{"id":173509,"date":"2025-09-22T07:51:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T07:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/173509\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T07:51:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T07:51:19","slug":"six-neurodivergent-artists-highlighted-in-a-unique-striking-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/173509\/","title":{"rendered":"Six neurodivergent artists highlighted in a unique, striking exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some of art history\u2019s boldest pieces favor those with a unique perspective.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An art show featuring six neurodivergent artists is coming to the Philly area this Friday. The show, LOOK HERE<\/a>, takes place at Haverford College\u2019s Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery and highlights the work of artists from Greater Philadelphia with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Each artist is connected with the Center for Creative Works<\/a> (CCW), a progressive studio that works with neurodivergent artists.<\/p>\n

\"\"Brandon Spicer-Crawley, \u201cMe, You\u201d, 2019<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough it\u2019s an exhibition of six artists working out of the Center for Creative Works, we were not trying to label it as a disability art show,\u201d said Jennifer Gilbert, one of the show\u2019s curators. \u201cThis is six contemporary artists working today out of a studio. They just happen to get a bit more support than everybody else.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gilbert is a U.K.-based curator, whose work supports artists with disabilities. She curated the show with two CCW artists, Paige Donavan and Mary T. Bevlock.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Instead of having photographs of each artist, Bevlock \u2014 who is known for her portraiture work \u2014 created images of each artist, which appear alongside the work.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"LOOK HERE\u2019s inclusive gallery space. (Courtesy of Sara Griffin)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe show is going to be amazing,\u201d said Donavan, whose work spans paintings, drawings and needlepoint. She has showcased at the Outsider Art Fair in New York City and the Crawford Gallery in Ireland. \u201cWe chose [these artists] \u2026 We put everything together,\u201d she said of her first-ever co-curated show.<\/p>\n

The six artists featured in LOOK HERE are Kelly Brown, Cindy Gosselin, Clyde Henry, Tim Quinn, Brandon Spicer-Crawley and Allen Yu. While the artists all work with CCW, the pieces featured are quite varied.<\/p>\n

Gosselin makes mixed-media sculptures. She is a blind artist and wraps found objects like Barbie dolls and markers in yarn \u2014 creating purely through her sense of touch. Some of her sculptures are quite small, while one is taller than she is. Henry creates textured ceramics, which feature charming and detailed animal heads. His elephants, hung on the wall, are particularly striking. Yu, on the other hand, draws with markers, repeating images he\u2019s attracted to \u2014 trains, fast food, animals and candies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Drawings from artist Allen Yu. (Julia Binswanger\/ Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

A couple of his pictures feature fast-food burgers and chicken sandwiches from different parts of the world, drawn with care and specificity. Yu is a well-traveled artist. Some of them he\u2019s actually tried. Others he\u2019s done research on. A couple fun ones feature Burger King\u2019s black buns, made from squid ink in South Korea.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to try something different,\u201d Yu said of his approach, emphasizing how much he enjoys the detail-oriented nature of the process. \u201cI like to make art because it\u2019s fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making galleries more inclusive<\/p>\n

The space is designed to be as inclusive as possible to all types of people. Paintings are hung about six inches lower than the average gallery height, so that visitors in wheelchairs don\u2019t have to strain their necks to look up. Sensory backpacks with headphones and fidget objects are available at the gallery entrance.<\/p>\n

The beginning of the show also includes braille, easy-read and large-print booklets for anyone who wants them. There are videos about the artists \u2014 from which visitors can learn more about their background \u2014 with ASL embedded for those with hearing impairments.<\/p>\n

\"\"Paige Donavan at the Center for Creative Works in Kensington. (Julia Binswanger\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll notice there\u2019s a couple of benches in the space,\u201d Gilbert said. \u201cRather than just have a plain, comfortable thing to sit on, we\u2019ve commissioned two of the artists in the show, Brandon and Tim, to do a design which we\u2019ve made into the seating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bevlock and Donavan helped write the labels next to each artwork, so that the language at LOOK HERE is playful and accessible. After all, sometimes gallery labels can feel dense \u2014 describing art with words that can only be found in the latter half of the SAT\u2019s vocab section.<\/p>\n

Donvan and Bevlock describe Quin\u2019s artwork \u2014 which is abstract, colorful and geometrical \u2014 as having qualities that remind them of \u201cwaterslides\u201d and \u201ccandyland.\u201d \u201cWe feel his works on the black backgrounds are really \u2018punchy,\u2019 \u201d the label reads, \u201cwith a striking appearance, next to the bright rainbow colors he often chooses to use.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Tim Quinn, \u201cUntitled\u201d, Brooke\u2019s Room, 2016<\/p>\n

In addition, LOOK HERE is inclusive for those who are visually impaired. There are QR codes with audio descriptions, as well as \u201cplease touch\u201d installations, where visitors can feel the textures of the artist\u2019s materials.<\/p>\n

Brown\u2019s artwork includes layered fabrics that hang in colorful, woven layers. \u201cDon\u2019t you just want to touch these? They\u2019re so tactile and squishy,\u201d the artist label reads.<\/p>\n

Well, we do. And, you can. You don\u2019t have to have a disability to want to partake in this aspect of the exhibition.<\/p>\n

And the sense of touch isn\u2019t the only one to be included.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made a sign with Jennifer and Mary that some people can scratch and sniff,\u201d Donavan said. \u201cWhen you go to Allen\u2019s work, you sniff some of his burgers.\u201d (Note that the burger smell ended up being \u201ca bit sickly,\u201d according to Gilbert, so they used a chocolate scent to evoke Yu\u2019s ice creams instead.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Neurodivergent artists with a platform<\/p>\n

Gilbert noted that when it comes to artists with intellectual disabilities, sometimes language is not necessarily the strongest way to get across a point or idea.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some of these artists, [art] is like a communication tool for them,\u201d Gilbert said. \u201cTheir artwork is communicating something that the artist wants to communicate in a way suited to them. And it\u2019s respecting that and respecting that artist, and knowing they are doing the best of their ability. This is their own unique, individualized practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The LOOK HERE show would not be possible without an inclusive art space where the artists can create and collaborate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For these six artists, that space is CCW, which has studios in Philadelphia and Wynnewood. The studio is dedicated to not only fostering the talents of artists with disabilities, but also helping them gain visibility and credibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe work with artists who receive a particular kind of funding through Medicaid called the consolidated waiver, which supports day programming for those adults,\u201d said Samantha Mitchell, CCW\u2019s exhibitions manager. \u201cWe have a really wide range of people who work with us. I think currently, our youngest artists are 21 and our oldest is 85.\u201d<\/p>\n

CCW\u2019s working artists come to the studio five days a week, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The artists choose the medium and subject that they want to explore artistically.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have some people who are weaving, working on textile art,\u201d Mitchell said, describing the scene at CCW. \u201cWe have some people who are painting, doing kind of photorealistic paintings. We have some people who are working with ink \u2026 So, a lot of different media.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gilbert hopes that LOOK HERE will challenge preconceptions of artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many misconceptions,\u201d she said. \u201cSome of the main ones that I often hear over in the U.K., and I know I\u2019ve heard it when I\u2019ve been in America as well, is that it just looks like a child has created the artwork. Or, you know, \u2018Oh, I could do that myself.\u2019 And it\u2019s like, well, pick up a pen and paper and demonstrate that to me, because I don\u2019t think you could.\u201d<\/p>\n

Certainly, CCW\u2019s artists wouldn\u2019t be the first creatives to have the critique leveled at them. Even the greats \u2014 Pollock, Basquiat, Duchamp \u2014 may seem elementary to the uninformed. In fact, one of Spicer-Crawley\u2019s works \u2014 which feature expressive, abstract figures \u2014 is painted over a print of Duchamp\u2019s \u201cNude Descending a Staircase.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Cindy Gosselin, \u201cUntitled\u201d, 2022<\/p>\n

Expanding opportunities for artists with disabilities<\/p>\n

LOOK HERE opens Sept. 19 and runs through Dec. 13.<\/p>\n

In addition, CCW is also putting on another sister show in conjunction called LOOK THERE<\/a>, which is also curated by Bevlock and Donovan and exhibits one work from all of CCW\u2019s 99 Wynnewood and Philadelphia artists. There\u2019s also a third monthlong exhibition at Atelier Gallery, LOOK EVERYWHERE<\/a>, curated by Gilbert and opening Oct. 1, that showcases artists from progressive studios across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gilbert is hoping that the lineup will inspire other galleries in the city to keep artists with intellectual disabilities in mind when they are putting together exhibitions. What\u2019s more, she noted that it isn\u2019t so hard or expensive to add accessible elements to exhibitions, like the sensory backpacks, \u201cplease touch\u201d elements and beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about including them in shows like you would include anybody else,\u201d she said. \u201cSo not necessarily having to do a disability art show in your institution, but having a group show and having these people seen on an equal footing alongside some of the greats that are seen in the contemporary art world today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yu is quite ambitious. He said that he hopes people take in his work as both \u201cauthentic and iconic,\u201d and would love to see his pieces displayed in galleries around the globe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI want my artwork to be sold in Japan or South Korea or London,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Allen Yu creates a drawing of one of his favorite candies, M&M\u2019s, at CCW. (Julia Binswanger\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

Expanding possibilities for artists with disabilities is certainly achievable. Judith Scott, whose work will be included in LOOK EVERYWHERE, has also had a retrospective in the Brooklyn Museum<\/a>. Just last December, MoMA featured its first-ever exhibition around a developmentally disabled artist, Marlon Mullen<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, cuts to Medicaid<\/a> could hamper studios with missions like CCW\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a chance that lots of these studios will actually disappear and these people will just go back into their lives, and some of them might not be able to access some of the materials at home, or get some of the support they need to make art,\u201d Gilbert said. \u201cSo, it\u2019s a really pivotal moment right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gilbert\u2019s hoping the shows will help people see the importance of lifting up neurodivergent voices.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I really advocate for and push for,\u201d she said. \u201cSo that everyone is seen just as an artist in the same way that they should always be seen, and everyone should be hung, displayed, written about, in the same way that any artist should be.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some of art history\u2019s boldest pieces favor those with a unique perspective.\u00a0 An art show featuring six neurodivergent…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173510,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[12566,103519,228,226,227,229,88,831,15874,103520,103521,103522,103523,103524],"class_list":{"0":"post-173509","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-artist","9":"tag-artists-with-disabilities","10":"tag-arts","11":"tag-arts-and-design","12":"tag-artsanddesign","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-featured","16":"tag-galleries","17":"tag-haverford-college","18":"tag-look-everywhere","19":"tag-look-here","20":"tag-look-there","21":"tag-neurodivergent-artists"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}