#creativegrowth

[dexshl]

Painting these mountains was a peak experience!

#newzealandmountains #digitalillustartion #conceptart #colorstudy #digitalpainting #creativegrowth #artistsofinstagram #discoverearth #mountainart #artists on tumblr #art #concept art

[nubatamareference]

LaurenDare uses the full range of motion in her arm and wrist to create her energetic compositions, with dense, layer collections of lines and circles in vibrant tones. Both organized and frenetic, her line work flows and crashes like waves, resulting in an intense visual texture.⁠

#creativegrowth

[studioahead]

Studio Spotlight: Creative Growth

This month we spoke with Ginger Shulick Porcella, the new executive director of Creative Growth, which since 1974 has given artists with developmental disabilities a space to grow and be part of the larger art community. What we love most about Creative Growth is not just how community-forward it is, but also how it shows by example the power of art as communication. We talked recent exhibitions, how arts and disability intersect, and how curators can be the subversive force in the institutions they are part of.

Studio AHEAD: How did you get here? We mean to California. You started at Creative Growth a few months ago having been executive director and chief curator at Franconia Sculpture Park in Minneapolis. Perhaps you can share your journey with us.

Ginger Shulick Porcella: I've always been somewhat nomadic in nature, using my past experiences and the communities that I help cultivate to inform my next step. I've always gone where there is the greatest need, and for the past 15+ years I've focused on leading contemporary arts organizations through major transitions, which typically involves healing a wound or trauma within the organization and/or community – all through the lens of contemporary art. My journey has been simultaneously circuitous yet direct in nature – leading me to this exact place and moment in time to lead Creative Growth, an organization I've long cherished and admired. I've lived coast-to-coast and everywhere in between, but being back in California, and the Bay Area in particular, feels like I've finally found my forever home. 

SA: We see the term "outside art" a lot, especially applied to Creative Growth's artists. What is the curator's role in closing the gap between the mainstream art world and those who have been historically left out of it? Does the curator just curate or does the curator produce–through the act of curation–as well?

GSP: We typically use the word "self-taught art" instead of "outsider art" because "outsider art" implies an "us" and an "other." That being said, I think one of my primary roles as a curator is to use my platform and privilege to amplify the voices of those historically underrepresented in our nation's cultural institutions, whether it’s artists with disabilities, women, queer or trans artists, artists of color, Native artists, etc. I am not an artist; I'm an arts administrator and a curator to my core, but I guess you could say that my art is curating: in making the impossible possible and in bringing what I call "unexpected audiences" and communities together, to build empathy through art.

SA: Bouncing off that: what are the steps institutions can take in changing this?

GSP: I think that more cultural institutions need to identify and eliminate the physical and intellectual barriers for cultural participation. It seems so simple but it’s really one of the most radical things that organizations can do, because most museums were designed to codify that ideal of us/other, haves/have nots, outsider/insider. This nonhierarchical approach is antithetical to the very fabric of those institutions. Which is exactly why I've chosen to extract myself from the museum world and better utilize my skillset and passion in the nonprofit arts arena where my values are mirrored by the mission of the organization.

SA: We love the pieces in a new exhibition on Joseph Alef ("Recent Abstraction") done in an abstract expressionist style and very colorful and vibrant. Can you speak a little bit about the paintings, Alef's creative process, and how the exhibition came about?

GSP: Yes – that work by Joseph Alef is stunning! Joseph has been working at Creative Growth off and on for over 20 years now, and his style definitely embodies what the exhibition "Recent Abstraction" is all about. His works are so gestural and active and alive; and there's really nothing like seeing his work in that large of a scale. Many of the artists at Creative Growth work in abstraction: it really gets to the root of pure artistic expression, joy, and that magical energy that the artists embody at Creative Growth. Our gallery director Nadia Ghani identified the need to highlight these artists working within similar techniques and styles through a curated exhibition. And certainly so many audiences and collectors have positively responded, since a majority of the works on display have already been purchased!

SA: That’s amazing! What is an exhibition you'd love to do–even if it may never happen?

GSP: My dream exhibition at Creative Growth would be to do a celebrity exhibition with alumni artist Kim Clark. Kim was incredibly prolific and practiced at Creative Growth for 20 years. Her work is completely influenced by pop culture and has so much fun and humor in it. I recently purchased a work of hers featuring the cast of ALF from the 80s! I think doing a solo exhibition of Kim Clark's work in Los Angeles where we can invite all of the celebrities that she's documented over the years would be incredibly fun.

SA: Finally, who are some lesser-known Creative Growth artists you'd love to put on our radar? This blog is all about Northern California as a community–we want to support our artists!

GSP: Two of the artists I'm most excited by that have a big career ahead of them are Nathaniel Jackson and Latefa Noorzai. Jackson came up through our Saturday youth program and now is in the adult day program at Creative Growth. He paints these amazing portraits of Godzilla that have become increasingly abstracted to the point where they're now rendered in these delicate watercolors. We recently showcased the work of Jackson at the Outsider Art Fair in NY and he was definitely a hit. All of his work sold to different collectors so it was exciting to see people so excited about the work. Noorzai has been working at Creative Growth for the past ten years and is an Afghani refugee. Her portraits are simultaneously whimsical yet haunting, and her recent series of soft sculptures really make these characters come to life.

Photos by Ekaterina Izmestieva

#creativegrowth #studioahead #oakland #bayarea

[artsology]

Mixed media stuffed figures by Latefa Noorzai, seen at the Creative Growth booth at last week’s Outsider Art Fair. #latefanoorzai #creativegrowth #art #mixedmedia #outsiderart #outsiderartist #outsiderartfair #afghaniartist #oafnewyork2023 (at Metropolitan Pavilion) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpg94UqMb_f/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#latefanoorzai #creativegrowth #art #mixedmedia #outsiderart #outsiderartist #outsiderartfair #afghaniartist #oafnewyork2023

[prcreativeartworks]

Meditative Art Project by Pavana Rani #workinprogressart #meditativeart #spiritualart #lockdown in Bangkok #comtemporaryart #contemplation #selfdiscovery #selflove #selfexpression #creativegrowth https://www.instagram.com/p/CNpWvt6jG40/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#workinprogressart #meditativeart #spiritualart #lockdown #comtemporaryart #contemplation #selfdiscovery #selflove #selfexpression #creativegrowth

[colourmanic]

#EzRepost @symantha.creative with @ezrepostapp To think I wasn’t going to continue with this because I thought the background was crap. Hmmm lesson learnt, finish what you started and you might just turn it around. Chipping away at a big #wip #adultcolouring #colouringbook #colouringforadults #colouringbooks #colouringpencils #colouringtherapy #colouringart #colouringbookforadults#johannabasford #creativegrowth#colouringaddict #adultcolouringbook #colouringforgrownups #colouringmasterpiece #colouringformindfulness #lovetocolor #lovetocolour #coloring_secrets #johannabasfordivyandtheinkybutterfly #prismacolorpencils https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd3rfqnjE40/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#ezrepost #wip #adultcolouring #colouringbook #colouringforadults #colouringbooks #colouringpencils #colouringtherapy #colouringart #colouringbookforadults #johannabasford #creativegrowth #colouringaddict #adultcolouringbook #colouringforgrownups #colouringmasterpiece #colouringformindfulness #lovetocolor #lovetocolour #coloring_secrets #johannabasfordivyandtheinkybutterfly #prismacolorpencils

[cheryldunn]

#creativegrowth art center

[bluhtzaaal]

In the world of digital marketing, creativity sparks exponential growth. ✨ When your ideas shine, so does your brand. Embrace the #MarketingMagic. #DigitalMarketing #CreativeGrowth #MarketingStrategy #BrandSuccess #DigitalMagic

[sansas-lannister]

In the world of digital marketing, creativity sparks exponential growth. ✨ When your ideas shine, so does your brand. Embrace the #MarketingMagic. #DigitalMarketing #CreativeGrowth #MarketingStrategy #BrandSuccess #DigitalMagic

[sheiksincere]

In the world of digital marketing, creativity sparks exponential growth. ✨ When your ideas shine, so does your brand. Embrace the #MarketingMagic. #DigitalMarketing #CreativeGrowth #MarketingStrategy #BrandSuccess #DigitalMagic

[thedoodlynoodle]

In the world of digital marketing, creativity sparks exponential growth. ✨ When your ideas shine, so does your brand. Embrace the #MarketingMagic. #DigitalMarketing #CreativeGrowth #MarketingStrategy #BrandSuccess #DigitalMagic

[nubatamareference]

#creativegrowth

[theaggressivegay]

In the world of digital marketing, creativity sparks exponential growth. ✨ When your ideas shine, so does your brand. Embrace the #MarketingMagic. #DigitalMarketing #CreativeGrowth #MarketingStrategy #BrandSuccess #DigitalMagic

[dontaskmelove]

In the world of digital marketing, creativity sparks exponential growth. ✨ When your ideas shine, so does your brand. Embrace the #MarketingMagic. #DigitalMarketing #CreativeGrowth #MarketingStrategy #BrandSuccess #DigitalMagic

[healingwithmeditations]

Unlock Your Creativity (II-2) 🎨 | 672 Hz Miracle Chakra Frequency 🌟 | Pe...

Unlock Your Creativity (II-2)  | 672 Hz Miracle Chakra Frequency  | Personal Power & Inspiration Unleash your inner artist and tap into the limitless power of personal creativity with our transformative 672 Hz Miracle Chakra Frequency meditation . YouTube Full Version  ► https://youtu.be/k8mciCwjYwY#UnlockCreativity #672HzChakra #MiracleFrequency #PersonalPower #Inspiration #Meditation #CreativePotential #ChakraHealing #SelfConfidence #ArtisticExpression #InnerArtist #CreativeBreakthroughs #Mindfulness #EnergyAlignment #CreativeGrowth

#youtube

[zabkillkitten]

Art vs Artist meme ❤️ I really pushed my comfort zone this past year!! Looking forward to growing even more ♥️♥️♥️ . . . #artvsartist #artvsartist2019 #artvsartistmeme #artmeme #artprogress #artgrowth #creativegrowth #glowup #art #artist #artofinsta #artistofinsta https://www.instagram.com/p/B3sY7abn0rg/?igshid=14wch3on754dm

#artvsartist #artvsartist2019 #artvsartistmeme #artmeme #artprogress #artgrowth #creativegrowth #glowup #art #artist #artofinsta #artistofinsta