OPEN STUDIO is a new gallery founded by Rachel Carle Cohen of Shelter and David Fierman of FIERMAN. The gallery will showcase the work of artists with disabilities, with the aim of building our artists’ careers and in the process dismantling outmoded hierarchies in the contemporary art world. With openness as our guiding principle we seek to broaden public awareness of progressive art studios and disseminate incredible, unique, and urgent art to collectors and institutions.

Growing out of the Open Invitational, the fair we launched in Miami this past December, Open Studio will present solo shows from artists culled from our ever expanding network of studios. In addition, we will always have a variety of work on hand in our flat files from artists around the world.

People with disabilities are often isolated, marked as different by the culture at large. An artistic practice supported by a studio program can foster community and present alternative channels for self-expression beyond the verbal. Showing the artists’ work brings public recognition and acclaim; as a result families and communities often see their loved ones in a new light of social and economic empowerment.

Across the globe people are increasingly siloed and governments more repressive. The Internet is an echo chamber where one’s views are reified and outside perspectives are stifled. In elevating the perspectives of the socially marginalized, we provide an opportunity to look beyond the confines of one’s experience and engage more fully and intimately with the social world. Moreover, as the art world continues its ongoing reframing of hegemonic narratives, we facilitate the exchange of ideas and the work of inclusion with transparency, ethical fortitude, and openness to all.