Creativity Explored is proud to present: FULL STOP!

March 16 – May 4, 2017 Reception: Thursday, March 16, 2017

Creativity Explored Gallery

3245 Sixteenth Street, San Francisco Gallery hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 AM – 3 PM;

Thursday 10 AM – 7 PM; Saturday and Sunday, 12 – 5 PM

Untitled (collaborative artwork) by Claus Groeger, Corine Raper, and Hung Kei Shiu © 2017 Creativity Explored Licensing,

LLC, mixed media, 23 x 24.5 inches

San Francisco, Thursday, February 8, 2016 - Creativity Explored, the premier

nonprofit visual art gallery and studio for artists with developmental disabilities, is

pleased to announce FULL STOP!, an exhibition of drawings and paintings by

Claus Groeger, Corine Raper, and Hung Kei Shiu. All three artists are, for the

most part, nonverbal, but use mark making as a mode of expression.

The artists’ respective methods may appear as an impulsive mark, but upon

closer examination they demonstrate a deep understanding of composition,

color, and movement. For example, Groeger’s lines often flow off the paper

functioning as an extension of his curiosity, while Raper keeps her gestural line

work within the boundaries of the page serving as a reflection of her

concentration. In contrast, Shiu delicately crafts dreamy colored fields of line

work into assembled patterns.

Curators and Visual Arts Instructors Amanda Eicher and Hannah Grace Lilly also

included collaborative line drawn and painted works (Untitled, 2016, mixed media

on paper, 16 x 20 inches) that Groeger, Raper, and Shiu created for this

exhibition. Lilly remarks, “there is something so quiet about the three artists, but

something so incredibly loud about their artwork.”

Claus Groeger (b. 1953) has been

making art as a studio artist at

Creativity Explored since 1999. After a

decade of making mixed media

constructions from found objects, the

artist recently settled into making

abstract paintings and drawings.

Groeger is constantly engrossed in art

making. His repetitive mark making is

central to his earlier tactile process,

and acts as a therapeutic outlet. This is exemplified in works like, Untitled, 2011,

watercolor on paper, 11.5 x 13.5 inches.

Whether using pastel or paint,

Corine Raper’s (b.1992) work

captures the energy of her

gestural movements. Raper

approaches each blank piece

of paper with a focused

intensity. This is evident in

works like, Untitled, 2016,

Untitled by Claus Groeger © 2011 Creativity Explored Licensing, LLC, watercolor on paper, 11.5 x 13.5 inches

Untitled by Corine Raper © 2014 Creativity Explored Licensing, LLC, mixed media on paper, 16 x 20 inches

mixed media on paper, 16 x 20 inches, where Raper furiously draws in a

concentrated circular motion. Playing with composition and density of color,

Raper's abstract drawings have a chaotic intensity that is reflective of her art

making process.

Hung Kei Shiu (b. 1962) is known for

his tiny marks that are often a small-

hatched line segment, miniscule

circle, or a short block of color. Being

a nonverbal Chinese immigrant, Shiu

learned to communicate on his own

creative terms in the Creativity

Explored studio. He created a

singular artistic language through

mark making drawings, some of

which appear over fields of color. In works like, Untitled, 2016, acrylic and marker

on paper, 22 x 30 inches, Shiu transforms his fine line work motifs into a visual

harmonic symphony. Shiu has exhibited in Outside In: The Art of Inclusion,

Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, Ireland in 2013 and : / - Mark : / - Mark : / - Mark : / -,

Baer Ridgeway Exhibitions, San Francisco, CA, in 2011.

FULL STOP! boldly shows how wonderfully diverse self-expression can be,

particularly among some lesser-known Creativity Explored studio artists who don’t communicate using traditional spoken language.

About Creativity Explored

Creativity Explored is a dynamic nonprofit art center and gallery where artists

with developmental disabilities have been creating, exhibiting and selling their art

for over 33 years. Located in the vibrant cultural and dining corridor that

transverses San Francisco’s Mission District, Creativity Explored provides a

supportive studio environment, including individualized instruction from mentoring

Untitled by Hung Kei Shiu © 2016 Creativity Explored Licensing, LLC, acrylic and marker on paper, 22 x 30 inches

artists, quality supplies, and professional opportunities to exhibit and sell their art,

the organization establishes these artists’ work as an emerging and increasingly

important contribution to the contemporary art world.

Founded by Florence and Elias Katz in 1983, Creativity Explored has expanded

to two locations: the main gallery and studio on 16th Street in San Francisco’s

Mission District, and a second studio in nearby Potrero Hill. Gallery programming

now includes five exhibitions per year, with more than 15,000 people visiting the

gallery and studio annually.

Over the years, the organization’s innovative and respected programs, structure

and culture have been recognized as a model worldwide in the field of art and

disability. In addition to the studios, exhibitions and gallery sales, Creativity

Explored has developed a licensing division, working with the likes of Google,

affordable modern furnishing company CB2, and fashion house COMMES de

GARÇONS; and providing art services for several properties, including BRIDGE

Housing (affordable housing), and Avalon Mission Bay (upscale apartment

community).

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https://www.creativityexplored.org/press-room/3373/natural-history For more information: 415-863-2108; www.creativityexplored.org

Media Contacts: Mariel Eplboim, 415-863-2108; marieleplboim@creativityexplored.org

Ann Kappes, 415-863-2108; annkappes@creativityexplored.org

Amy Auerbach, 415-863-2108; gallery@creativityexplored.org