"Drawn Together" Curator Walkthrough with Auriel Garza

Creativity Explored is pleased to present Drawn Together, a group exhibition celebrating human connection and the expressive power of an artist’s line.

Featuring works in a variety of media, the exhibition explores gatherings of figures, including friends, families, teams, bandmates, dancers, revelers, and partners in arms. Through visions of their shared joy, love, and camaraderie, these works reflect humanity’s need for connection and belonging.

Whether capturing moments of festive celebration or quiet solidarity, the artists in Drawn Together employ diverse means to depict how figures relate to one another. Throughout the exhibition, line work operates as both a structural and emotional force. In some cases, minimal marks anchor compositions with deliberate clarity, while loose, radiating strokes energize others, capturing an electric vitality that unites the figures.

Across the exhibition, communal moments are variously framed by sparsely described, richly patterned, or visually dense environments, ranging from the local supermarket to the athletic field, and from the dance floor to the family dining table. Connection is often established through physical touch, coordinated movement, and a sharing of mutual passions and talents. Whether capturing singular moments in time or layered, multi-temporal narratives, the exhibition offers a heartfelt tribute to the ties that bring us together.

This group exhibition highlights the work of Kevin Diep, Christina Marie Fong, Daniel Green, Nina Krietzman, Andrew Li, Steven Liu, James Miles, Cristina Saavedra, Ka Wai Shiu, and Kate Thompson.

Curated by

Steven Liu

Oscar dela Renta Models, 2022

mixed media on canvas

16 x 63.25 in

Christina Marie Fong

Jada Smith and Will Smith, 2016

mixed media on cardboard

20.25 x 22 in

Kevin Diep

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, 2023

graphite and colored pencil on paper

18 x 25 in

James Miles

Untitled, 2012

marker on paper

24 x 11 in

is an internationally celebrated nonprofit artist community and working studio where over 140 adult artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit, and sell art. Founded in 1983 by art and disability pioneers Florence Ludins-Katz and Dr. Elias Katz, Creativity Explored’s programs and person-centered culture serve as an organizational model worldwide.

Located in the Mission District of San Francisco, Creativity Explored advocates for our artists’ work as a valid and increasingly important contribution to the contemporary art world. As a result, studio artists have seen their work exhibited in museums, galleries, and art fairs in over 14 countries and have directly earned over $2.3 million from their art. The recent acquisition by SFMoMA and OMCA included several artists from Creativity Explored and our sister organizations, NIAD and Creative Growth, illustrates the long-awaited cultural expansion of who is collected, who is discussed and who is represented.