Billed as “the only fair devoted to self-taught art, art brut, and outsider art,” the upcoming edition will feature galleries from 32 cities, among them are stalwarts in the field, like Cavin-Morris Gallery (of New York), Fleisher/Ollman Gallery (Philadelphia), Carl Hammer Gallery (Chicago), and Ricco/Maresca Gallery (New York). Likewise, the fair will include nine first-time exhibitors, including Montreal’s Galerie Hugues Charbonneau, Baltimore’s New Door Creative, Nashville’s Elephant Gallery, and the Ruffed Grouse Gallery of Narrowsburg, New York. premium77
As with past editions, next year’s Outsider Art Fair will include two curated sections. Titled “Beat Art Work: Power of the Gaze,” the first is to be organized by legendary American poet Anne Waldman and will include visual art by poets like William Burroughs, Gregory Corso, Diane di Prima, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and Joanne Kyger. premium77
The second curated section will celebrate the 50th anniversary of long-time exhibitor Creative Growth Art Center, the Oakland-based nonprofit that is the longest running organization of its kind, dedicated to supporting the work of artists with disabilities. Tom di Maria, Creative Growth’s director emeritus, will organize the presentation, titled “Expanding the Canon: 50 Years of Creative Growth”; it will feature never-before-exhibited works by artists like Dwight Mackintosh, Donald Mitchell, William Scott, Monica Valentine, Aurie Ramirez, William Tyler, and Judith Scott. In October, the San Francisco Museum of Art announced that it had acquired 114 works by 10 Creative Growth–affiliated artists and that it would mount an exhibition of the acquisitions next spring.
“For anyone who’s ever been to Creative Growth, every day feels like a celebration,” Outsider Art Fair owner Andrew Edlin told ARTnews. “And Tom Di Maria, in particular, deserves tremendous accolades for his stewardship—guiding these artists on their journeys from [founders Elias Katz and Florence Ludins-Katz’s] garage to the Venice Biennale. With the major acquisition and exhibition plans by SFMOMA, Creative Growth and its artists have solidified their place in art history. OAF is always delighted and takes pride when the art world embraces work that we have been championing these last 32 years.” premium77