Now You See Me! opens January 23, 2015

Now You See Me! presents paintings and drawings by artists from Creative Citizen Studios, all teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Now You See Me! is part of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council’s exhibition program, Art on the Walls, and furthers the work of Increasing Accessibility in Pittsburgh’s Arts and Culture, a collaborative initiative aimed at connecting people with disabilities to the arts. Featuring portraits of Pittsburgh artists such as Rose Clancy, Larry Rippel and Tom Sarver as well as original super hero artwork and paintings inspired by famous artists like Louise Nevelson and Alexander Calder, Now You See Me! opens January 23 during the Cultural District Gallery Crawl with a free, public reception from 5:30 - 9pm at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, 810 Penn Avenue 7th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Exhibition hours are by appointment by calling 412-391-2060 ext. 228.

Kirsten Ervin, co-founder and co-director of Creative Citizen Studios, shares her vision for Now You See Me! “For Creative Citizen Studios to be chosen for GPAC's Art on the Walls exhibition series legitimizes our artists and our program. We work with talented teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, some who are already creating art on their own. We focus on developing their talent in a variety of ways: contact with professional artists, raising expectations and introduction to new art skills and mediums. Social integration between CCS artists and visiting artists occurs naturally because they share the same passion for art.” Pittsburgh artist Jim Rugg shares, “When I visited CCS, I was impressed with the variety of drawings and the enthusiasm that I encountered. We spent some time looking at and discussing some of my comics and drawings and some of the CCS artists' drawings. Then, everyone began drawing. Each artist displayed different styles and used different tools. One thing that stands out - everyone was engaged in and enjoyed the act of drawing. I like the community aspect of a room full of artists drawing together and looking at each other's drawings and talking. I was impressed by how confident and unselfconscious the drawing process felt.”

Now You See Me! presents art as means to transform perceptions and open dialogue about creativity and disability, challenging viewers to see the exhibiting artists through their unique perspectives, talents and gifts, rather than their limitations. People with disabilities are often seen in terms of deficits rather than talents or gifts. Art has the ability to change that. When Creative Citizen Studios began hosting guest professional artists in 2013, a transformation occurred. By observing up-close, beautiful and original artwork, meeting the artists firsthand and talking with them about their work, a free and excitable exchange of ideas and questions flowed between CCS students and the guest artists. Following this creative exchange, the guest artists sat for their portraits, drawn and painted by a student from CCS. What began as a delightful exchange ended in a work of art for Now You See Me!, transforming viewers’ perceptions that this group of people living with disabilities can really draw, that they are intensely focused, and that the art is expressive of a true art exchange.