Foreword

Ernie Pepion, "Do Not Uncrate" (1)

Artists are creating enticing new work that reflects their experiences with disabilities. This exhibition explores the historical, emotional and sociological influences that have inspired their artistic expression. Collectively, their art reflects aspects of the universal human condition, such as the desire for dignity and equality, the celebration of individuality and the ability to find meaning in all of life's experiences. "The artist works by incorporating and gradually assimilating the exterior world until the object which he designs has become as it were a part of himself . . . and he can project it on the canvas as his own creation." Henri Matisse, 1940's