Opening Reception

April 27 | 5-7 p.m.

You're invited to celebrate creativity, connection, and community on April 27 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the opening reception of "PRIMO" a captivating exhibition featuring work from Art Enables in Washington, DC, Make Studio in Baltimore, and Riera Studio in Havana, Cuba. Discover how we are better together as we showcase the exceptional talents of artists with disabilities in a display of artistry and kinship that spans borders and boundaries.

"PRIMO" — both English slang for “excellent” and Spanish for “cousin” — brings together artists from three progressive art studios for a groundbreaking two-site exhibition. Grab some refreshments, mingle with the artists, and immerse yourself in a wide range of artistic visions, while stylistic and thematic similarities reveal a meaningful kinship. Groupings of works sharing recognizable threads are gathered together in a conversation that spans borders. The works in this show speak to each other and are also part of a larger discourse: the rich history of self-taught and outsider artists.

While the definition of “outsider art” has evolved over time, the heart of what defines it persists: self-taught artists who express themselves on the margin of the established cultural mainstream. All three participating studios celebrate these unique perspectives, their crucial place in the larger arts landscape, and the sense of connection amplified when we’re together.

About Make Studio & RIERA Studio

Make Studio is a 501(c)3 community-based arts organization in Baltimore, MD, envisioning a world of acceptance and inclusion where art opens doors for everyone. Make Studio empowers artists with disabilities to grow as professionals with visibility and voice in their communities. We create opportunities for everyone to connect through art. Our program for artists follows the progressive art studio model, originated by Elias Katz and Florence Ludins-Katz. A progressive studio is a fine art studio environment where adults with disabilities can pursue and maintain lives or careers as artists. We are the only one in the Baltimore metro area.

RIERA Studio and Art Brut Project Cuba promote and support singular art expressions that share a stylistic distance from the existing visual culture based on academic or intellectual training, and whose makers have no knowledge of intellectual artistic issues. Art made within this context usually gathered under the related categories of Art Brut and Outsider Art - each one with its own conceptual characteristics but with boundaries in between. Art Brut Project Cuba is the only Cuban art project specializing in these forms of visual art. Its main task is the acknowledgment and promotion of the Cuban creators of Art Brut and Outsider Art and their artwork in the national and international scenes. rierastudioart.com