We Take the Long Way

Curatorial Statement

We Take the Long Way

Programs providing cultural support in collaboration with neurodiverse artists have been around for a long time. The versions we know today are a product of “deinstitutionalization,” a process which closed many of the long-term psychiatric institutions replacing them with community scaled programs. Oakland, California’s Creative Growth (1974) was one of the first programs which dealt exclusively with the needs of artists who are considered to have disabilities.

While Creative Growth remains perhaps the largest, and certainly the most well-known program of its kind, there are hundreds of programs throughout the US who support artists in a myriad of ways. These programs range from daily studio programs to evening get-togethers and to church basement workshops. These program’s share the belief that artists with disabilities, given time and support, will find their own path. Staff are often more like coaches or facilitators, only switching to “teacher” when called upon.

We Take the Long Way, is how artist Beverly Powell described her process as an artist going from an institutional setting where “they didn’t let me crayon,” to supportive programs where she is able to flourish and create the vivid paintings of bouquets she is now known for today. Oregon is credited with many programs who collaborate with neurodiverse artists. For this exhibition we focused on artists who are near the I-5 corridor in Medford, Eugene, Corvallis, and Portland. We hope that this exhibition will highlight this practice as a statewide phenomenon.