Creativity Explored

Creativity Explored Creativity Explored is a studio-based collective in San Francisco that partners with developmentally Art changes lives!

Creativity Explored was founded on a belief that art is essential to life. We exist to provide developmentally disabled people access to the human right of creative expression. Creativity Explored was founded in San Francisco in 1983 by Florence and Elias Katz, an artist and a psychologist. Sparked by the nationwide deinstitutionalization of disabled people, the duo launched a movement that expanded defined notions of artistry when they founded three Bay Area organizations – Creativity Explored, Creative Growth, and NIAD (Nurturing Independence through Artistic Development). Our organizations honor the Katzs’ legacy in the Bay Area by continuing to collaborate, co-curate exhibitions, and share resources. Together our programs serve as a model for the field of art and disability worldwide. Creativity Explored now serves 130 artists and has facilitated the careers of hundreds of disabled artists. Creativity Explored 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. At Creativity Explored, we believe in a future society with an enlightened understanding of its relationship with neurodiverse people—one that has evolved from one-way support to mutually-enriching growth. We see a society strengthened by an authentic appreciation of all people’s creative contributions. In times of great transition, we continue to center the personhood and agency of our artists in all our efforts, asking, “What is important to you?” We will continue to innovate to provide safe and virtual services that enrich the lives of our artists, their families and supporters, on their terms. Our dedicated staff, board, and volunteers are also expanding our commitment to racial justice and disability advocacy by amplifying the voices of studio artists of color and artists who are immigrants. We are proud to create space for our artists and staff to learn about and honor diversity by examining and celebrating the intersections of disability, race, ethnicity, class, gender, and other facets of our identities.

Calling all progressive art studios!We are now accepting applications to participate in Creativity Explored x Open Invit...
09/26/2025

Calling all progressive art studios!

We are now accepting applications to participate in Creativity Explored x Open Invitational, a new art fair coming to downtown San Francisco January 22–25, 2026. CExOI will bring together progressive studios from across the country, providing individual funding so that studios can join when other fairs have traditionally been out of reach. Free and open to the public, the fair will expand ’s offerings to encompass these important artworks, artists and studios; catalyzing the long-overdue cultural dialogue of who is exhibited, who is collected, and who is discussed.

Participation in the fair is free; there are no costs for renting a booth. Through the generosity of the Svane Family Foundation (), we will be awarding 12 $2,000 stipends based on this application for logistical expenses. Studios not awarded the stipend are encouraged to participate at no cost.

Apply at https://www.creativityexplored.org/events-exhibitions/ce-x-openinvitational

Please submit your application by Sunday October 12. Participants will be notified October 20. Please make sure to mark if you are interested in participating if not awarded the stipend.

Calling all progressive art studios!We are now accepting applications to participate in Creativity Explored x Open Invit...
09/26/2025

Calling all progressive art studios!

We are now accepting applications to participate in Creativity Explored x Open Invitational, a new art fair coming to downtown San Francisco January 22–25, 2026. CExOI will bring together progressive studios from across the country, providing individual funding so that studios can join when other fairs have traditionally been out of reach. Free and open to the public, the fair will expand ’s offerings to encompass these important artworks, artists and studios; catalyzing the long-overdue cultural dialogue of who is exhibited, who is collected, and who is discussed.

Participation in the fair is free; there are no costs for renting a booth. Through the generosity of the Svane Family Foundation (), we will be awarding 12 $2,000 stipends based on this application for logistical expenses. Studios not awarded the stipend are encouraged to participate at no cost.  

Apply at https://www.creativityexplored.org/events-exhibitions/ce-x-openinvitational

Please submit your application by Sunday October 12.  Participants will be notified October 20. Please make sure to mark if you are interested in participating if not awarded the stipend.

🇲🇽 ¡Viva Imaginate! 🇲🇽Over the weekend, we hosted a special art-making session in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month...
09/24/2025

🇲🇽 ¡Viva Imaginate! 🇲🇽

Over the weekend, we hosted a special art-making session in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month — artists of all ages and abilities came through and had delicious bites, learned a bit about Hispanic culture, and expressed themselves through their art.

Big thanks to CE's Latinx Community Specialist Erik Recendez () for facilitating an amazing day of art and culture!

Celebration time! 🎉On Thursday we raised a glass to celebrate the opening of "Places for People," the latest group exhib...
09/22/2025

Celebration time! 🎉

On Thursday we raised a glass to celebrate the opening of "Places for People," the latest group exhibition in the CE gallery. The gallery and studio were packed with guests, and several of the show's artists were there to present their work.

"Places for People" is on view in the gallery at 3245 16th Street through November 8 — come check it out for yourself! Gallery hours:

Thursdays: 3:00–6:00 pm
Fridays: 3:00–6:00 pm
Saturdays: 12:00–5:00 pm

Big thanks to guest curator for putting together such a thoughtful collection of artworks that explore our relationship to the city around us!

CE Artists pictured with their artworks:
1. Liam Garsin
2. Roland Record
3. Grayson Kop
4. Ricardo Gomez
5. Armando Sanchez

It’s getting caliente over here! 🔥Come celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at Creativity Explored with a fun-filled day of...
09/19/2025

It’s getting caliente over here! 🔥

Come celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at Creativity Explored with a fun-filled day of art-making. Enjoy hands-on crafts, delicious bites, and learn more about Hispanic heritage — all completely free!

Bring the whole family — everyone is welcome! Our venue is ADA accessible. No prior art-making experience necessary.

Art by Ricardo Gomez

————

¡Se está poniendo caliente por aquí! 🔥

Ven a celebrar el Mes de la Herencia Hispana en Creativity Explored con un día lleno de arte y diversión. Disfruta de manualidades prácticas, bocadillos deliciosos y aprende más sobre la herencia hispana — ¡todo completamente gratis!

Trae a toda la familia — todos son bienvenidos. Creativity Explored es un estudio de arte en el Distrito de la Misión que apoya a artistas neurodivergentes al brindarles espacio de estudio, materiales y acompañamiento. Nuestro lugar es accesible según la ADA. No se necesita experiencia previa en la creación de arte.

Arte de Ricardo Gomez

🖼️🎓 Did you know that this is National Arts in Education Week? It starts with a simple belief: every student deserves th...
09/16/2025

🖼️🎓 Did you know that this is National Arts in Education Week? It starts with a simple belief: every student deserves the opportunity to create, innovate, and thrive through the arts, regardless of zip code or family income. Yet more than 2 million students still lack access to a quality arts education.

Through Creativity Explored's youth programs, we do our part by offering high-quality arts education for youth of all abilities. We serve young people at school, afterschool, on weekends, and at our exciting summer camps. We couldn't do this important work without the support of our amazing partners like the Golden Gate Regional Center (), the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth & their Families (), the California Arts Council (), the San Francisco Foundation (), and Dragonfly Community Arts ().

This week, we encourage you to check out the programs presented by Americans for the Arts (), use their helpful tools to get involved by calling on Congress to support national funding for arts in education, and find out more about CE's youth programs at https://www.creativityexplored.org/

Stronger Together!

Photos from Camp Imaginate 2025

🎉 Party time! 🎉We had a blast at Open Invitational in New York over the weekend! Creativity Explored was there represent...
09/09/2025

🎉 Party time! 🎉

We had a blast at Open Invitational in New York over the weekend! Creativity Explored was there representing alongside eight other progressive art studios from across the country to showcase work by artists with disabilities.

We brought work by CE artists Ada Chow, Ricardo Gomez, Andrew Li, Samantha Mathews, Armando Sanchez.

Can't wait to collaborate with to produce the San Francisco edition of this great event in January 2026! Stay tuned for more info...

💪 We're hiring! 💪Join our team as Youth and Community Programs Coordinator and help facilitate Creativity Explored's fas...
09/09/2025

💪 We're hiring! 💪

Join our team as Youth and Community Programs Coordinator and help facilitate Creativity Explored's fast-growing Youth and Transition Aged Youth (TAY) programs.

Your week might look like coordinating art-making sessions, school workshops, and field trips, or communicating with families and schools and developing new curriculum.

📍Apply now or learn more at creativityexplored.org/careers — or just hit the link in our bio.

🍰 Closing soon! 🍰Only a couple more days to see Creativity Explored artist Camille Holvoet's work on view in the exhibit...
09/04/2025

🍰 Closing soon! 🍰

Only a couple more days to see Creativity Explored artist Camille Holvoet's work on view in the exhibition “Clay and Cake” at Jack Fischer Gallery ()! Open through Saturday, September 6 at 1275 Minnesota Street
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“The cakes are painted so as to evoke monuments having an almost architectural presence.⁠ The color sense is luscious and rich in its application, as if in fact it was icing that she was painting with. The icing nearly adorns the surfaces as if we are watching the results of a dessert master at work.” —Jack Fischer⁠

Image: Camille Holvoet, Untitled, 2015. Mixed media on paper, 11 x 15 in.

⏰ Last chance! ⏰⁠⁠Only a few days left to catch our current exhibition "Komorebi," on view through this Saturday August ...
08/28/2025

⏰ Last chance! ⏰⁠
⁠
Only a few days left to catch our current exhibition "Komorebi," on view through this Saturday August 30! This group exhibition highlights the work of Creativity Explored artists Allura Fong, Taneya Lovelace, Samantha Mathews, James Nielsen, Mary Ann Orozco, and Karla Quinonez.⁠
⁠
The abstract works in this exhibition were created through the accumulation of many small, formal decisions. Each time an artist chooses a new color, mark, or layer, they are subtly influenced by an infinite number of tiny elements from their past experiences. The resulting patterns are filled with dappled light, softened edges, and irregular rhythms that, when seen together, give us a moment of clarity, quietness, and contemplation. ⁠

Learn more on our website: https://www.creativityexplored.org/events-exhibitions/komorebi
⁠
3245 16th Street, SF⁠
⁠Gallery Hours: Th-Fri, 3-6 pm, Sat, 12-5 pm⁠
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📸 Installation photos by Hadley Raysor.

We are thrilled to announce that Creativity Explored has received a 2025 grant!⁠⁠The grant will support a project manag...
08/27/2025

We are thrilled to announce that Creativity Explored has received a 2025 grant!⁠
⁠
The grant will support a project managed by our Exhibitions Coordinator Alisa Polischuk to establish guidelines for arts professionals on how to partner with artists with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) in the exhibition planning and curating process. The results will be published as a free, digital resource.⁠

Read more on our blog: https://www.creativityexplored.org/news/creativity-explored-selected-to-receive-2025-teiger-foundation-grant
⁠
We are among 85 curators and 54 institutions across the US to receive a grant through the Foundation’s Call for Proposals, supporting innovative curatorial projects in contemporary art, from landmark artist surveys and overlooked archives to ecological histories and diasporic networks. The grants fund a full range of curatorial activities, including conducting research, mounting exhibitions, hosting touring shows, and realizing three years of programming.⁠
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Congrats to all of the 2025 grantees!⁠
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Images:⁠
1. Installation view of ceramic artworks by CE artists in Main Characters exhibition at Creativity Explored, April 10 - June 14, 2025. Courtesy Creativity Explored. Photo: Jonah Reenders.⁠
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2. Installation view of Creativity Explored Outer Space at Outer Space Gallery, June 6 - July 19, 2025. Courtesy Outer Space Gallery. Photo: Morgan Prestipino. ⁠
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3. Ka Wai Shiu with teacher Francis Kohler viewing her artwork at the opening reception of All Things In Motion at the Creativity Explored Gallery, September 13 - November 16, 2024. Courtesy Creativity Explored. Photo: Brandon Davis. ⁠
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4. Installation photo of Into the Brightness at the Oakland Museum of California, 2023. Courtesy Creativity Explored. Photo: Aileen Louie.

✨ Art Meets Recycling, 35 Years Strong ✨Celebrate the power of creativity and sustainability! The Recology Artist in Res...
08/20/2025

✨ Art Meets Recycling, 35 Years Strong ✨
Celebrate the power of creativity and sustainability! The Recology Artist in Residence (AIR) Program—supporting Bay Area artists using reclaimed materials since 1990—is marking its 35th anniversary with an exhibition showcase at the Minnesota Street Project. From July 23 to August 30, explore inspiring works by CE Artists Jesus Huezo, Samedi Djeimguero, Ethel Revita, and Daniel Green. Admission is free and open to all ages.
Read the SF Examiner article here: https://www.sfexaminer.com/culture/visual-arts/free-sf-art-exhibit-honors-recology-residency-anniversary/article_ca4c32f0-e7af-44a1-a70d-c6a9134757d9.html

Images:
1. "Become Like the Whole World," a mixed-media piece made by artist Samedi Djeimguero, is being exhibited at Dogpatch's Minnesota Street Project. It incorporates styrofoam, jewelry and an old computer monitor. Courtesy Recology.
2. Jesus Huezo, CE Artist since 2015

Address

3245 16th Street
San Francisco, CA
94103

Opening Hours

Friday 3pm - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 2pm

Telephone

+14158632108

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