Open Door Gallery

Sustaining / Creating - A national juried exhibition of emerging artists with disabilities, ages 16 - 25

February 20, 2014 - April 16, 2014

Opening Reception: March 28 2014, 4-7pm. Conversation with award winning artists Sam Sadtler, Leland Foster, Taylor Gray, and Kara Stokowski at 6pm.

Sustaining / Creating is the 11th exhibition presented by VSA and Volkswagen Group of America as part of the Kennedy Center's annual Emerging Artists Program. This longtime collaboration is an opportunity for visual artists with disabilities, ages 16 - 25, to receive national recognition at the start of their careers. Culminating in a 2012 exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution and cash awards totaling $60,000 sponsored by Volkswagen, the Emerging Artists Program validates young artists at a critical time when many are deciding whether or not to pursue the arts as their livelihood.

Sustaining / Creating asked artists to present work that illuminates innovative viewpoints on sustainability and contemporary creativity. Beyond its scientific definition, sustainability references notions of responsibility and stewardship of our world in all facets of human interaction - from the environmental to the cultural; from inward-looking to outward action; from the individual to the plural. The selected artworks embody notions of sustainability and a practiced engagement with their personal environment, whether in broad abstract references or in explicitly detailed visual monologues.

The resulting exhibition powerfully reflects the nascent talent of these young artists. Their paintings, sculptures, and photography capture the diversity of opinions at the intersection of sustainability, creativity, and disability. While each artist is wholly unique in their creations, they all exemplify the idea that sustainability indicates the capacity to endure.

In addition to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, Sustaining / Creating has exhibited in Virginia, Kentucky, Colorado, New York, and Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The Open Door Gallery promotes the work of artists with disabilities and shifts our community's perceptions of ability while enjoying quality art.