Public Lecture, October 10
Lecture: “From the Margins to the Mainstream: Artists with Disabilities Today”
Tom di Maria, Director, Creative Growth Art Center
Monday, October 10, 4:00 pm, Knight Library Browsing Room
The term “Outsider Art” is gaining increased attention in the art world. Often used to describe the work of self-taught or non-academically trained artists, the term is both a stigma and a banner. Its history goes back to the French term art brut, first used to describe a growing body of artistic work collected in the mid-20th century, but its meaning has greatly evolved since then.
This lecture will provide a short overview of the history of the genre, and will also focus on artists with disabilities from Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, CA, the oldest and largest center for artists with disabilities in the world. Three Creative Growth artists, Judith Scott, Dan Miller and William Scott each have work included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. The lecture will examine the aesthetic and communicative impact of their work, and examine its relationship to the “outsider art” field, the culture of disability and the contemporary art world.
Tom di Maria has served as Director of Creative Growth Art Center since 2000. He has developed partnerships with museums, galleries and international design companies to help bring Creative Growth’s artists with disabilities fully into the contemporary art world. He speaks around the world about the Center’s major artists and their relationship to both Outsider Art and contemporary culture. Prior to this position, he served as Assistant Director of the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive at UC Berkeley. He received his MFA from the Maryland Institute, College of Art, in Baltimore, and BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology, both in photography and film.
About Creative Growth:
Founded in 1974 as the first such program of its kind in the world, Creative Growth Art Center has achieved international recognition in the field of art and disabilities for its innovative programs and for the quality of art produced by the 150 artists working at the Center.
Located in Oakland, California, Creative Growth Art Center serves adult artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities, providing a professional studio environment for artistic development, gallery exhibition and representation, and a social atmosphere among peers. Artwork fostered in this unique environment is included in prominent collections and museums worldwide.