The ceramics and drawings of Sylvia Fragoso exude a vitality, sincerity and reverence that reflect the deep care that went into their creation, and the many years that the artist has single-mindedly dedicated to her craft.
Sylvia started making art in her early twenties after joining NIAD. Over the last thirty years she has produced hundreds of clay sculptures: spiritually-inspired monuments that possess a humble beauty and strange power; mysterious clusters with crucifixes atop them that testify to her devout Catholicism, and crumbling towers, some with spiky projections jutting out from their thickly glazed exteriors.
Likewise, her drawings are striking in their originality and conviction, evincing a brilliantly intuitive grasp of color and design. These mesmerizing abstractions and swirling striations – sometimes embedded with religious symbols – pulsate with color and energy, like mosaics that have burst open into hallucinatory vortices.
Sylvia has exhibited globally at numerous galleries and art fairs, and her work resides in many private collections.
NIAD
NIAD opened 1982 located in Richmond CA.
As our artists paint, build sculpture, mold clay, or work with textiles, their skills of observation and project management improve. As they explore and express their creativity, exhibit work in contemporary galleries, participate in the community, and earn money from selling art, their feelings of independence and self-esteem increase.
Each piece of NIAD art is an original work of contemporary art that tells an individual story from the perspective of an artist with disabilities.
While not all of NIAD’s artists receive wide-spread recognition for their art, all gain a sense of pride from learning a craft and profession of their own. Artists at NIAD earn a 50% commission from the sale of their work and all have sold at least one piece of art per year by participating in our studio program.
Equally important to our artists is the community and sense of purpose their participation allows. Mentored by skilled professionals, NIAD’s artists see and study contemporary art by visiting local galleries, studios and museums. Inspired, they return to the Art Center to create their own work.
The NIAD studio environment has been described by visitors and participants alike as inclusive, nurturing, and welcoming.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
Closing Of The Year// curated by Jean McElvane NIAD Windows 2020
At and Past // pt. 2 gallery 2020
Fiberful // organized By Cynthia Ona Innis NIAD Art Center 2019
Pink Moon, River Walk: Austin Eddy & Sylvia Fragoso // Left Field Gallery Los Osos 2019
CE x CG X NIAD // Minnesota Street Projects San Francisco 2019
Pots // Adams And Ollman Portland Oregon 2019
Redefining Contemporary Art // organized by Courtney Eldridge Depot Steamboat Springs 2019
Where They Want To Go // organized by Erin McCluskey Wheeler NIAD Art Center 2019
The Good Luck Gallery // curated by Paige Wery, Los Angeles, CA 2017
The Witnesses // organized by Cliff Hengst and Scott Hewicker NIAD Art Center 2017
Affinity // organized by Tim Buckwalter Museum of Northern California Art Chico 2017
I Heart TL // organized by David Pagel Claremont Graduate University Claremont 2017
Spring/ Summer Exhibition // organized by Arianne Gelardin PARLOR San Francisco 2017
Celebrating A Vision: Art & Disability // San Francisco International Airport Terminal Three 2016
Telling It Slant // organized by Courtney Eldridge Richmond Art Center 2015
Assemble: A NIAD Art Center Project With Nina Zurier // organized by Nina Zurier NIAD Art Center 2015
Visions et Créations Dissidents Musée de la Création Franche // Bégles 2014
Outsider Art Inside The Beltway // Art Enables Washington DC 2013
You Are Here // organized by Robert Wuilfe NIAD Art Center 2013
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