Art for All: SFMOMA x Creative Growth

“This partnership celebrates the work of an extraordinary group of artists as well as the visionaries who have championed them for decades…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.”

— Christopher Bedford, the Helen and Charles Schwab Director of SFMOMA

Celebrating Fifty Years
SFMOMA and Creative Growth Art Center honor the emergence of the art and disability movement in the Bay Area through an unprecedented partnership. Commemorating Creative Growth’s fiftieth anniversary, this partnership includes the acquisition of 100+ works into SFMOMA’s permanent collection, two exhibitions, and a three-year series of events. Highlights include the fifth annual Creating Community symposium on Thursday, May 23, 2024, and the 50th Anniversary Gala and Beyond Trend Fashion Show in September 2024, featuring original designs by Creative Growth artists.

About Creative Growth

In 1974, artist Florence Ludins-Katz and psychologist Elias Katz laid the foundation for Creative Growth Art Center, driven by a mission to empower artists with disabilities and create a supportive community. Their vision emphasized the importance of creativity as a universal force and a right for all individuals. Today, Creative Growth serves over 140 Bay Area artists with diverse abilities, offering studio space and facilitation in various artistic mediums. The organization has expanded its impact through sister organizations NIAD and Creativity Explored, collectively providing communal studios and exhibition spaces for artists with developmental disabilities. Creative Growth’s gallery showcases and promotes artists globally, with sales directly supporting both the creators and the program. Notable collections, including MoMA and SFMOMA, have recognized and acquired artwork from this unique and inspiring community.

Creative Growth artists at work in a shared studio space; photo: courtesy Creative Growth Art Center

Learn more about Creative Growth

Events

Special Event

Opening Celebration: Creative Growth: The House That Art Built

Thursday, April 4, 2024 | 5–8 p.m.

Two people sit at a table smiling surrounded by racks of colorful clothing.

Acquisitions + Collaborations

NIAD and Creativity Explored

In addition to its major acquisition of works by Creative Growth artists, SFMOMA acquired an outstanding slate of works from San Francisco-based Creativity Explored and Richmond-based NIAD (Nurturing Independence through Artistic Development), making SFMOMA home to one of the largest holdings of art by artists with disabilities in the world. 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.

Bertha Otoya, Serpiente, 2010; purchase, by exchange, through a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Honig; photo: courtesy Creativity Explored

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Artist Collaborations

SFMOMA’s Museum Store is working with Creative Growth, Creativity Explored, and NIAD to offer merchandise based on works by some of their artists. Must-have items based on eye-catching works by Creativity Explored artists are available now, but many more products are coming soon!

Shop the Museum Store