Outside and Inside Museums
We have long been fans of Project Onward here in Chicago. Here's how they describe themselves:
Since 2004, Project Onward has become a leader in the field of disability arts for its innovative blend of accuracy, artistic excellence and social engagement.
Today we were able to see for ourselves a milestone in the field of disability arts: Creative Growth: The House That Art Built at SFMOMA. This is the intro panel and the show description:
The exhibition includes work by the artist Donald Mitchell.
Here's a piece from Mitchell that we picked up recently at the Felix Fair.
We were in the Bay Area mainly because Dan was attending the Othering and Belonging Conference in Oakland. The Creative Growth show is an excellent example of full integration and belonging: artists of all backgrounds and experience do belong everywhere, including museums.
Today's New York Times frames it well: At SFMOMA, Disability Artwork Makes History
One of our favorite Outsider art galleries Yukiko Koide Presents, reflected today on the milestone:
Twenty-three years ago, when we first organized the solo exhibition of Judith Scott (1943–2005) at Shiseido Gallery in Tokyo, 2001, the circumstances were different. At that time society wasn't yet mature enough, or prepared to include and appreciate non-standard art like hers on a par with other artworks. Most art professionals were hesitant to see her works as art, but as something queer, or not-normal. At that time, Judith Scott was an unknown middle-aged woman with Down syndrome and also deaf. She started to create obscure fiber objects at the age of 46, only after she was taken to Creative Growth Art Center by her twin sister Joyce. In the more than two decades since then, her works have gained global recognition, and last year San Francisco Museum of Modern Art acquired 114 works by 10 artists with disabilities including Judith Scott.
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We were blown away by the show at SFMoma and we're so grateful for the artists, gallerists, and activists who have been doing this work for so long.