MARCH 14 - APRIL 19, 2025
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
"Organizing shows of this scale is critical to changing the overall conversation on what is 'worthy' to collect –- and who is 'worthy' in broader society."
– Rachel Weisman, Gallery Director, Fountain House Gallery & Studio
Artists from seven of the nation’s top progressive art studio programs will be featured in I Wish I Had A Window, a group exhibition opening in Oakland, California on March 14, 2025. Organized by collector and gallerist, Greg Roberts, the exhibition provides an opportunity to expand public exposure to the artwork artists with disabilities are creating in progressive studios across the nation. “Bringing attention to the variety of artworks, the important missions of each of the featured studios, and foremost, keeping artists with disabilities in the forefront of collectors’ minds and conversations is the primary goal of the exhibition,” notes Roberts.
I Wish I Had A Window will feature more than 500 works by over 200 artists with disabilities from Creativity Explored (San Francisco), NIAD Art Center (Richmond, CA), Creative Growth (Oakland), ECF Art Centers (Los Angeles), Pure Vision Arts and Fountain House Gallery & Studio (New York), and Project Onward (Chicago). “More than an exhibition,” states Christian Alvarez, Director of ECF Art Centers, “I Wish I Had A Window is a celebration of artistic achievement and a call to recognize the vital role these artists play in shaping contemporary art. By bringing together works from artists from across the country, this showcase underscores a simple but powerful truth: art is for everyone. The artists we represent are not only accomplished but indispensable contributors to the cultural landscape.”
Last year was a breakthrough year for artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the Bay Area. SFMOMA’s widely acclaimed acquisitions and an exhibition honoring 50 years of Creative Growth, the presentation of artworks by Bay Area progressive studio artists at FOG Design + Art, and Oakland Museum of California Art’s groundbreaking show Into the Brightness featuring artists from all three of the Bay Area’s progressive studios brought unprecedented attention to artists with disabilities and their artwork.
Compelled to bring a larger selection of works by artists with disabilities from across the country to the Bay Area, Roberts, who over the past three decades formed relationships with each of the seven participating progressive studio organizations, began reaching out to his contacts in early 2024. The resoundingly positive responses from the studios and artists resulted in a year of cross-country coordination and the selection of over 500 artworks. “Some people don’t know what the disabled person can do. I’m an artistic person. I love to draw. I do faces. It don’t have to be nobody in particular. It comes from the heart,” comments Vincent Jackson, Artist, Creativity Explored.
“It is essential that we recognize artists from progressive art studios as accomplished and capable. This exhibition is a timely celebration of their broad reaching contributions to the contemporary art dialogue,” emphasizes Rachel Weisman, Gallery Director, Fountain House Gallery & Studio. “Greg has been a longtime champion of these artists, their stories, and has keen understanding of their value in the contemporary arts sector. Organizing shows of this scale is critical to changing the overall conversation on what is “worthy” to collect –- and who is “worthy” in broader society.”
I Wish I Had A Window will include paintings, sculptures, mixed medium works, textiles, and works on paper. Visitors will be encouraged to remove purchased exhibition works from the walls, creating an engaging and dynamic rotating space for the 500 plus featured artworks. I Wish I Had A Window opens Friday, March 14 and runs through Saturday, April 19, 2025.
I Wish I Had A Window, is organized by Greg Roberts, in collaboration with Creative Growth, Creativity Explored, NIAD Art Center (Bay Area); ECF Art Centers (Los Angeles); Fountain House Gallery & Studio, Pure Vision Arts (New York); and Project Onward (Chicago).
Opening Night: Friday, March 14 from 5:30pm – 9:00pm
Show Duration: March 14 – April 19, 2025
Hours: 11:00am – 7:00pm daily* Further exhibition programming to be announced in advance of the opening.
Participating Studios: Creativity Explored (San Francisco), NIAD Art Center (Richmond, CA), Creative Growth (Oakland), ECF Art Centers (Los Angeles), Fountain House Gallery & Studio, Pure Vision Arts, (New York), and Project Onward (Chicago).
I Wish I Had A Window
March 14 – April 19, 2025
590 ‘B’ 2nd Street (btw Jefferson + Clay)
Oakland. CA
Website: gregrobertsart.com (Live March 5, 2025, for previews and presales)
IG: @gregroberts6
Creative Growth: @creativegrowth
Creativity Explored: @creativityexplored
NIAD Art Center: @niadartcenter
ECF Art Centers: @art_ecf
Fountain House: @fountainhousegallery
Project Onward: @projectonward
Pure Vision Arts: @PureVisionArts