Creative Growth: The House That Art Built and 50th Anniversary Gala (Sept 25) | SFMOMA | April 6–Oct 6 2024

Creative Growth: The House That Art Built

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Overview

Today’s LOVE LETTER TO ART is SFMOMA’s Creative Growth: The House That Art Built, which celebrates the art organization’s 50th anniversary.

Creative Growth: The House That Art Built Exhibition Preview. SFMOMA, San Francisco.

Creative Growth, founded by psychologist Dr. Elias Katz and his artist wife, Florence Ludins-Katz (also established Creativity Explored and NIAD) is an Oakland-based nonprofit art gallery and studio space for artists with developmental disabilities.

Executive Director Tom di Maria Discusses the History of Creative Growth

The House That Art Built is curated by Jenny Gheith, Nancy Lim, and Auriel Garza, with Creative Growth’s Executive Director, Tom di Maria.

The show features 80 SFMOMA-acquired works by 11 artists:

Joseph Alef
Camille Holvoet
Susan Janow
Dwight Mackintosh
John Martin
Dan Miller
Donald Mitchell
Judith Scott
William Scott
Ron Veasey
Alice Wong

It’s a wonderful exhibition that raises awareness about these artists and the people who support their community. The organization holds a special place in my heart, as I grew up with Lauren Dare and my cousin Anthony Eng was a Creative Growth artist for many years.

🗓 Creative Growth: The House That Art Built (located on the 2nd floor) closes Oct 6 at SFMOMA. Admission is $30.

It runs alongside a series of FANTASTIC events, including Creative Growth 50th Anniversary Gala and Fashion Show (where you can also purchase the wearable works of art) on September 25 (hosted by Kim Hastreiter of Paper Magazine and Stephen Beal of CCA), which is a wonderful opportunity to support these talented artists and the organization that makes it all possible, bringing love, joy, and creativity to so many lives. For this fundraiser, tickets start at $250 and can be purchasesd HERE.

Creative Growth’s 50th Birthday Bash and Beyond Trend Pop-Up Fashion Show, June 2024. Creative Growth, Oakland. 

Shown here:
1) Jorge Gomez + David Wilson
2) Lynn Pisco
3) Lulu Sotelo
4)  Susan Janow, James Freid, Soph Alvarez, William Scott, Tom di Maria
5) Soph Alvarez + Volunteers
6) Shopping the Fashion Show’s Creations
7) Nadia Philomena Ghani wearing Lulu Sotelo
8) Fashion Show Producer Liz Baca
9) Tom di Maria + Amelia Whittlesey
10-12) Creative Growth’s Gallery
13) NIAD’s Chrissie Bradley + Josefin Lundahl
14) Jolie Laide Wines’ Collab w/ Scott Schultz + Friend (I bought the Melon de Bourgogne Chalone w/ artwork by Aurie Ramirez. Was good!)
15) Entrance to Creative Growth

Creative Growth’s 2019 Beyond Trend Fashion Show. Scottish Rite Center, Oakland. 

💌 Did you go? What did you think? Let us know in the comments (in the Reviews section located on the second tab at the top of the page).

QUICK GUIDE: SFMOMA / CREATIVE GROWTH

⭐ SFMOMA EXHIBITIONS: Creative Growth: The House That Art Built (Closes Oct. 6); What Matters: A Proposition in Eight Rooms [Ebony G. Patterson’s …three kings weep…IS STUNNING.] (Closes 9/22). Ragnar Kjartansson: The Visitors [Interactive musical experience. Think: If melodic intensity was visual.] (Closes 10/14). Unity Through Skateboarding curated by Jeffrey Cheung and Unity Skateboarding’s Gabriel Ramirez celebrates the dreams and realities of queer, trans, BIPOC, and women skaters as well as the diverse communities that have shaped the sport, despite histories of hypermasculinity and exclusionary attitudes (Closes April 2025). *Yayoi Kusama’s Dreaming of Earth’s Sphericity, I Would Offer My Love is back on view at the museum (Closes May 2025). Kara Walker: Fortuna and the Immortality Garden (Machine) (Closes Spring 2026). UPCOMING: (Opens Oct 19) Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture features 100+ works of art, design, interactive installations, and media related to the world of sports. CREATIVE GROWTH: Creative Growth at 50: A Visual History (Closes Nov 16).
⭐ HOURS: SFMOMA: Open Monday–Tuesday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. CLOSED WEDNESDAY. Thursday 12:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. Friday–Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. CREATIVE GROWTH: Wednesday–Saturday 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
⭐ SFMOMA ADMISSION: General Admission Adults $30; Seniors 65+ $25; Ages 19-24 $23; 18 & Under FREE. Membership starts at $130 GA/$110 Senior/$90 Working Artist.
⭐ SFMOMA DISCOUNTS: 
🧡 FREE 1ST THURSDAYS (Residents of the 9 Bay Area Counties)
💛 FREE FAMILY DAYS (up to 4 adults accompanying one child – next one is Oct 3, 2024)
💖 FREE COMMUNITY DAYS (next one is Oct 20, 2024).
💚 FREE tickets via Discover and Go (w/library card – may not apply to all counties)
💜 SF Museums for All (up to 3 people w/your EBT/ Medi-Cal card AND a proof of residency {a driver’s license, letter addressed to you, or utility bill} at ticket window).
💗 SF Unified Teachers FREE w/Educator Pass (must apply on website)
💙 FREE Admission to U.S. military personnel and veterans plus guest. SFMOMA is a Blue Star Museum and from the 3rd Sat in May until the 1st Monday in Sept, active U.S. military personnel and up to 5 family members are FREE.
⭐ EVENTS: (Sept 25, 5:30–10:00 p.m.) Creative Growth 50th Anniversary Gala; (Oct 10, 6:00–9:00 p.m.) Rooftop Radio feat. SFJAZZ $35/$15 members; (Oct 20, 10:00–5:00 p.m.) Free Community Day; (Nov 15, 6:00–9:00 p.m.) SFMOMA Member Party.
⭐ SFMOMA FOOD/DRINK: *MEMBERS RECEIVE A 10% DISCOUNT. Steps Coffee (2nd floor) is open Fri-Tues 9:30–4:30 p.m.; Thurs 11:00-6:00 p.m.; Cafe 5 (5TH FLOOR) is open Fri-Tues 10:30–4:30 p.m.; Thurs 12-7:30 p.m.; *Grace (street level) is open to the public, MUSEUM ADMISSION NOT REQUIRED. Hours: Thurs–Mon 11:30–5:00 p.m. CLOSED TUES AND WED. Thurs 11:30–8:00 p.m. *Check out their FABULOUS HAPPY HOUR Thurs–Mon 3:00–5:00 p.m.
⭐ SFMOMA NEARBY ART: MUSEUMS: YBCA (2min walk), MoAD (2 min walk), CJM [Go see Nicki Green’s PHENOMENAL show Firmament—post to follow soon] (4 min walk). PUBLIC ART: Revelation, the Martin King Jr. memorial fountain and several others at Yerba Buena Gardens (2 min walk) [see LINK for Yerba Buena Gardens self-guided art tour]. GALLERIES: Berggruen Gallery (1 min walk from Howard Street entrance).
⭐ SFMOMA NEARBY FOOD/DRINK: My nearby FAVES are Fang [Cantonese] (1 min walk), Yokai [A TERRIFIC place for lunch and OMG, THAT CAVIAR POTATO!! Soooo good!] (7 min walk), *Oren’s Hummus (6 min walk). *Check out their AMAZING HAPPY HOUR Mon–Thurs 3:00–5:00 p.m.

 More nearby suggestions are always welcome. Feel free to add in the comments!

Currently on View at SFMOMA

What Matters: A Proposition in Eight Rooms | Closes Sept 22, 2024

Episode Two This exhibition brings together an evolving body of contemporary works from the museum’s collection that addresses questions about life and art. These quiet works propose celebration, mourning, and transcendence. Together, they initiate a stimulating composition about life and freedom. Presented as related episodes over time, it offers deep engagement with ideas, materials, and […]

Ragnar Kjartansson: The Visitors | Closes Oct 14, 2024

Ragnar Kjartansson’s beloved video installation The Visitors (2012) is back at SFMOMA. In this mesmerizing hour-long work projected across nine screens, viewers are transported once again to the serene setting of Rokeby in upstate New York as the Icelandic artist and his musician friends perform together in various rooms of this historic mansion.

Unity through Skateboarding | Closes April 2025

Celebrate the dreams and realities of queer, trans, BIPOC, and women skaters as well as the diverse communities that have shaped the sport.

Yayoi Kusama: Dreaming of Earth's Sphericity, I Would Offer My Love | Closes May 2025 | SFMOMA

"Dots are symbols of the world, the cosmos. The Earth is a dot, the moon, sun, the stars are all made up of dots. You and me, we are dots." —Yayoi Kusama. Shown here in Yayoi Kusama's Dreaming of Earth's Sphericity, I Would Offer My Love, 2023 (closes May 2025) from SFMOMA's Infinite Love show.

Kara Walker: Fortuna and the Immortality Garden (Machine) | Closes Spring 2026 | A LOVE LETTER TO ART #SFMOMA #MUSEUM

Here’s a preview of SFMOMA’s latest installation by Kara E-Walker, 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙖 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙂𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙣 (𝙈𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚). This…

Coming Soon to SFMOMA

Consuelo Kanaga: Catch the Spirit | Sept 28–Feb 9, 2025

Consuelo Kanaga: Catch the Spirit presents the first West Coast retrospective on the work of this critical yet overlooked figure in the history of modern photography. A bicoastal artist between San Francisco and New York, Consuelo Kanaga was one of the first women to become a staff photojournalist at a major newspaper — The San […]

Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture | Oct 19–Feb 18, 2025

“Get in the Game” explores the powerful role that sports play in contemporary culture through paintings, sculptures, mixed media works, as well as design breakthroughs in gear and apparel and participatory installations that visitors can play.

Amy Sherald: American Sublime | Nov 16–March 9, 2025

The largest presentation of Amy Sherald’s work to date, bringing together more than 45 paintings from her poetic early portraits to the incisive, moving figure paintings for which she is best known.

SFMOMA FOOD/DRINK

Grace - San Francisco, CA on OpenTable

Grace, Casual Dining American cuisine. Read reviews and book now.

A LOVE LETTER TO ART RECOMMENDS

NEARBY ART

YBCA

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Public Art | Visit Yerba Buena

Download the Engage ARt app for the FREE Audio Walking Tour

Museum of the African Diaspora

Contemporary Art Museum | 685 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105

The CJM | The Contemporary Jewish Museum

The CJM makes the diversity of the Jewish experience relevant for a twenty-first century audience. We accomplish this through innovative exhibitions and programs that educate, challenge, and inspire.

Berggruen Gallery

Berggruen Gallery specializes in the exhibition and sale of 20th-century American and European paintings, drawings, sculpture, and limited edition prints.

NEARBY FOOD/DRINK

Fang

Trendy spot offering modern twists on Chinese staples in an upscale, Asian-influenced setting.

YOKAI

THE SPIRITS OF JAPAN AND THE HEART OF SAN FRANCISCO. Sonically elevated by vintage JBL audio, crafted by Chef Marc Zimmerman and accompanied by a robust cocktail program featuring Japanese whisky and gin.

Oren’s Hummus | Oren’s Hummus Authentic Israeli Food

Rip, Scoop, Eat

Author: ALoveLettertoArt