North Pole Studio

Our professional Studio program provides artists with autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities who are 18 years and older with an accessible, supported Studio space to pursue a self-determined art practice. In this program artists access the space, materials, support, and advocacy to produce, exhibit and sell their artwork. Through individualized programming, we serve a diverse community of artists with complex physical, communication, behavioral, and social neurodiversities. This program is supported by specialized art facilitators, who exist to facilitate personal and professional opportunities aligned with each individual's goals and dreams. In 2023 we brought in $22,650 in income from our professional Studio program. In 2023, we served 21 artists in the professional Studio program. 100% of our artists with collections sold original artwork, and 100% of these artists had the opportunity to exhibit either locally or nationally. In addition to exhibitions, we facilitated paid opportunities for artists to teach and lecture in the community. We supported every artist with maintaining a digital portfolio of work, and created an individualized webpage for each individual to show and sell their work.

Our community programming promotes the inclusion of artists with autism and i/dd in the arts community, and seeks to increase public understanding about this population's experiences. Our Studio is located in nw marine artworks, portland's largest collaborative of professional artist studios. In this space, we ensure that artists with disabilities are fully integrated into the professional arts community and we facilitate meaningful connections between artists with and without disabilities. Through community partnerships, we increase representation of artists with disabilities in exhibition spaces, events, and design opportunities. In 2023, worked with over 25 community partners to facilitate exhibition and professional development opportunities for artists. We facilitated 14 exhibition opportunities across local and national spaces, including competitive and reputable professional galleries such as the reser center for the arts and the outsider art fair nyc. All exhibitions were widely attended by individuals with and without disabilities, and generated art sales and visibility around artist's stories. We partnered with schools such as grant high school, pps, and victory academy through which North Pole Studio artists taught workshops and delivered lectures. Additionally, we hosted transition-aged and special education students in the Studio for tours. We participated in nw marine artworks' bi-annual open Studio event, ensuring that artists with disabilities are equitably represented at public arts events. We sold $50,534 in original artwork and merchandise sales in 2023.

Our weekly art classes are offered each quarter, and are available for artists with autism or i/dd who are 16 years and older. This program is specifically designed to serve "transition-aged" young adults who are between the ages of 16-25 and are particularly vulnerable to unemployment, social isolation, and mental health challenges upon graduating from high school. These classes cover diverse tools and techniques, providing students with the opportunity to explore a wide range of art-making methods. Our workshops are offered on a monthly basis, and lessons are designed based on artist request and are either hosted in the Studio or at a partnership site. These workshops provide an accessible alternative to community offerings (such as figure drawing, pottery, digital drawing) that are often inaccessible to individuals with disabilities. In 2023, we offered over 36 opportunities to a diverse community of art students across four, quarterly class terms. Through these classes, we delivered lessons across a wide range of art methods and materials including drawing, sculpture, printmaking, fiber arts, pottery, glassworking, and more. We partnered with over 25 community artists, who volunteered their time to teach lessons in their area of expertise. Through these partnerships, we taught community artists about how to incorporate accessible practices into their teaching methods. Additionally, we worked with community partners to provide monthly workshop based on artist request. Our community partners included wacom, green tie Studio, shadow machine, phame, and more. Workshops were attended by artists with and without disabilities, and are designed to build organic connections between diverse communities of artists through the shared language of the arts.