San Francisco arts nonprofit Creativity Explored and the Open Invitational, an art fair based in New York City, announce a new three-day art fair in downtown San Francisco focused on the work of artists with disabilities. Free and open to the public, the Creativity Explored x Open Invitational Art Fair will take place during San Francisco Art Week and will offer a wide variety of artwork for sale throughout 14,000 square feet of curated exhibitor space.

A highlight of SF Art Week, San Francisco’s annual celebration of creativity that draws thousands of art lovers, CExOI will invite locals and visitors to experience affordable, transformative art and inspiring public programs spotlighting progressive studios and their artist’s economic empowerment. Centered in SoMA and the East Cut, the fair will bring fresh energy and creative commerce to San Francisco’s downtown core.

Creativity Explored is a San Francisco–based nonprofit progressive studio that supports more than 140 artists with developmental disabilities to create, exhibit, and sell their art. Founded in 1983 by art and disability pioneers Florence Ludins-Katz and Dr. Elias Katz, the organization advocates for its artists as vital contributors to the contemporary art world and belongs to an international network of progressive studios that nurture artists with intellectual, developmental, and mental health disabilities. Every artwork sale facilitated by these studios directly enhances an artist’s quality of life by providing income, purpose, and a powerful way to share their lived experience with others.

By partnering with the Open Invitational, a new fair for progressive studios launched in 2024 by gallerist David Fierman and arts patron Ross McCalla/The Outsider Institute, CExOI will expand the momentum of previous fair iterations hosted in Miami and New York. CExOI will further the Open Invitational’s ethos of openness as a guiding principle and together, will work tirelessly to change the conversation of who is collected, who is discussed, and who is represented in the art world.

Images:

Logo - CExOI

Participants - CExOI

Open Invitational, Miami 2024

Open Invitational, Miami 2024