Creativity Explored (CE), a studio-based art collective partnering with artists with developmental disabilities, is pleased to announce SONG, a lyrical group exhibition curated by Sophie Appel and Cole Solinger of Delaplane on view June 23 to September 3, 2022.

This is the final curatorial collaboration for Appel and Solinger, who founded Delaplane in 2019. The San Francisco gallery closed its doors in March 2022. During its tenure, the gallery exhibited 57 artists from the Bay Area and abroad, established a rotating flag residency, and hosted a variety of performances and live events.

The exhibition itself is an homage to the work of Walter Kresnik, a developmentally disabled artist who worked at Creativity Explored from 2005 to 2016. Kresnik is currently living in a care facility in the Bay Area. Best known for his delicate celebrity portraits, Kresnik also created a body of work drawing from sheet music.

Following the discovery of Kresnik’s musical drawings, the duo also found a unique instrument created by teaching artist Victor Cartegena sitting in the CE studio. The percussive instrument was created from a cymbal on a stand with extra arms donning bells, chimes, springs, and other noise-making objects. 

Suddenly, for Appel and Solinger, all the pieces fell into place. The duo scoured the collections for art that evoked song and rhythm, looking for artwork to accompany Kresnik’s delicate drawings.

“The human energy felt in the works selected for Song is hard to deny, not simply because they were made by humans, but because they employ the senses in a unique way; like a melody stuck in your head, or living by mimesis,” state the curators.

Join the Creativity Explored community to celebrate the conclusion of Delaplane and the evocative work of developmentally disabled artists.

Featured Artists: Walter Kresnik, Andrew Bixler, Elana Cooper, Ricardo Estella, Claus Groeger, Michael Bernard Loggins, Yolanda Ramirez, Andrew Wong, and CE teaching artist Victor Cartagena

LEARN MORE ON THE CE WEBSITE

***Visit the Creativity Explored website to check current walk-in hours or make an appointment. No tickets necessary to visit. Gallery capacity is limited.***

About Creativity Explored

Creativity Explored is a studio-based collective in San Francisco that partners with people with developmental disabilities to celebrate and nurture the creative potential in all of us. Founded in 1983 by a psychologist and an artist, CE has facilitated the careers of hundreds of neurodiverse artists and serves as a model in the field of art and disability worldwide.

Creativity Explored now serves 130 artists with developmental disabilities offering art supplies, training, exhibition and sales opportunities in traditional and digital media. CE artists have seen their work exhibited in museums, galleries, and art fairs in over 14 countries and have earned over $2 million from their art. Our life-changing programs continue to open doors of inclusion to center the personhood and creative vision of people with developmental disabilities. Most importantly, Creativity Explored is a source of community, empowerment and dignity.

CreativityExplored.org

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Contact our team with any questions about your visit at info@creativityexplored.org