Art for All

Only a few decades ago, art made by people who have disabilities was often discarded. Today the University of Minnesota’s new Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB) is doing the opposite.

Adorning the walls of the MIDB’s Blythe Brenden-Mann Foundation Community Center is a rotating selection of art made by people with disabilities. It’s part of Art for All: The Stephanie Evelo Program for Art Inclusion, a collaborative effort to share and promote work by artists with disabilities. 

The MIDB is a fitting home for the exhibit. It’s designed to encourage connection, advance brain health from the earliest stages of development across the lifespan, and honor each individual’s journey as a valued community member.

“We curate a wider circle of artists so they may practice in a truly inclusive community,” says Art for All curator Nik Fernholz.

The art is a reflection of the community it is meant to celebrate: colorful, meaningful, and rich.

Originally published in Discovery Magazine by The University of Minnesota Foundation in Spring of 2022