“Creative Growth is about artistic expression as a form of self-empowerment, as a form of aesthetic development. As a form of saying, this is who I am in the world.”
Tom di Maria, Director of Creative Growth Art Center
Barry Regan, Untitled, 2013, ink and watercolor on paper
A Meramec 3rd grader shared this amazing video he discovered on the Wonder website. We both were so inspired by the artists in the video that I wanted to come up with a mini-lesson to share with all Meramec students.
Susan Wise. Baskets, 2015; mixed media; variable dimensions.
Today we are going to look at an art center in Oakland, California. It's been open since the 1960's as an creative educational space for adult artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities.
Creative Growth Art Center provides a professional studio environment for artistic development, gallery exhibition, and representation.
Some people are born with special needs, and other disabilities happen as the result of an accident or illness. The disability itself, though, is not a sickness or something bad. Their bodies just work in another way than a typical person. For example, the muscles of a person with Cerebral Palsy might work a little differently than yours or mine. What other kinds of disabilities do you know about?
Merritt Wallace
Let's take a look a look at these creative individuals and into the amazing art space of Creative Growth.
“Art is a great equalizer that transcends language, that transcends culture, that transcends disability.”
Tom di Maria, director, Creative Growth Art Center
I want to encourage you to experiment, make mistakes, work through a challenge or try something that's new for you. The talents of the artists at Creative Growth would not have been discovered if this space didn't exist. Many people saw the potential and opportunity for these artists with disabilities. You may discover a way to make art that you never thought possible.
As you think about the artists we just watched and yourself as an artist:
Are you willing to work through a challenge to find your talents?
How will you help another artist find their gifts?
How does art help you communicate?
Resources:
https://www.dailyserving.com/2016/05/celebrating-a-vision-art-and-disability-at-sfo/
http://blogs.nordstrom.com/fashion/pop-in-nordstrom-tmrw-tgthr-creative-growth-art-center/
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/20/magazine/a-training-ground-for-untrained-artists.html
https://honestlywtf.com/art/method-x-creative-growth/
https://honestlywtf.com/art/method-x-creative-growth-encore-collection/
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