraiser and fashion show, Beyond Trend, and acquisitions of single artworks for OMCA’s permanent collection including Deena Jones , 1996, by William Scott in 2016, and Untitled, 1996, a sculpture by the late artist Judith Scott in 2004. A major acquisition of works from the three studios was identified as an institutional priority in OMCA’s collection plans as early as 2014.

Nineteen artists are represented in the acquisition including Jeremy Burleson mixed media lamp sculptures; Karen May’s drawings on found Artforum pages; John Patrick McKenzie’s monumental scroll - a text-based drawing referencing pop culture and his Filipino identity; Dan Miller’s abstractions of layered numbers and words; Dorian Reid’s ceramic self-portrait as a cat and portrait of her mother, Betty Reid Soskin, as a cat; Lance Rivers’ multi-layered urban skyline; Monica Valentine’s sculptures densely beaded with pins and sequins; Marilyn Wong’s exuberant abstract painting; Ying Ge Zhou’s enigmatic watercolor portraits. “The history of the Bay Area art scene is incomplete without recognition of the work and stories of the artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth, and NIAD Art Center,” said Carin Adams, curator of the exhibition and senior curator of art at OMCA. “Through this acquisition, OMCA will be better equipped to tell a more reflective and nuanced story of California through OMCA’s interdisciplinary approach and the rich perspectives of these existing and emerging artists in our community. It has been a deeply meaningful experience for me and for our team at OMCA to work with these studios and the artists over many years, to get to know their work and their working processes, and then to culminate this project by bringing these exceptional objects into our collection to steward and present long into the future.”

This acquisition is announced during the final weeks of the Into the Brightness exhibition. Visitors are invited to view the show before it closes. Due to popular demand, the exhibition’s run was extended to Sunday, January 28, 2024. The OMCA Garden will be aglow in lights starting Wednesday, January 24 to Sunday, January 28 in celebration of the exhibition’s closing.

Photos and checklists of the acquired artworks can be found here.

Creative Growth Receives Prestigious Grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation →

It is our honor to announce that Creative Growth has been chosen as one of the recipients of the prestigious Fall 2023 grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts! As we enter into our 50th Anniversary year, these significant funds will allow us to connect contemporary art and disability justice in educational and inspiring ways while continuing to bring our artists' work from the margins to the mainstream.

A heartfelt thank you to The Andy Warhol Foundation for recognizing and investing in the transformative power of art. We're deeply grateful for the chance to advance our mission and offer artists a platform for free expression. Cheers to pushing boundaries, shattering molds, and cultivating a vibrant world where creativity knows no limits.

“The terrific range of project proposals we receive each year speaks to the mobile and porous disciplinary boundaries of contemporary art practice, and to the rich and inventive ways writers approach art today. They are alert to the urgent need to expand the conventions of art history and criticism with ideas from other discourses, such as black studies, transnational and diaspora studies, gender and women’s studies, and LGBT studies. The work of lesser known and overlooked artists and art communities continues to be mined, with writers articulating new ways to counter the striking imbalances of race, class and gender that continue to affect the arts and the culture industry.”

- Pradeep Dalal, Program Director, The Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant

About the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts:

In accordance with Andy Warhol’s will, the mission of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts is the advancement of the visual arts. The foundation manages a dynamic grants program while also preserving Warhol’s legacy through creative and responsible licensing policies and extensive scholarly research for ongoing catalogue raisonné projects. To date, the foundation has given nearly $300 million in cash grants to over 1,000 arts organizations across the country and abroad and has donated 52,786 works of art to 322 institutions worldwide. To learn more, visit warholfoundation.org.

Creative Growth Art Center Presents 2023 Holiday Show

 Embroidery on canvas artwork by Sherry Stanley

Creative Growth Art Center Presents 2023 Holiday Show

 A Gift-Giver's Paradise Celebrating Community, Creativity and Disability Pride

(November 14, 2023) – Creative Growth, a renowned center for artists with disabilities, is excited to announce its much-anticipated Annual Holiday Show. This historic community celebration promises to be a festive extravaganza that brings together art, music, and the spirit of giving.

Creative Growth's Annual Holiday Show is a beloved tradition, known for drawing crowds from across the Bay Area and beyond, with lines often stretching around the block. The event will take place at the Creative Growth Art Center, where the space will be magically transformed into a gift-giver's paradise, featuring a stunning array of one-of-a-kind holiday treasures created by the center's talented artists.

Guests can expect a lively and inclusive atmosphere suitable for all ages. The event will be filled with the joyful sounds of live bands, ensuring a rockin' party for all attendees. The festive decorations will transport visitors into a holiday wonderland, igniting the holiday spirit and warm feelings of togetherness.

What makes this Holiday Show even more special is its mission to support artists with disabilities. Every purchase of a unique holiday gift directly contributes to supporting these artists and allows them to continue their creative journeys. Creative Growth has a long history of fostering artistic expression and providing a platform for artists with disabilities to shine, and this event is a perfect embodiment of that mission.

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Key Event Details:

• Online Sale: Starting November 22nd, 2023 at www.creativegrowth.org

• In Person Show: Friday, December 1st, 2023 and Saturday, December 2nd, 2023

• Time:

• MEMBER PREVIEW:

• December 1st, 5:00 - 6:00 PM

• PUBLIC OPENING:

• December 1st, 6:00 - 9:00 PM

• December 2nd, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

• Location: Creative Growth Art Center, 355 24th Street, Oakland, CA 94612

• Live Bands: Fantasy the Band

• Admission: Free and open to the public

"We are thrilled to once again host our Annual Holiday Show, a cherished event that celebrates the creativity and resilience of our artists while bringing our community together," said Ginger Shulick Porcella, Executive Director at Creative Growth. "It's a perfect opportunity to find unique and meaningful holiday gifts while supporting a great cause."

Creative Growth invites everyone to join in the festivities and share in the joy of giving. Make this holiday season memorable by attending the Annual Holiday Show and discovering extraordinary gifts that are sure to delight your loved ones.

 
For more information about Creative Growth and the Annual Holiday Show, please visit www.creativegrowth.org or contact ibby@creativegrowth.org.

Accessibility

Mask Policy

Masks are optional but encouraged!

Restrooms

Multiple stall gendered restrooms are on the first floor. To access a single-stall gender-neutral bathroom, please ask a volunteer or staff person. There are no diaper changing stations available. Ask staff for assistance.

Sensory Room

The event will likely be crowded and loud. To access the sensory room (on the second floor accessible by stairs and elevator), please ask a volunteer or staff person.

Language Access

ASL, Mandarin and Spanish interpretation will be provided on Friday, December 1. 

Para apoyo en español, póngase en contacto con Emma: emma@creativegrowth.org.

Contact Information

For questions or comments about accessibility, please contact Emma Peyton: emma@creativegrowth.org

Stay tuned for more updates about accessible Holiday Show experiences.

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SFMOMA AND CREATIVE GROWTH ART CENTER ANNOUNCE UNPRECEDENTED PARTNERSHIP IN CELEBRATION OF CREATIVE GROWTH’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

SFMOMA Additionally Acquires Vibrant Range of Artworks from
Locally Based Organizations Creativity Explored and NIAD

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (October 23, 2023)—The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and Oakland-based Creative Growth Art Center announced today an unprecedented partnership that honors the emergence of the art and disability movement in the Bay Area and brings to the fore a critical and often overlooked aspect of the region’s artistic richness. Coinciding with Creative Growth’s 50th anniversary, the partnership encompasses the acquisition of more than 100 works created by artists associated with Creative Growth; the development of two exhibitions with Creative Growth artists; and the presentation of a series of events that will be activated over the course of three years. Additionally, SFMOMA will acquire works from Creative Growth’s two Bay Area peer organizations, with 31 objects from San Francisco-based Creativity Explored and 12 from Richmond-based NIAD (Nurturing Independence through Artistic Development). Together, the acquisitions make SFMOMA home to one of the largest collections of art by artists with disabilities, a historic moment of recognition for a group of artists long underrecognized by the art world. 

We are thrilled to embark on this remarkable partnership with SFMOMA that further diversifies the museum’s collection to include more than 100 works by marginalized Bay Area artists," said Tom di Maria, Director Emeritus at Creative Growth Art Center. “This collaboration builds critical bridges between different communities of artists, disability activists, and cultural leaders and viewers, strengthening the artistic landscape of the Bay Area.

SFMOMA's investment marks a historic milestone in the contemporary art world,” said Ginger Shulick Porcella, Executive Director at Creative Growth Art Center. “It has been far too long that art institutions have ignored or underrecognized artists with disabilities. These talented creators can no longer be relegated to the category of 'outsider artists' as they firmly occupy the walls of museums worldwide.

Creative Growth was founded in 1974 by Elias Katz and Florence Ludins-Katz as a pioneering non-profit art center providing a platform for artists with disabilities to express themselves. One of the first U.S. organizations dedicated to supporting artists with disabilities, Creative Growth serves as an international model for the field of art and disability. The organization remains artist-run, serves over 140 artists in its studio weekly, and presents artists’ work in galleries and exhibition venues around the globe. Creativity Explored and NIAD (Nurturing Independence through Artistic Development) were also founded by the Katzes—in 1983 and 1984 respectively—and are similarly devoted to artists with developmental disabilities. The three organizations, with their trailblazing histories and deep connections to decades of practicing artists, are together one of the most distinguishing facets of the Bay Area arts ecology and equally hold international importance.  

“We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with a groundbreaking organization like Creative Growth and to establish another lasting relationship with a cultural leader in our community. This partnership celebrates the work of an extraordinary group of artists as well as the visionaries who have championed them for decades, well before the international art world began to take critical notice. We are thrilled to provide an additional platform for the work of these highly talented creators and to bring much deserved visibility to their distinct voices, perspectives and works,” said Christopher Bedford, the Helen and Charles Schwab Director of SFMOMA. “This partnership is part of our ongoing effort to fulfill SFMOMA’s vision to present and collect a more diverse range of artists, expanding our understanding of art history and the narratives and artists that have shaped it. It is one important step of many in the museum’s overdue commitment to prioritize accessibility and artists with disabilities.”

EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS

In Spring 2024, SFMOMA will open an exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of Creative Growth and featuring a selection from the 114 works by 10 Creative Growth artists acquired by the museum this fall. Among the artists are Joseph Alef, Camille Holvoet, Susan Janow, Dwight Mackintosh, John Martin, Dan Miller, Donald Mitchell, Judith Scott, William Scott and Ron Veasey. The exhibition will also include gifts and promised gifts, as well as a selection of archival materials. Together, the works date from 1980 to 2022, and range in media from acrylic and oil pastel to video, ceramic, drawings and papier-mâché. 

The exhibition program will also include a commission by Creative Growth artist William Scott, as part of SFMOMA’s ongoing Bay Area Walls series. Well-known for his paintings and drawings of detailed cityscapes that express faith and hope in San Francisco, as well as portraits of family members, public figures and fantasy people, Scott will create a mural at the entryway to SFMOMA’s second floor galleries, located within SFMOMA’s free art-filled public space.  

SFMOMA will also host a series of events with Creative Growth, including the 5th annual Creative Growth Creating Community symposium. Several talks for the symposium will be jointly organized by Creative Growth and SFMOMA; talks will be hosted both at SFMOMA and in Oakland in Spring 2024. The museum will additionally host Creative Growth’s extraordinary Beyond Trend Gala, marking the organization’s milestone anniversary. The gala is slated to include the annual must-see showcase that features original designs created and modeled by Creative Growth artists. 

CREATIVE GROWTH ACQUISITIONS
SFMOMA’s acquisition of 114 works from Creative Growth includes objects by 10 artists long associated with the organization:

• Joseph Alef (b. 1981, Berkeley, California), who has practiced at Creative Growth 2001–2008 and 2013 to the present, creates layered, organic abstract paintings filled with bright colors, graphic lines and an expressive vocabulary of mark making.  

• Before moving to Creativity Explored in 2001, Camille Holvoet (b. 1952, San Francisco) practiced at Creative Growth from 1988 to 2001. While her current work focuses on cakes, Ferris wheels and other favorite motifs of pleasure, the imagery from her time at Creative Growth is autobiographical, with a distinct narrative impulse emphasized by descriptive titles such as “feeling asleep when i obsessing.”  

• A Creative Growth artist since 2003, Susan Janow (b. 1980, San Francisco, California) creates work across a range of media, including drawing, ceramics and video. Her methodical and meditative drawings begin with an open grid that she meticulously fills in with graphic lines and bright colors that create patterns and forms with an expressive linear rhythm. Her best-known work, Questions (2018), is a 10-minute single-channel video that shifts between standard interview-like questions and personal inquiries.  

• Dwight Mackintosh (b. Hayward, California, 1906–1999) was 72 years old when he began working at Creative Growth after a lifetime of living in institutions. During his 20 years at the organization, he developed a remarkable visual language to depict favored imagery: self-portraits, buses and rows of figures. Mackintosh also explores text as abstracted imagery, turning letters into flowing graphic elements that tumble across the composition.  

• John Martin (b. 1963, Marks, Mississippi) has practiced at the organization since 1986. Using vividly colored drawings, ceramics and woodwork, Martin combines memories of his childhood on a farm in Mississippi with his present life in Oakland. 

• Featured in the 2017 Venice Biennale, Dan Miller (b. 1961, Castro Valley, California) is one of Creative Growth’s most widely known artists. A Creative Growth artist since 1992, Miller works ambidextrously, using both hands to create densely layered paintings and works on paper. Dan has a rich practice of paintings and drawings that feature thick clouds of words, numbers, lines, symbols and colors aggregated into a central mass.

• Donald Mitchell (b. 1951, San Francisco, California) explores the motif of the figure in his drawings, which the artist depicts as thick, square bodies that are often thronged into a dense crowd. A Creative Growth artist since 1986, Mitchell deftly alternates between color and black-and-white in his work.  

• Judith Scott (b. 1943, Columbus, Ohio; died 2005, Dutch Flat, California) is an internationally known Creative Growth artist. Her work was featured in a retrospective organized by the Brooklyn Museum in 2014 and she was included in the 2017 Venice Biennale. Scott started working at Creative Growth when she was 43 years old and created art there for the next 18 years, until her death in 2005. Her intricate, layered sculptures use yarn, twine and strips of fabric to wrap and knot around an array of mundane everyday objects.  

• William Scott (b. 1964, San Francisco, California) has worked at Creative Growth for over 30 years and his work is already held in SFMOMA’s collection. Working across painting, drawing and sculpture, Scott is known for poignant portraits of family members, musicians, actors and politicians.  

• Ron Veasey (b. 1957, Las Vegas, Nevada) has been a Creative Growth artist for over 40 years. He develops brilliantly colored portraits that are sourced from magazines and books on photography. He distills his reference materials into images of people with strong outlines, bold colors and geometric patterns.  
  
  

CREATIVITY EXPLORED + NIAD (Nurturing Independence through Artistic Development) ACQUISITIONS 

SFMOMA also acquired an outstanding slate of works from San Francisco-based Creativity Explored and Richmond-based NIAD (Nurturing Independence through Artistic Development). 

“Creativity Explored, NIAD and Creative Growth were dreamed into existence by our visionary founders, Florence Ludins-Katz and Elias Katz. Their innate understanding of the value that disabled artists bring has meant better lives for people with disabilities worldwide, and a richer, realer art world for everyone. This historic acquisition by SFMOMA recognizes the historic significance of the Katzes' dream and underscores the museum's commitment to a more inclusive arts landscape,” said Linda Johnson, Executive Director of Creativity Explored.

“NIAD is thrilled to play a part in SFMOMA's strategy to diversify its collection and widen inclusion within its walls. It has been an honor to work with the curatorial and acquisitions teams, and their work, commitment and consideration have been evident throughout the process,” said Amanda Eicher, Executive Director of NIAD. “Collaboration and partnership are at the heart of NIAD's work. Many NIAD artists would echo the sentiment that inclusion in one of the most significant collections of modern art worldwide is incredibly meaningful to their work and its visibility. Artists practicing in our studios are passionate about their leadership roles in the art world, and this acquisition reflects yet another way in which NIAD artists are redefining contemporary art.”

Among the 31 acquisitions from Creativity Explored are works by Mary Belknap (b. 1944, San Francisco, California), Peter Cordova (b. 1966, Philippines), Daniel Green (b. 1985, San Francisco), Walter Kresnik (b. 1957, Ontario, Canada), John Patrick McKenzie (b. 1962, Philippines), Bertha Otoya (b. 1979, Peru) and Evelyn Reyes (b. 1957, San Francisco, California). 

The selection of acquisitions from NIAD includes 12 works by Julio del Rio (b. 1988, El Tepehuaje, Michoacan, Mexico), Karen May (b. 1950, Fresno, California), Marlon Mullen (b. 1963, Richmond, California) and Arstanda Billy White (b. 1962, Richmond, California).

This significant acquisition of over 150 works from Creative Growth, Creativity Explored and NIAD will join several objects already in the museum’s collection by artists associated with each of these organizations: Judith Scott (Creative Growth), William Scott (Creative Growth), Alice Wong (Creative Growth), Marlon Mullen (NIAD) and Dan Michiels (Creativity Explored), as well as several promised gifts from supporters in the community. 

SFMOMA plans to feature a diverse range of these acquired works in galleries throughout the museum over time, bringing the artists and their voices into active artistic and institutional dialogues with other artists in the collection.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

151 Third Street

San Francisco, CA 94103

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. Our remarkable collection of painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design and media arts is housed in a LEED Gold-certified building designed by the global architects Snøhetta and Mario Botta. In addition to our seven gallery floors, SFMOMA now offers more than 62,000 square feet of free art-filled public space open to all.

Visit sfmoma.org or call 415.357.4000 for more information.

** Follow us on X for updates and announcements: @SFMOMA_Press

About Creative Growth
Creative Growth is a non-profit organization based in Oakland, California that advances the inclusion of artists with developmental disabilities in contemporary art and strengthens community by providing a supportive studio environment and gallery representation. Founded in 1974, Creative Growth is a leader in the field of arts and disabilities, establishing a model for a creative community guided by the principle that art is fundamental to human expression and that all people are entitled to its tools of communication. 

About Creativity Explored

Creativity Explored was founded in 1983 in a Mission District garage by two visionaries of the art and disabilities movement, Florence Ludins-Katz and Elias Katz— and has since grown to support 140 artists in San Francisco, including some who have worked at the studio for all 40 years. Creativity Explored has been an enduring community cornerstone, facilitating the careers of hundreds of disabled artists who have seen their work exhibited in museums, galleries, high-end luxury properties, affordable housing projects, art products, and art fairs in over 14 countries. San Francisco's artistic community is deeply intertwined with and influenced by Creativity Explored, with many professional artists participating at some point in their careers as staff, volunteers, and collaborators. 

NIAD

Now in its 41st year, NIAD Art Center is a progressive art studio that promotes creative expression, independence, inclusion, and community integration for adult artists with disabilities. NIAD facilitates both a Virtual and a Richmond, California-based studio and exhibition space, programmed by and with NIAD artists. 

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Media Contacts

Clara Hatcher Baruth, chatcher@sfmoma.org, 415.357.4177 

Ibby Sasso, ibby@creativegrowth.org, 415.652.8821

Creative Growth Art Center Presents "Text Me: Exploring Typography in Art" Exhibition

Exhibition will be open to the public from July 14th to September 2nd, 2023

(Oakland, California, July 11, 2023) – Creative Growth Art Center, a pioneering nonprofit organization supporting artists with disabilities, is delighted to announce its latest exhibition, "Text Me: Exploring Typography in Art." The exhibition, which focuses on the captivating world of typography, will be on display from July 14th to September 2nd, 2023 at the Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, California.

"Text Me" invites visitors to immerse themselves in a visual journey that celebrates the power and versatility of typography as a form of artistic expression. The exhibition envelops the gallery in a captivating spotlight on typography, showcasing a remarkable collection of artworks that explore the intersection of language, design, and art.

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Typography has long played a crucial role in communication and has evolved to become an art form in itself. "Text Me" highlights the diverse ways in which artists utilize the written word as a powerful tool to convey emotions, narratives, and social commentary. From bold and experimental letterforms to typography-infused mixed media works, this exhibition presents a dynamic and thought-provoking exploration of the printed word.

Creative Growth Art Center is thrilled to present 'Text Me”' an exhibition that showcases the incredible talent and creativity of our artists. Typography has the ability to transcend language and connect people on a visual and emotional level. This exhibition is a testament to the profound impact typography can have and the unique perspectives our artists bring to this art form.

- Ginger Shulick Porcella, Executive Director of Creative Growth Art Center

An opening reception for "Text Me: Exploring Typography in Art" will be held on July 14th, 2023 from 5-8pm, providing an opportunity for visitors to engage with the artists and gain deeper insights into their creative process. The exhibition is free and the Creative Growth Gallery welcomes all to experience the immersive world of typography. The gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday by appointment from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm and Saturdays: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. For further information, please visit www.creativegrowth.org.

Creative Growth + method Partnership Featured | Good Housekeeping | September 2017

Cleansers for a Cause
By Carolyn Forte
September 1, 2017

Dan Miller Featured | Folks Magazine | July 2018

The Painted Words Of An Autistic Art Star The text-based paintings of artist Dan Miller allow him to express the depths of his heart far more vividly than words ever could.

By Carey Dunne July 25, 2017

“STOP SAYING THE R-WORD,” reads a screen-printed poster that hangs in the window of Creative Growth Art Center, a nonprofit organization housed in a former auto-repair shop in downtown Oakland, California. In the center’s studio, artist Dan Miller hunches over a table covered in brushes and watercolor paper and begins to paint the alphabet. In blue acrylic that matches the blue hockey helmet he always wears, he scrawls a giant A, B, C, D, layering letters atop one another until they’re no longer legible. While he works, he chants cryptic phrases that sound like zen koans or fragments of experimental poetry: “Pull the light bulb from the socket? No,” he says. “Alphabet cookie, homemade cookie, right? Pull it gently, gently, right?”

“Right,” says Creative Growth staffer Kathleen Henderson. When Dan gets to Z, she hands him a fresh sheet of paper. Without taking a breath, he picks up a ballpoint pen and starts a round of furious scribbling. “Click, click, click,” he chants. “Click, click, click.”

Born in 1961 in Castro Valley, California, Dan was diagnosed with autism in early childhood. As he struggled with verbal communication, drawing became his primary mode of expression.

“From the time I can remember, Danny always liked to draw,” Cara Miller, Dan’s sister, told Folks. “He would draw on anything when we were kids. Inside books, on scrap paper, anything.”

As Dan was growing up—in an era in which people with disabilities were often institutionalized—his relatives never suspected that this compulsive drawing habit would someday propel him to art stardom. But they did invest significant time in his education: As a child, in addition to attending special education classes and summer camps, Dan spent hours every night working on reading and writing with his mother and grandmother, both schoolteachers. “Our grandmother was very dedicated to educating him above and beyond what he was getting at school,” Cara says. “Our Mom was always looking for tools and things that would help him learn—so he could learn to type, she got him one of the first portable computers ever made, which he still has.”

When he wasn’t drawing or typing, Dan obsessed over tools and mechanical things, poring over his father’s catalogs for Grainger’s hardware, or taking apart clock radios, overhead fans, and light bulbs. This fascination with mechanics, as well as his ritualistic childhood writing practice, now shows up as motifs in Dan’s artwork, which weaves fragments of memory into abstract compositions. (Words like ‘‘socket,’’ ‘‘light bulb’’ and ‘‘electrician’’ recur in his paintings.)

Almost twenty years ago, at the recommendation of a caseworker at his residential program, Dan started working out of Creative Growth Art Center. Founded in 1974 by a psychologist and an educator in their Berkeley garage, Creative Growth now provides studio space and gallery representation for more than 160 artists with physical, mental, and developmental disabilities.

With the guidance of staffers at Creative Growth, Dan’s scrap paper drawings evolved into wall-sized paintings, which eventually made their way into the elite reaches of the fine art world. Now, Dan is one of the best-known artists working out of Creative Growth. His work is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He’s had solo exhibitions at renowned galleries like Ricco Maresca, Galerie Christian Berst, Paris, and White Columns, New York. In a collaboration with Creative Growth Dan’s marker drawings even found their way into Vans stores as a series of unique limited-edition skate sneakers. His works sometimes sell for tens of thousands of dollars apiece.

Dan’s dense tangles of dark lines sometimes recall Cy Twombly’s demented cursive, and his scrawled phrases echo Jean-Michel Basquiat’s graffiti-inflected compositions. (“Rocketship pain,” reads one painting, in dripping black letters. “COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE,” says another. “ROOF HOUSE CARPENTER ELECTRICIAN” reads another, inside a childlike line drawing of a house with a pointed roof.) But any apparent stylistic mimicry is coincidental: Like most of his fellow Creative Growth artists, Dan never formally studied art. Instead, he works from what seems like an intense physical compulsion: Drawing seems a requisite bodily function, an instinct it would be unwise to suppress.

“He really doesn’t like to be without something to work on,” Kathleen says. “He’s always drawing. Because he works so much, things really have a magisterial mark.” Watching Dan work, you get the sense that, if the paper supply were to run out, momentum might propel him to start drawing on the surface of the table, the floor, the walls. “When he comes over, I know my pens and paper of any kind are subject to being hijacked,” Cara says. “We’ve learned to get our pens and regular paper in bulk from Costco. I make sure to have some stocked at all times.”

Contemporary art critics, gallerists, and psychologists of creativity have thoroughly expounded on the significance of Dan’s work, which, according to Bay-Area poet Kevin Killian, “achieves a clattering poetry of infinite discrimination.” Some comment on how his text-based paintings appear to deconstruct language; others speculate on the level of intentionality behind the artist’s methods. But as with any art worth looking at, his practice contains a big element of mystery, sometimes best left unspoiled by over-analysis.

“His work kind of speaks for itself,” Cara says. “It’s still difficult to really know what is happening in his head and heart, other than the basic things. It must be so hard for him to not be able to tell us things, to express what he is feeling and to tell us what he wants, aside from some of the basic things in life. I do believe that he has the desire to connect with people and to express himself.”

Art has helped him do that: “Creative Growth is the key-master that opened some of those doors for him. Danny’s life and the challenges he faces go well beyond what most people see,” Cara says. “Creative Growth and the people in it are some of the best parts of Danny’s life. That, and hamburgers. He loves hamburgers.”

This is part four of four of Folks’ series of profiles of some of the amazing artists at Oakland’s Creative Growth Arts Center, which serves artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities.

For original article, visit folks.pillpack.com.

John Hiltunen Featured | Folks Magazine | July 2017

Keeper Of His Own Animal Kingdom John Hiltunen, who has diabetes and dyslexia, never made art at all until he was 54. Now his weird and wild collages are the toast of the art world.

By Carey Dunne July 7, 2017

Wearing starred-and-striped suspenders over a white t-shirt, artist John Hiltunen points to a small chest of drawers next to his workspace, housed in a cavernous former auto-repair shop in downtown Oakland, California: “Bodies go in this drawer; heads go in this one,” he says. Piled on his desk are glossy magazines—Vogue, GQ, Glamour, National Geographic—plus animal-themed wall calendars and patterned wallpapers.

Working out of Creative Growth Art Center—a nonprofit that serves more than 160 artists with developmental, mental, and physical disabilities—John spends hours decapitating images of fashion models with scissors, then affixing their bodies to cut-outs of animal heads. Placed against scenic backdrops, these stylish chimeras fuse self-serious, airbrushed fashion photography with animal kingdom oddities: A guinea pig struts in a sequined tunic; a snowy owl carries a leather handbag through the woods; a ginger cat models a silk ball gown; a Yorkshire terrier strikes a pose in a frilly white pantsuit.

Since joining Creative Growth in 2003, John has become an unlikely art world darling. His animal-human mashups are routinely featured in contemporary art fairs like NADA Miami, the Independent, and Frieze New York. Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and artist Cindy Sherman are among the high-profile collectors of his work. In 2012, John’s work was the focus of a major group exhibition at Gallery Paule Anglim, San Francisco. In New York, he’s exhibited at White Columns Gallery and Rachel Uffner Gallery.

He got a late start: Until age 54, “I had no idea that I could do art,” John says.

Until age 54, “I had no idea that I could do art,” John says.

Born in Sturgis, Kentucky in 1949 and raised in Omaha, Nebraska by his cement contractor father and homemaker mother, John has struggled with severe learning disabilities since childhood. “My mom supported me a lot, but I never had any education,” he says. “I had problems with my eyes and with dyslexia. A bad case of that. Every time I tried to learn to read, I got a bad headache.”

When John was ten, his father died. After that, “everybody was telling my mom to send me away,” he says. “Back then, they thought it was a good idea to send disabled people away.” Eventually, his mother sent him to an institution in Brownsville, Texas. “They started giving me a lot of pills, drugging me a lot,” he says. “I really didn’t care for it. I remember being all druggy. I got to a point where I just didn’t take the pills. I’d hide them in my mouth and spit them out. They didn’t know that. They weren’t treating people right. So I finally called my mom and told her about it and she got me out of there.”

John moved to the Sara Center, a residential center for people with disabilities in Fremont, California, and stopped taking medications, except to manage his diabetes. Compared to the hellish institution in Brownsville, Sara Center was idyllic. There, he met his wife, Carol. “Basically, it was love at first sight,” he says. “We were married up on a hill.” At Sara Center, the couple lived independently, “getting along real well.”

But for decades, “I didn’t have any hobbies,” John says. “[I was doing] nothin’ much, just sitting in the house, watching TV, getting bored. I never really looked at art.”

That changed in 2003, when a friend referred John and Carol to Creative Growth. There, John discovered woodworking, rug-making, and ceramics. He and Carol also found a solid group of friends, who call him “Grandpa.”

“John’s kind of the patriarch in the community,” Creative Growth studio manager Matt Dostal says. “He brings in elaborate lunches for everybody in his friend group—a big cooler full of huge amounts of fried chicken and potato salad and diet Cokes.”

At first, John was critical of his visual art, and didn’t feel like he had a natural knack for it. But in 2007, visiting artist Paul Butler brought his traveling “Collage Party” to Creative Growth, inviting the artists to participate in a day-long cutting-and-pasting frenzy. “Collage can be really accessible for people who have a hard time drawing or painting,” Dostal says. “It’s a good gateway practice.”

At Paul Butler’s Collage Party, John made his first animal-human mashup. It was an instant hit. Fusing fashion and animal photography became his go-to practice. Though most of his works are variations on this same theme, they’re never formulaic; each collage introduces an exotic new hybrid species. His creatures often look somehow more natural than the chiseled, Photoshopped bodies that fill the pages of glossy magazines; it’s as if John is on a mission to tear off fashion models’ suffocating human masks and free the wild animals hiding beneath.

John is on a mission to tear off fashion models’ suffocating human masks and free the wild animals hiding beneath.

“His collages are in some ways incredibly simple, but there’s a really elegant subtlety, thoughtfulness and humor to the way he cuts out the images,” Dostal says. “They look so happenstance and poetic.”

“I just like switchin’ things around,” John says when asked why he gravitates toward collage. In recent years, John has expanded his practice to include 3-D art books and animated video pieces, such as “A Call to Kill,” in which an Australian Silky Terrier driving a sports car thwarts a villain’s plot to blow up the Golden Gate Bridge. Most recently, John had a solo show at Good Luck Gallery in Los Angeles’ Chinatown, where four pieces sold within the first two hours of the opening.

The success hasn’t gone to his head. “He doesn’t care what people think,” Dostal says. “He just wants to create his art.”

On June 14th, John and Carol celebrated their thirtieth wedding anniversary. “I’ve had a good life,” John says. He recalls how, in 2013, after being nominated by esteemed British curator Matthew Higgs, he won the Tiffany Grant—a biennial award given to American contemporary artists who demonstrate unique “talent and individual artistic strength” but haven’t yet received widespread recognition. Selected by a jury composed of artists, critics, and museum professionals, awardees receive an unrestricted check for $20,000.

John spent his prize money on a three-day trip to Disneyland with his wife and all their friends.

This is part two of four of Folks’ series of profiles of some of the amazing artists at Oakland’s Creative Growth Arts Center, which serves artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities.

For original article, visit folks.pillpack.com.

Ray Vickers Featured | Folks Magazine | June 2017

The Illustrated World Of An Autistic Superhero-Artist Ray Vickers' one-of-a-kind comics, which feature teddy bear ninjas and sword-wielding bunny superheroes, have become highly-prized by art collectors. But for Ray, they're a way of making sense of the world.

By Carey Dunne June 28, 2017

Wearing a scorpion suspended in a glow-in-the-dark pendant around his neck, artist Ray Vickers sketches a picture of a rabbit wielding a sword made out of a carrot and tells me the legend of his own birth: “I was born with a tail, and with clothes on,” he says. “Red boxers, a white t-shirt, and a tattoo that said ‘Don’t Fuck With the Baby.’”

Coloring the carrot-sword orange, Ray tells me he can time-travel, that he’s Albert Einstein’s stepson, that he only ages once every 300 years. When he was a kid, he says, his tail let him hang and swing from things, until the fateful day it was bitten off by a pack of rabid dogs: “May it rest in peace,” he says.

As one of 160 artists working out of Creative Growth Art Center—a nonprofit that provides studio space and resources for artists with developmental and physical disabilities in Oakland, California—Ray channels his wild imagination and sharp surrealist humor into drawing.

“Art helps me with my anxiety,” says Ray, 29. “It helps me to not focus on the stuff I’m going through. It helps me escape reality. I like to live in my own world twenty-four-seven. You can’t get in trouble if you live in your own world.”

The illustrated world Ray has created since joining Creative Growth in 2009 is filled with anthropomorphic rabbit-heroes and teddy bear-villains, pop culture icons like Captain America, and graphic motifs like eyeballs, eight-balls, and arrows.

As a comic book-obsessed student at Oakland’s Stonehurst Elementary School—which he describes as “H-E-double hockey sticks”—Ray often drew superheroes while bored in class.

“When I was young, but old enough to understand, my mom explained what I had: Autism, Asperger’s, dyslexia, ADHD,” he says. “We’re not stupid, we just learn differently than others. I always knew I was different, but didn’t know I could make money selling art.”

“Art helps me with my anxiety… It helps me to not focus on the stuff I’m going through.”

Growing up in southeast Oakland in the nineties, Ray often saw the impulse to “escape reality” play out in drug and alcohol abuse. Having witnessed the toll this took on his community, he swore he’d “never smoke, drink, or vape.” Instead, he sought escape through reading DC and Marvel Comics, watching action movies, volunteering at the Oakland Zoo, and attending cosplay and toy conventions. “Toys are my drug,” he says, showing photos of his vast collection of action figures.

As a teenager, when he wasn’t attending Richmond Educational Learning Center, studying Independent Living Skills at Alameda College, or working as a handyman with his cousin, Ray “was just chilling constantly at home with [his] leopard gecko, watching Spiderman cartoons from the eighties.”

It wasn’t until 2009, when his case manager referred him to Creative Growth, that Ray found the resources he needed to develop his art practice. Superhero doodles soon evolved into works that have been shown in established galleries and major art fairs, including the NADA Art Fair in Miami and the Outsider Art Fair in New York.

“I always knew I was different, but didn’t know I could make money selling art.”

At Creative Growth one morning, Ray works alone in a quiet back room of the former auto-repair shop, drawing with Sharpie, listening to Nine Inch Nails on headphones. He describes his work-in-progress: “This rabbit’s looking at his carrot sword, trying to decide if he’s gonna kill the teddy bears,” he says. “The teddy bears killed his family and friends, because they were discriminating. Now he’s trying to decide what’s next in life.”

In recent years, Ray’s drawings of dead rabbits have earned something of a cult following. “He drew a dead rabbit one day, people loved it, and it sold very quickly,” Creative Growth Studio Manager Matt Dostal says. “It became a motif for him. Now he does these rabbits with carrot samurai swords beheading stuffed animals, a lot of funny comic violence.” In 2015, Ray’s series “Newcha’s Revenge Against Bunnies Bunny Revenger” was shown in a group exhibition at the renowned Fraenkel Gallery, curated by artist Katy Grannan.

In April, in preparation for Creative Growth’s annual fashion show and fundraiser, Ray spent months crafting an army-green suit with a matching mask and gauntlets made from shin guards, plus a bow and a quiver for arrows. This costume transformed him into Green Arrow, a superhero from the world of DC Comics. As Green Arrow, “I try to help others, save the city,” Ray says. “Fighting crime, beating up bad people.”

At the sold-out fashion show, called “Beyond Trend,” a crowd gathered around a runway festooned in paper flowers. Artists strutted down the catwalk, modeling handmade Frankenstein masks, shrinky-dink jewelry, pom-pom-covered shawls, and sparkly tinsel headdresses. When Ray emerged as Green Arrow, cheers erupted and he struck a fierce pose, drawing back his bow and aiming the arrow into the crowd.

“He looked so confident that nearly everyone in the audience instinctively flinched, if not full-out ducked,” says Creative Growth staffer Jessica Daniel. “Of course, he didn’t shoot the arrow— it wasn’t a real arrow, anyway—but he was pretty proud of the reaction.”

Superheroes influence Ray’s real-world behavior, not just his art. He often rescues stray dogs he finds in his neighborhood. While skateboarding, he found an American bulldog on the side of the road, “looking really dehydrated.” He brought her home, named her Scuttles, and fed her plenty: “Now she’s fat.” Scuttles has two adopted siblings: a rescued Newfoundland named Ace and a bearded dragon named Hero.

“Ray is one of the most caring, sensitive, empathetic people I know,” Matt says. Superhero persona aside, “he couldn’t just see a dog looking hungry on the street and leave it there.”

But Ray doesn’t consider his empathy a superpower. “I don’t have any powers in my world,” he claims. Given the choice to have any superpower, “I would probably pick super-strength, so I could pick up literally anything,” he says, spinning his fidget-spinner. “If I was walking down the street one night and saw someone trying to kidnap somebody, I could just stop their car with my hand and rip their tire off. I can see it now.” He cocks his head to the side and gazes into the distance.

“When I daydream,” he explains, “I tip my head a little to the left.”

This is part two of four of Folks’ series of profiles of some of the amazing artists at Oakland’s Creative Growth Arts Center, which serves artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities.

For original article, visit folks.pillpack.org.

Rickie Algarva Featured | Folks Magazine | June 2017

The “Good Witch” Artist Finds Her Niche Fun-loving psychedelic explorer Rickie Algarva was never able to hold down a job due to her learning disabilities. Now 76, her artworks sell for up to $750 apiece.

By Carey Dunne June 16, 2017

Hamburgers grow on trees, a man on a hoverboard flies over a waterfall, Ra the Sun God stares down a monkey riding a horse: If you saw Ricketta “Rickie” Algarva strolling down the street with her walker one day, you probably wouldn’t guess that these sorts of wild images churn beneath her orange bucket hat. At 76, with cropped white hair and hearing aids, the petite, soft-spoken artist creates psychedelic worlds as dazzling as Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland.

For the past twenty-nine years, Rickie has worked out of Creative Growth Art Center, a nonprofit organization that serves artists with developmental and physical disabilities in Oakland, California. Founded in 1974 by an art educator and a psychologist in their Berkeley garage, Creative Growth now provides more than 150 artists with supplies, gallery representation, and professional studio space in a cavernous former auto-repair shop in downtown Oakland.

“Shall I add some birds here?” Rickie muses one morning in the studio, painting technicolor accents onto her latest wooden sculpture. It features a few of her trademark motifs: Waterfalls, wine bottles, flying people, flying hamburgers. (Rickie emphasizes that her interest in hamburgers is purely aesthetic: “I don’t eat hamburgers. Only once in awhile. They’re greasy. All that fat in ‘em.”)

Born premature at East Oakland Hospital in 1941, infant Rickie weighed just three pounds, eleven ounces. “I wasn’t expected to live,” she says, let alone to become a professional artist. While growing up in Oakland, decades before the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, she didn’t receive much support for the learning disabilities that resulted from her premature birth. As a student at Fremont High School, she was constantly made to feel “slow.”

“Back then, it was different,” she says. “It was hard for me to learn.” To escape, as a kid, “I was always playing with polliwogs in the creek. I was a tomboy.” She also drew pictures: “I always wanted to be an artist.” But nobody encouraged her pursuit of art. Rickie’s father, a first-generation Italian immigrant who worked at the Port of Oakland, “was very high-strung, and had a temper,” she says. “My mother was the sweetest person, but my father would get real mad if he tried to show me a problem and I couldn’t do it. It wasn’t a good environment.”

She holds no resentment, though: “You can’t change the past,” she says, channeling the wise monkish figures she often draws, who levitate with eyes closed on magic carpets. “It’s already gone.”

In Rickie’s generation, people with disabilities usually had two dismal options: either to be institutionlized.. or to ‘go with the flow’.

In Rickie’s generation, people with disabilities usually had two dismal options: “Either to be institutionalized or pushed to the edges of society, or to ‘go with the flow’ and fake their integration into ‘regular’ or ‘normative’ society,” Creative Growth Studio Manager Matt Dostal says. Rickie was able to do the latter—she attended mainstream public schools, married, had a daughter, then got a divorce—but it wasn’t until she joined Creative Growth in her forties that she found the artistic and educational resources she craved growing up. Since then, she’s created an astonishing body of Surrealist work: Hand-bound books, colorful rugs, painted wooden dioramas.

“Creative Growth kickstarted my art career,” Rickie says. “There’s no words to tell you how happy I am being here. My art makes me happy, and it makes other people happy, too. Especially when you sell it. [Creative Growth] gave me a job. I never had a job outside the home. My learning disability made it difficult to find employment.” Now, her rugs sell for up to $750 apiece. Her vivid colors and strange creatures are a hit in the San Francisco Bay Area, the epicenter of the sixties’ hippie modernist art movement.

 “I never had a job outside the home. My learning disability made it difficult to find employment.” Now, [Rickie’s] rugs sell for up to $750 apiece.

“Rickie has such an unassuming physical presence, but she’s a fun-loving psychedelic explorer,” Dostal says. “For Christmas one year, Rickie asked her sister for a Cream album—because she thought it would help her with her artwork.” But unlike the British rock supergroup, Rickie seeks no chemical assistance for her visions. Her artistic inspirations range from Egyptian mythology to a guy she saw hoverboarding on the sidewalk to her favorite TV show, Ancient Aliens, on the History Channel.

Usually, Rickie is as amused and mystified by the products of her imagination as anyone. “Where the heck do you come up with this stuff?” asks Kathleen Henderson, a Creative Growth staffer. Rickie shrugs: “It’s almost like a freestyle. It all just comes out of my head.”

In May, after celebrating her 76th birthday and watching her 47-year-old daughter graduate from Merritt College with a degree in Genetic Counseling, Rickie started working on illustrations for a new children’s book. Instead of adding words, she’s leaving blank lines beneath each illustration, so that children can interpret the pictures themselves and write their own stories.

When I ask how the characters in one drawing plant their hamburger trees, Rickie deadpans: “These kids just throw hamburgers in the ground and they grow,” she explains. “If they wanted to grow a sesame seed bun, all they’d have to do is put sesame seeds in the ground.” She starts laughing hysterically, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Oh my goodness,” she says. “Oh my goodness.”

She points to a character wearing harem pants and a bowtie. “He’s a fantasy guru,” she says. “He’s gonna change these snakes into tree branches by casting a spell over them.”

I ask Rickie if she ever casts similar spells. “No,” she says, with a sly smile. “I’m a good witch.”

She colors quietly for a bit, then pauses: “You know, I was lying in bed the other night, thinking about what my next drawing is gonna be, and I was thinking it would be some kids riding a tricycle. But instead of wheels on the tricycle, do you know what I was thinking there would be?” She raises her eyebrows.

“I think I might know,” I say, and she nods.

“Hamburgers,” she says, and grins, then resumes coloring her fantasy guru’s harem pants pink.

This is part one of four of Folks’ series of profiles of some of the amazing artists at Oakland’s Creative Growth Arts Center, which serves artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities.

For original article, visit folks.pillpack.com.