A Short History of Progressive Art Studios for Adults with Disabilities

A progressive studio is a widely used term to describe art studios for adults with disabilities that help participants build careers as contemporary artists. Progressive studios do not teach art using the classical art school model, but rather encourage individual creative expression and self-fulfillment by supporting intuition and material exploration unique to each individual. There are some 60 such studios across the United States and many more around the world.

Presenter

Anthony Marcellini is an independent curator, educator, writer, and artist. He has produced exhibitions, lectures, public cultural events, and projects, with a focus on social engagement, public art and disabilities, in cultural venues and universities across the world. For over 9 years he has taught studio art, curatorial practice, theory, and art and design history at colleges and universities in the United States and Europe. From 2018 to 2020, he was the Programs and Exhibitions Manager of the Friendship Circle Soul Studio, a studio for adults with disabilities in West Bloomfield, MI. At Soul Studio Marcellini expanded the studio program, he worked to align Soul Studio to the history and ideology of Progressive Studios and disability culture. He introduced disabled artists into the Greater Detroit art scene and brought greater visibility to the artwork of the Soul Studio artists. Marcellini received his MFA in 2009 from California College of the Arts with a concentration in Social Practice