Artists creating work for the exhibition in the Open Door studio. Credit: Paige McBane | Lantern Reporter
Step into the shadowed realms of art, if you dare.
Open Door Columbus is a nonprofit provider of resources to individuals with developmental disabilities that aims to provide creative outlets for all people, according to the company’s website. The nonprofit will be showcasing “Are You Afraid of the Art” Saturday at the Open Door Art Studio & Gallery, and the “creepy crawly” exhibit will be available to view until Nov. 3, the website states.
Claire Smith, the nonprofit’s program director, said many of the participating artists receive waiver services, which allow individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions to receive personalized care in their communities, according to the Department of Medicaid website.
“This is a day-hab program, so it’s an opportunity for them to get out of their house and be integrated in the community,” Smith said. “If they have an interest in art or art making, we build their portfolio and help them make artwork and sell artwork too. Anything that we sell here, they get 60 percent and the rest goes back to the studio to buy supplies.”
Sean Moore, the nonprofit’s community relations manager, said the event offers artists a chance to cultivate their skill set.
“It’s an opportunity to learn and grow kind of vocationally as an artist,” Moore said. “So all of the things that happen behind the scenes, it’s not just the act of creating, but it’s the act of marketing, the act of exhibiting, the act of selling, the act of forming partnerships with the community at large.”
Smith said the artists experimented with several kinds of supplies to produce works for the exhibit, allowing their creativity to blossom.
“They use a variety of different mediums,” Smith said. “We have acrylic, watercolor, we have a kiln on site. We do mixed media work, and pretty much anything they want to try and do, we can try to figure out how to make sure that happens.”
Moore said the exhibit is an annual fan favorite, drawing in crowds from surrounding areas to revel in the sheer multitude of artwork.
“This is probably the exhibition for opening night that is most attended by the artists who have participated in pieces,” Moore said. “If someone is interested in not only coming and viewing the artwork but also meeting the artists who created it, your best shot is going to be ‘Are You Afraid of the Art.’”
Moore said the organization’s mission is to inspire creative and fulfilling life journeys for the people it serves. Seeing the represented artists take pride in their accomplishments at Open Door’s exhibits is always an amazing experience, Moore said.
“They are all on this sort of creative journey of what it means to be an artist, and we’re sort of here to help them on that path in any way that we can,” Moore said. “But then to be able to form that connection between artist and buyer is like, tenfold even better than just strictly selling something.”
Moore said each individual piece offers an insight into the artist’s personality, as every artist works independently. The chosen and depicted subjects are ones that are truly important to them, Moore said.
“This is an exhibition where they really get to just throw it all out there and be themselves,” Moore said.
Entrance to the exhibition is free and costumes are encouraged, Smith said. More information about “Are You Afraid of the Art” can be found on Open Door’s website.
