Create, an exhibition curated by Larry Rinder and Matthew Higgs at the University of California Berkeley Art Museum (BAM/PFA), is an astonishing exercise in line and pattern. Work has been culled from three groundbreaking arts organizations supporting artists with developmental and physical disabilities: Creativity Explored, in San Francisco; Creative Growth, in Oakland; and the National Institute of Art and Disabilities (NIAD), in Richmond. The exhibition, which generously fills three of the museum’s galleries, gives these artists the space and contextualization they have rarely received in past exhibitions.
The exhibition layout and curatorial decisions allow wide space for reflection, and each artist is well represented. Their work is not arranged by organization; in fact, it is not explicitly clear with which of the spaces individual artists are associated. Instead, the show is arranged to communicate the modes of art production perpetuated in the three partnering organizations. Abstraction, the exploration of masking both physical and metaphorical layers, repetitive images, and text are present in the various groupings in each gallery.
For example, Evelyn Reyes depicts abstract renderings of one shape or object in multiple colors and orders. James Montgomery paints clocks and watches in tight and frenetic molecules of movement, while other artists, including Bertha Otoya, William Tyler, and John Patrick McKenzie, use text and repeating phrases to create graphic narratives of depth. A viewer has the opportunity to learn a great deal about the artists by seeing multiple works and to understand their practices as a relevant part of current art dialogues happening today.
The three arts spaces at the center of Create are independent nonprofit organizations founded by one couple, Florence Ludins-Katz and Elias Katz. Creative Growth opened in 1976, NIAD in 1982, and Creativity Explored in 1983, with its gallery opening in 1995. Although each of their histories and missions are unique, they are all committed to providing support and instruction to enhance the creative endeavors and professional art practice of artists with physical and mental disabilities. The artists who participate in these organizations often show and sell their work in the centers’ galleries as well as in exhibitions around the country. In the accompanying catalog, Rinder further describes what makes the philosophies the Katzes brought to these art spaces and their artists so special: “Their approach focused on a group studio environment, professionalism, and engagement with the broader art community. The progressive, inclusive social environment of the Bay Area facilitated the Katzes’ vision by providing many opportunities for involvement with practicing artists as well as a welcoming audience — and collectors — for the work made in each studio. The artists at the three Bay Area centers work alongside one another, create new works specifically for exhibition and sale, make frequent visits to local galleries and museums, and have regular access to artist mentors who assist them in developing new approaches and techniques.”
Aurie Ramirez. Untitled, 2000. Collection of Dave Muller and Ann Faison, Pasadena.
