folkartwork

Untitled (2000) // Fiber, yarn, found materials

via San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

In a world where it is hard sometimes to find good news, this is great news.

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has acquired more than 150 works of art by more than 20 artists who have intellectual or developmental disabilities, including works by Judith Scott, Dan Miller, and William Scott from the Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland.

While the majority of the work will come from Creative Growth, progressive art centers Creativity Explored and NIAD Center, all founded by Florence and Elias Katz and are dedicated to working with artists with developmental disabilities, will also have works acquired and on display by SFMOMA. The art includes works on paper, painting, sculpture, film, and textile.

“We hope that this is a landmark acquisition that encourages and sets a benchmark for other institutions,” said Katy Siegel, SFMOMA’s research director, special program initiatives. “This is an important first step in a terrain where many people have been doing the work for decades, most of all, Creative Growth, NIAD and Creativity Explored. We’re mindful that we’re catching up and have an enormous amount of work to do.”

Datebook

While it’s great that The New York Times, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and others are getting hip to these artists, if you’re reading this, you’re likely to be very familiar with artists from Creative Growth, Creativity Explored, and other progressive art studios like SAGE Studio or Project Onward to name a few.

These artists are not outsiders, nor should they be classified as such, but contemporary artists who are now getting the attention they deserve. Let us hope more museums and galleries follow suit.

Good on you SFMOMA.