Follow the String
October 29 – December 23, 2022
Reception:
Saturday October 29, 2:00 – 4:00pm
Follow the String is an exhibition developed in partnership with Cedars and NIAD Art Center, two Bay Area based progressive studio programs for adults with developmental disabilities.
Curated by NIAD’s Emma Spertus and Julio Rodriguez with NIAD artists Felicia Griffin, Dorian Reid, and Kiesha White, the exhibition features artists from Cedars and NIAD, alongside artists from the broader Bay Area arts community. Follow the String showcases conventionally trained artists alongside artists with disabilities, blurring distinctions between “insider” and “outsider” art. A workshop will bring together participating artists to create a new fiber-based work for the exhibition.
The material of thread is a simple and powerful metaphor for connectivity. As individuals we are strands; as communities we are intertwined. These concepts draw from the rich history of Northern California utopian design and craftwork centered in Marin County and the Bay Area in the 1960’s and 70’s. Follow the String will trace a lineage from these countercultural dreamers to contemporary practitioners who continue to deploy craft and handwork as a means to achieve a more democratic and inclusive world.
Public programs will be designed around the model of inclusive and collaborative craft and handwork forums to create opportunities for dialogue, discussion, and problem-solving through collective action. An artist-led workshop by master weavers from Cedars will demonstrate their working techniques and artistic process.
Program dates to be announced.
An accompanying satellite exhibition will run concurrently in NIAD’s Annex Gallery space in Richmond.
Artists, confirmed to date:
Zarouhie Abdalian
Indira Allegra
Ramekon O’Arwisters
Miguel Arzabe
Andy Buchwald
Jean Coury
Chris Duncan
Sylvia Fragoso
Felicia Griffin
Kira Dominguez Hultgren
Sam Kershnar
Beth Krebs
Cora Lautze
Gail Lefevre
Sheri McSweeney
Maria Radilla
Cody Rahn
Dorian Reid
Carlota Rodriguez
Kiesha White
This exhibition is generously supported by Carson Wealth. Additional support is provided by Kathleen Gaines and Ray Welch, William Otton, and Ronald Zech.
About Cedars:
Cedars has been inspiring creative, productive, joyous, and healthy lives for individuals with developmental disabilities in Marin County for over 100 years. Participants choose from a wide variety of activities such as weaving, art, jewelry, volunteering in the community, animal husbandry, and more. Cedars supports nearly 200 adults through residential and day programs where their accomplishments are celebrated, personal choice is encouraged, and individual skills are recognized.
About NIAD Art Center:
NIAD Art Center is a progressive art studio founded in Richmond, California in 1982 to support creative expression, independence, dignity, and inclusion for adult artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This nurturing community of artists fosters experimentation, increases competence to make informed choices, and increases connections among diverse communities through the commonality of creative expression.
