Philadelphia’s Leading Progressive Art Studio, the Center for Creative Works, Presents a Multi-Sensory Exhibition of Six Studio Artists
Exploring Intersection of Creativity, Ability, and Lived Experience
On view at Haverford College’s Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery
September 19 - December 13, 2025
Haverford, PA (June 11, 2025) – This fall, Philadelphia’s leading progressive art studio, the Center for Creative Works (CCW), is partnering with Haverford College’s Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery to present LOOK HERE, a dynamic, multi-sensory exhibition illuminating the nuanced and revelatory perspectives represented in the work of neurodivergent artists. Ranging from colorful illustrations that meticulously catalogue differences in categories of food, transit, and appliances, to found object sculptures that form relics of a world understood through touch, the exhibition invites visitors to look, listen, smell, and touch to connect with a diversity of ways of “looking” at the world.
LOOK HERE features six artists with studio practices based out of CCW – Kelly Brown, Cindy Gosselin, Clyde Henry, Tim Quinn, Brandon Spicer-Crawley, and Allen Yu. Curated by Jennifer Gilbert alongside two CCW artists – Mary T. Bevlock and Paige Donovan – the exhibition emphasizes art’s ability to communicate across different sensory channels.
“This exhibition emphasizes the brilliance of these six artists and the longevity of their studio practices, which have been supported and developed at the Center for Creative Works,” noted CCW Director Lori Bartol. “The contemporary art world has generally been slow to recognize the tremendous work emerging from progressive studios, but there has been a surge of interest from mainstream contemporary art spaces over recent years. This has been exciting to watch for those of us who have long been committed to supporting and promoting the tremendous professional talent, insight, and ingenuity that is readily apparent in these studios.”
Each of the six featured artists brings a unique voice to the exhibition, employing a variety of mediums, including intricate drawings, paintings, and sculptures, to convey their personal narratives, including:
- Kelly Brown: Brown’s weaving practice is grounded in crocheting long ropes of yarn, ribbon, and fabric, continuing this practice throughout her day both at home and in the studio. Initially working with small household objects like baskets as armatures, she weaves with found materials on loosely-warped frame looms. Intertwining her crocheted ropes through and around these shapes, her work articulates her experience of the world without the ability to see, hear, or speak.
- Cindy Gosselin: Gosselin’s mixed-media sculptures are tactile works that explore texture and form. Created solely through touch as she is blind, the works are wrapped pieces formed of thread and found objects that express both the fragility and strength conveyed by ordinary materials.
- Clyde Henry: Henry is known for his playful compositions across mediums, including works on paper, and those made using clay, wood, and textiles. With a distinctive mark-making process that revolves around portraits of animals and people, particularly members of his family, Henry skillfully translates his aesthetic to any material he works with, resulting in vibrant compositions filled with energy and character.
- Tim Quinn: Quinn’s bold and geometric paintings create a sense of structure and balance through grid-like planes that overlap fields of color. Employing bright colors and rhythmic patterns, his work creates a sense of balance and harmony in abstraction. Quinn describes his work as referencing architectural spaces.
- Brandon Spicer-Crawley: Brandon Spicer-Crawley’s vibrant paintings are rich with color and personal imagery, often reflecting his interests including in law enforcement. His work combines text, abstraction, and figures, creating an expressive visual language that invites viewers to connect with his inner world.
- Allen Yu: Yu’s colorful drawings meticulously catalogue the nuances and variety in different categories of objects, from train cars to McDonald’s sandwiches - with details inscribed on the back of many of these drawings. These lively, engaging works prompt a joy and exploration in ordinary objects, inviting viewers to find beauty in the overlooked.
The works on view were selected by the curatorial team to emphasize these varied and compelling perspectives on the world. Led by Jennifer Gilbert, a UK-based curator whose work focuses on inclusivity and using art as a platform for overlooked voices, artists Mary T. Bevlock and Paige Donovan chose pieces in coordination with their peers and colleagues that are not only representative of the studio, but inspiring to the community in their approach and realization.
The exhibition design itself will also integrate many elements to enhance accessibility for wide audiences, including braille, videos about the artists with ASL embedded, touch panels featuring artists’ materials, sensory backpacks, an Easy Read guide, a quiet room, and tours led by neurodivergent artists.
“This is a particularly important moment to highlight the profound work coming out of progressive art studios in America, as diversity in public institutions is being challenged, and when Medicaid is looking to make huge cuts across the country, affecting studio and artist budgets. This often overlooked work needs to be seen more in contemporary art spaces, and recognized for its place within the contemporary art world,” noted Jennifer Gilbert, one of the exhibition’s curators. “Curating alongside artists with different lived experiences of disability makes you look at work in new, exciting and curious ways. From Mary looking for ‘pizzazz’ and Paige looking for details in things, it takes you away from works you’d ordinarily see as interesting, to looking at other options that may have been overlooked before, but which also deserve their moment to shine.”
LOOK HERE will be complemented by a series of related events, including two satellite exhibitions – one at Haverford’s VCAM gallery, LOOK THERE, featuring a single work from a larger group of 105 CCW artists, curated by Bevlock and Donovan, and another, LOOK EVERYWHERE, at Philadelphia's Atelier Gallery in October, featuring works from 33 artists from progressive art studios around the country, also curated by Jennifer Gilbert. These exhibitions will coincide with the 6th annual Creating Community Symposium, which brings together professionals from progressive art studios nationwide to discuss best practices, advocacy, and the evolving intersection of art and disability. Originally started by California’s Creative Growth Art Center, the nation's most widely known progressive art studio, this is the first time the gathering will be held on the East Coast.
Continuing its longstanding partnership with Haverford College, CCW will also offer ongoing educational programming for students and the public. This includes workshops, discussions, and interactive events designed to engage audiences with the exhibition, its artists and the importance of accessibility. These programs are part of a ten-year collaboration between Haverford and CCW, which has fostered deep connections between students, artists, and the community. This programming, along with the exhibitions and symposium, will allow visitors to engage in a broader conversation about the significance of art in the lives of neurodivergent people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the vital role of progressive art studios in fostering creativity, inclusion, and advocacy.
“CCW artists and Haverford students have enjoyed a reciprocal partnership for a decade. They have created work both individually and collaboratively—BioArt in the bio labs, woodworking connected to trees in the campus Arboretum, and most recently individualized action figures in Haverford’s Maker Arts Space—and through this work they have built relationships and community,” explained Kristin Lindgren, a professor of literature, writing, and disability studies at Haverford College. “This exhibition builds on Haverford’s existing relationship with CCW and serves as a catalyst for future projects. We are thrilled to share with a broad public the vibrant work being created at CCW.”
Following the exhibitions and symposium this year, a publication highlighting the work of progressive art studios around the country will be released in November 2026, highlighting the LOOK HERE project and its impact on the progressive art studio movement.
Major support for LOOK HERE has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
LOOK HERE Details
- Location: Haverford College’s Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery
- Curators: Jennifer Gilbert, Mary T. Bevlock and Paige Donovan
- Curatorial Assistant: Samantha Mitchell
- Artists: Kelly Brown, Cindy Gosselin, Clyde Henry, Tim Quinn, Brandon Spicer-Crawley, and Allen Yu
- LOOK HERE at CFG Exhibition Dates: September 19 - December 13, 2025
- LOOK THERE at VCAM Exhibition Dates: September 19 - December 13, 2025
- LOOK EVERYWHERE at Atelier Exhibition Dates: October 1 - 31, 2025
- Symposium Dates: October 20 - 23, 2025
- Support: The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage
About the Center for Creative Works
The Center for Creative Works (CCW) is a progressive art studio that is part of an international movement, redefining the role of artists with intellectual disabilities within the contemporary art world. CCW focuses on the professional development and representation of artists with intellectual disabilities, offering a space where individuals can explore their potential, gain visibility, build their artistic practice and share their unique human experiences. With studios in Philadelphia and Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, CCW fosters artistic growth by providing artists with access to a professional studio and relevant support, allowing them to build portfolios, exhibit work nationally, and engage with the broader art community.
At the heart of CCW's mission is the belief that artistic practice should be valued equally, regardless of an artist’s background or neurodivergence. The center’s exhibition program plays a critical role in advancing this goal by showcasing the work of these artists in professional settings, such as galleries and art fairs. These exhibitions not only provide a platform for the artists but also serve to shift public perceptions, challenging preconceived notions about the capabilities of individuals with intellectual disabilities. CCW ensures that artists receive a fair commission on sales, aligning their representation with standard professional practices in the art world.
CCW emphasizes respect, dignity, and empowerment in its approach to community and professional engagement. The center works alongside its artists as equals, providing mentorship, promotion, and access to high-quality materials to elevate their work. This approach empowers artists to flourish in an environment where their voices and contributions are celebrated, and their autonomy is respected. Through a focus on both artistic development and social capital, CCW ensures its artists have the tools they need to succeed in the competitive art world while challenging perceptions about their place within it.
As a program of Resources for Human Development and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CCW has built meaningful partnerships with local and international artists, galleries, and organizations, working to redefine how the art world understands and values creative expression.
About Haverford’s Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery
An integral part of the John B. Hurford '60 Center for the Arts and Humanities, the Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery (CFG) is the principal venue for the Haverford College Exhibitions Program, which aims to extend cultural literacy through the display and analysis of work across visual and material media.
Envisioning exhibition spaces as active workshops for the exploration of visual culture, the Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery partners with faculty, students, and visiting curators to design exhibitions that connect curricular interests and scholarship with contemporary artistic practice. In so doing, we encourage intellectual inquiry and artistic innovation in the Haverford community and greater Philadelphia region.
Drawing on the vibrant arts community and world-class museums and galleries of nearby Philadelphia, the Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery showcases some of the region’s most compelling new artwork; at the same time, the program strives to bring noteworthy artistic exemplars of both national and international perspectives to the area.
About the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage is a multidisciplinary grantmaker and hub for knowledge-sharing, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and dedicated to fostering a vibrant cultural community in Greater Philadelphia. The Center invests in ambitious, imaginative, and catalytic work that showcases the region’s cultural vitality and enhances public life, and engages in an exchange of ideas concerning artistic and interpretive practice with a broad network of cultural practitioners and leaders.
Media contact
Sara Griffin
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