John Hiltunen, Untitled, 2012, Collage, 10.5 x 11"

I just stopped by Paule Anglim’s new exhibition, “John Hiltunen + 1”, which is opening tonight. An exhibition of works by artists from Creative Growth Art Center, Oakland. Curated by Matthew Higgs, Director of White Columns in New York, the exhibition is a select constellation of works rotating around the figurative collages of John Hiltunen.

Since 1974, Creative Growth has been an art space for adult artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities, providing studio space and mentors, as well as an exhibition space. Encouraging work in all media (fiber arts, wood, painting, drawing, ceramics, photography printmaking and video), Creative Growth has promoted and exhibited the creative output of over 140 artists. Long dedicated in its service to the art of people with disabilities, Creative Growth has developed an international audience and presence, acting as a model for other enterprises abroad.

“The work produced by Creative Growth’s artists represents everything I could hope for in art: it is simultaneously joyful, sincere, obsessive and puzzling, and forcefully reminds me of why I remain committed to the potential of art to illuminate our lives.”

– Matthew Higgs, Director and Chief Curator of White Columns, New York