Major Museum Showcases Works By Artists With Developmental Disabilities

More than 80 pieces created by artists with developmental disabilities are on display at a prominent art museum.

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is currently displaying the works as part of a new exhibition called “Creative Growth: The House That Art Built.”

The collection includes acrylic paintings, oil pastel drawings, ceramic sculptures and films by artists from the Creative Growth Art Center, an Oakland, California, center for people with developmental disabilities.

Last year, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art acquired more than 150 pieces by 23 artists with developmental disabilities affiliated with Creative Growth and two other Bay Area art centers. With the purchases, the museum became one of the largest holders of works by disabled artists in the world.

The current exhibition, which coincides with Creative Growth’s 50th anniversary, features many of the acquisitions.

“We are humbled and humbled to partner with Creative Growth Art Center at this historic moment and present an exhibition that showcases the astonishing breadth of skill, vitality and imagination emerging from Creative Growth artists,” said Christopher Bedford, museum director. “This effort aligns closely with SFMOMA’s vision of engaging a more diverse range of artists and audiences, and our ongoing work to make the museum more accessible.”

The exhibition includes art created between 1981 and 2021, as well as archival material detailing the history of Creative Growth and its impact on the arts and the disability movement.

Additionally, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art features a major commission by Creative Growth artist William Scott at the entrance to its second-floor galleries.

Both the Creative Growth exhibition and the Scott commission will be on display until October 6.

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