Major Museum Showcases Works By Artists With Developmental Disabilities

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

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

The collection includes acrylic painting, oil pastel drawing, ceramics sculpture and film by artists from the Creative Growth Art Center, an Oakland, Calif. center for individuals 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 artists with disabilities in the world.

The current exhibit, coinciding with Creative Growth’s 50th anniversary, features many of the acquisitions.

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

The exhibit 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.

In addition, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is presenting a major commission by Creative Growth artist William Scott in the entryway to its second-floor galleries.

Both the Creative Growth exhibit and the Scott commission will be on display through Oct. 6.

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