Open Door Art Studio & Gallery “Can You Feel It?” exhibition breaks artistic boundaries, furthers “expression without limitation” mission

Debra Goldfarb, an artist featured in Open Door Art Studio & Gallery’s “Can You Feel It?” exhibition, working on a ceramic unicorn in the studio. Credit: Julieta Manrique

Many consider art to be inherently visual, but some artists are beginning to challenge that idea.

Open Door Art Studio & Gallery — a nonprofit workshop for aspiring artists with developmental disabilities — is hosting an exhibition titled “Can You Feel It?” where guests are encouraged to engage with the art through physical touch, according to the gallery’s website. The opening reception is scheduled for Feb. 10 from 5-7 p.m., at 1050 Goodale Blvd. with free admission, the website states.

Sean Moore, Open Door’s community relations manager, said the exhibit will offer a vastly different experience than people are accustomed to.

“The key to this exhibition is really just overstimuli,” Moore said. “You’re going to walk in and be visually stimulated by a mass quantity of artwork, and then you get to touch the artwork, and you’re going to have different sensations as you touch pieces that are comprised of different mediums.”

“Glimmering Mountains” by Sharese Spencer is one piece that will be featured in Open Door Art Studio & Gallery’s “Can You Feel It?” exhibition. Credit: Sean Moore

There will also be a broad variety of mediums used in the exhibition, Moore said. With over 50 artists being showcased, he said there is bound to be at least one standout piece for all attendees.

“There’s a lot of textile-based art pieces, some weavings, hand-molded ceramic arts and some plastic-based pieces,” Moore said. “It’s gonna be packed.”

Beyond appealing to viewers, Moore said this extensive array of materials benefits the artists by giving them free rein to create whatever they desire, including how they want their work to feel.

“Our artists really get to create using whatever they want,” Moore said. “It’s kind of breaking the rules of what we’re supposed to do.”

Debra Goldfarb, one of many artists at Open Door and a participant in this exhibit, said she is at the studio on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays working on her art pieces.

“I started off painting all different kinds of stuff,” Goldfarb said. “Sometimes I make necklaces, sometimes I draw.”

Goldfarb said she is excited to display one of her pieces, titled “Sunflower,” at the exhibition. She primarily constructed the piece using beads, white pearls, orange fondant and paint.

“I like the sunflower because it makes me happy,” Goldfarb said. “It feels like it’s soft and rough.”

Goldfarb said she enjoys Open Door’s atmosphere because it gives her a creative outlet.

“I love all the people here,” Goldfarb said. “My favorite thing is I like making friends. I want people to see that I’m a good artist.”

As is typical of Open Door, all the participating artists’ pieces in this exhibit are available for purchase with negotiable prices, Moore said. He said this gives the artists a way to earn money while also helping Open Door purchase additional supplies for artists to use in the future.

“Prices can range from $25 to $300,” Moore said. “Our artists make 60% of the total cost of the piece, [and] our 40% generally goes back to the purchasing of supplies, so artists never really have to worry about the materials or mediums or upfront costs.”

Moore said Open Door works with the artists to decide what the exhibitions will be for the year and likes to explore new art forms when creating the exhibitions.

“We want to do exhibitions that are easily accessible to our artists but are also slightly pushing the boundaries in terms of what art is and what we’re presenting to the general public,” Moore said.

Moore said Open Door Art represents over 100 artists with an average of “35 artists to 40 artists per day,” and will always have “open doors” to artists with developmental disabilities who wish to express themselves creatively.

“Our motto has always been ‘expression without limitation,’ that is something that we hold dear to our hearts,” Moore said. “Every single person in their own capacity is creative. What we consider art is always evolving.”

Open Door Art Studio & Gallery is open daily except for Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The “Can You Feel It?” exhibition will be on view from Feb. 10 to March 1. Admission is free for the general public and more ticket information can be found on Open Door’s website.