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The Untitled

Gallery Exhibition

A new exhibition of abstract, nonfigurative art works by artists with developmental disabilities at San Francisco’s Creativity Explored

March 6 through April 23, 2008
Opening Reception: March 6 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm

SAN FRANCISCO… This March, Creativity Explored brings together the work of more than 15 studio artists in “The Untitled”, a gorgeous and moving exhibition dedicated to abstract, nonfigurative bursts of color, line, and states of mind. The show opens with a reception featuring live music on Thursday, March 6 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, and continues through April 23. All artwork may be purchased at the Creativity Explored Gallery, open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, Thursday from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

Curator Miranda Putman is an artist instructor at Creativity Explored’s second studio in Potrero Hill where studio artists generally have more severe or multiple disabilities, including physical disabilities such as blindness or extremely limited mobility. Much of the work of these artists is abstract, and many have been experimenting with and refining their personal artistic gestures, patterns and marks for years. Putman proposed the exhibit as a way to shine a light on their work. “I think these pieces show how much people can do with constraints,” she says. “For some of these artists making one piece can take months of sustained effort and exertion. What I’ve found though is that constraints sometimes make you more powerful in what you express.”

One such artist is Thanh Diep who contributes a large 4’x5’ canvas that glows with colorful glazes. Allura Fong, who works with an avid intensity, juxtaposes large stains of ink with delicate lines. Taneya Lovelace uses a softer color palette to create landscapes of floating, luminescent bubbles. Richard Pimental works all by feel creating highly textural pieces on wood panels.

Putman also wanted to challenge some of the artists to move beyond their artistic habits and try out new materials and dimensions. She gave artist Tony Gomez, whose tendency was to make small circles and flower patterns, a wall to work on with a brush at the end of a long pole. The resulting works are big and bold and reveal an entirely different sense of control. She turned artist Toby Calonico’s habit of folding and tearing apart his work into a layering experiment. The piece he created is a large paper collage of shimmering transparencies.

The show also features a number of handmade one or two color abstract prints and a number of sculptural pieces. Laron Bickerstaff creates three dimensional shapes from old library catalog cards, while artist Norman Ballou capitalizes on his Beatles obsession with a monumental sculpture of woven shreds of Xeroxed images of John, Paul, Ringo and George.

Calendar Listing

The Untitled

GROUP EXHIBITION AND OPENING: This March, Creativity Explored brings together the work of more than 15 studio artists in “The Untitled”, a gorgeous and moving exhibition dedicated to abstract, non figurative bursts of color, line and states of mind. Curator Miranda Putman is an artist instructor at Creativity Explored’s second studio in Potrero Hill where member artists generally have more severe or multiple disabilities, including physical disabilities such as blindness or extremely limited mobility. Much of the work of these artists is abstract, and many have been experimenting with and refining their personal artistic gestures, patterns and marks for years. One such artist is Than Diep who contributes a large 4’x5’ canvas that glows with colorful glazes. Allura Fong, who works with an avid intensity, juxtaposes large stains of ink with delicate lines. Taneya Lovelace uses a softer color palette to create landscapes of floating, luminescent bubbles. Richard Pimental works all by feel creating highly textural pieces on wood panels.

What

The Untitled – an exhibition of abstract and nonfigurative art by more than 15 artists with developmental disabilities at San Francisco’s Creativity Explored

When

• Opening Reception – Thursday, March 6, 2008 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm
• Exhibit Dates and Times – March 6 through April 23, 2008, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, Thursday from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Where

Creativity Explored Gallery
3245 Sixteenth St. at Guerrero, San Francisco

Creativity Explored is a nonprofit visual arts center where artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit, and sell art.

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# Posted on February 12, 2008