The Cantor Art Gallery at the College of the Holy Cross will exhibit artwork produced over the last 20 years at the leading centers for artists with disabilities in the U.S. The exhibition, titled “Create,” honors the history of three pioneering arts programs in California (San Francisco’s Creativity Explored, Oakland’s Creative Growth Art Center, and Richmond’s National Institute for Art and Disabilities Art Center) and celebrates the talent of the remarkable individuals whose work is featured. The exhibit will be presented in two installments: Aug. 29 – Oct. 6 and Oct. 22 – Dec. 8, 2012.
Worcester Mag talked to numerous people involved with the exhibit , including Larry Rinder, curator; Jennifer O’Neal, public relations and projects manager for Creative Growth; and Roger Hankins, director of the Cantor Art Gallery.
“People with disabilities are typically marginalized,” O’Neal told the reporter. “The art in itself is a touchstone, a way to paint an identity outside of the characterizations that exist [of individuals with disabilities] and connect with others.”
“There’s a story to be told here,” Hankins said, “and it’s the story of how these works came to be. It’s not about these individuals’ disabilities, but their work as artists.”
“One of the things I really love about Create,” he continues, “is that if no one told you that the art in this show is made by artists with disabilities, you’d never know. All of the art is just incredible.”
This “Holy Cross in the News” item by Cristal Steuer.
