By Kendall Fisher(opens in new tab), executive producer at Grow Wire
In the United States alone, roughly 48.9 million(opens in new tab) people are living with a disability. And yet, only 35% of working-age Americans with disabilities are employed, forcing them to be dependent on family for day-to-day activities and financial needs, and ultimately, reducing their quality of life.
Creativity Explored wanted to help change that.
Based out of San Francisco, Calif.—with its own population of about 9,000 people living with disabilities—Creativity Explored is a nonprofit that provides space, supplies, professional instruction and exhibition opportunities to artists with developmental disabilities. The organization currently works with over 130 artists in the San Francisco area, offering a safe place to learn and engage with their community and even make some money. Creativity Explored supports its artists’ financial independence, with artists earning 50% commission on art sales and 40% of licensing royalties.
In light of Giving Tuesday(opens in new tab) this week, we’re highlighting Creativity Explored and its important mission on this episode of “The Grow Wire Podcast(opens in new tab),” where we sat down with Development Director, Megan Hover, and one of the organization’s artists, Rory.
Hover takes us back to the genesis of the organization—which was founded by Florence Ludins-Katz and Elias Katz in 1983—and how its continued to grow and develop over time. She also dives into the impact the organization is having on people living with developmental disabilities, providing a platform for an otherwise marginalized group to share their stories through art, which in turn, changes the perception around them and builds a stronger connection with the rest of the community.
But don’t just take our word for it. You’ll also hear firsthand from one of the organizations’ artists, Rory, on the ways in which having a creative outlet has improved his life, and why his years spent at Creativity Explored have been some of his best experiences.
To hear all of this and more, tune into this episode on Apple Podcasts(opens in new tab), SoundCloud(opens in new tab) and YouTube(opens in new tab).