Creative Growth Art Center
355 24th St, Oakland, CA
Creative Growth is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and actively embraces a diversity of people, ideas, talents, and experiences. We highly encourage people of color, individuals with disabilities, and members of other historically excluded groups to join us. We are committed to providing a culturally safe workplace, and recognize that this looks different for everyone. We will work with existing staff and new hires to identify and ensure respect for cultural safety needs. Creative Growth is actively working on increasing fluency in equity issues, and is participating in ongoing organization-wide training in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Artwork by Jessica Rodriguez
Your Role
Creative Growth is seeking volunteers with a background or interest in art and art making who are interested in joining our team and committing a few hours a week to assist with the running of the studio. This includes working with artists and staff to facilitate the creation of artworks, offering feedback and encouragement, getting materials, and setting up and packing down art projects among other things. We also seek volunteer gallery attendants Tuesdays through Saturdays. This includes greeting guests, providing information about the organization and current exhibit, and other duties.
Compatible volunteers will be fully aligned with Creative Growth's core values of creativity, respect, care, self-expression, and accessibility, and possess compassion and respect for the community we support. Exceptional volunteers enjoy working in a diverse, creative, collaborative, and fast-paced environment, and share with us a respect for diverse backgrounds and voices and a commitment to inclusion and equity.
The Organization
Creative Growth is the oldest and largest nonprofit art studio for artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Our mission is to advance the inclusion of artists with developmental disabilities in contemporary art and strengthen community through a supportive studio environment and gallery representation.
Founded in 1974 on the idea that all people are capable of producing works of high artistic merit and that the act of creating can be transformative, Creative Growth now serves 140–160 artists with disabilities (primarily adults, with an ancillary youth program) and positions their work within the contemporary art world. At Creative Growth, the process of creating is honored and celebrated, and the impact of that recognition and appreciation transforms the lives of the artists. The participation of most Creative Growth artists in Creative Growth's programs is funded by the California Regional Center system, and all artists receive 50% of the net proceeds from sales of their artwork.
The Creative Growth Studio provides professional-grade art-making workshops in a variety of media. At the heart of the program is a team of working artists/instructors who support and encourage individual creativity by creating an open, adaptive environment with few rules and no judgment—a space where a community of creators work side by side inspiring, encouraging, and celebrating one another. The Gallery presents public exhibitions in Oakland and online and represents the artists at national and international art fairs. Work made by Creative Growth artists is included in major collections and institutions worldwide, such as MoMA (New York), SFMOMA, the Smithsonian Institution, the Studio Museum of Harlem, American Folk Art Museum, the Centre Pompidou (Paris), the Collection de L’Art Brut (Switzerland), and The Museum of Everything (London).
Duties and Responsibilities
Studio volunteers provide support for artists while they explore and apply art-making techniques and engage in other Creative Growth activities.
Support artists’ independent learning, collaboration, and choice; work with other staff to maintain Studio safety.
Gallery volunteers will greet members of the public, provide basic information about the organization, artists, events, as well as the current exhibit. Volunteers may handle purchases of merchandise or products. Volunteers are not expected to be experts about the artists or art and are encouraged to direct inquiries to other staff.
All volunteers will work cooperatively and professionally with other staff, volunteers, and artists.
Maintain client artist confidentiality in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
Schedule
Creative Growth’s general studio operating hours are 9:30am-3pm, Monday through Friday. Most studio volunteers regularly help out 2-3 hours a week.
Creative Growth’s gallery is open to the public Monday-Friday 10am-4pm & Saturdays 10am-2pm. Most volunteer gallery attendants have shifts 1-4 times per month, 2-4 hours per shift.
Requirements
COVID-19 vaccination and booster or legally valid exemption
Negative Tuberculosis (TB) test results from within 1 year
Completion of 30 minute zoom-based training
Compliance with Confidentiality Agreement & Liability Waiver
Special Environmental Factors:
Creative Growth currently operates both in-person and remotely. Volunteers are expected to primarily work in-person. The Studio is a busy, active, open, and sometimes loud environment, with an average of 20-55 client artists with disabilities working on artistic projects each day. The Studio is equipped with heavy machinery in the woodshop, which occasionally makes loud noise and generates dust. While Creative Growth has made great efforts to minimize toxic fumes and ask staff, volunteers, and artists to refrain from wearing perfumed products, the Studio contains art supplies that may trigger chemical sensitivities. The Digital Media Lab, staff restroom, and several of the administrative offices and meeting areas are on the second floor, accessible by two sets of stairs and one elevator.
Interested?
Please fill out the Volunteer Inquiry form below! This will help us understand more about your interests, experience & needs.
Please contact Arielle (she/they) at arielle@creativegrowth.org with any questions, concerns, or for assistance. We look forward to communicating with you!
To inquire about current employment opportunities, see open positions or contact jobs@creativegrowth.org.