Disparate Minds: Progressive Art Studios

Andreana Donahue and Tim Ortiz, of Disparate Minds, are fine artists with a passion for promoting the often over-looked portion of their community: adult artists with developmental disabilities. They have visited twenty progressive art studios across the country over the last several months, documenting how these spaces operate, and why they are so necessary for the communities they serve.

The Disparate Minds organization believed that progressive art studios are not merely inspiring or beautiful places, but powerful agents of change for the representation of artists with developmental disabilities within the art world. By providing these artists with the unique opportunity to work in a studio accustomed to their needs, progressive art studios are directly involved with the fostering of art that can most accurately convey the experiences of those living with disabilities.

As more progressive studios lose their funding, and find themselves having to close their doors to this already grossly underserved community, Disparate Minds hopes to counteract this loss by connecting these spaces. Through web and print materials, the goal is to demystify these spaces and raise awareness for the work they do. The goal being to help make the art world a more inclusive space for all its creators. With this grant they will be able to acquire necessary tools and webspace to bring this project to life.

Discover more of the awesome work Disparate Minds have been up to on their website, Facebook, and Twitter.