New Miami fair champions artists with disabilities
The Art Newspaper, December 6, 2024
The co-founders of Open Invitational, David Fierman and Ross McCalla, have brought artists, organisations and studios from across the country to the Design District
The Open Invitational (until 8 December), a new fair dedicated to works made by artists with disabilities, debuted this week at the Palm Court Event Space in Miami’s Design District.
The fair’s co-founders, the New York-based art dealer David Fierman and the Miami-based arts patron Ross McCalla, met several years ago when the former exhibited at the Outsider Art Fair (OAF) with his Lower East Side gallery, Fierman. Their dialogue deepened when Fierman—who supports The Living Museum, an art studio affiliated with the Queens-based Creedmoor Psychiatric Center—opened a show of paintings by Nyla Isaac, a member of the studio whose work McCalla collects. This past spring, the duo settled on the idea of expanding their support for artists with disabilities by launching a new fair. After the Miami Design District team offered McCalla a venue at no charge, the pair compiled a list of exhibitors through a referral process.
The fair’s 11 participating studios and non-profits were given booths of equal sizes at no cost, and the fair is not charging commissions on sales. They hail from New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and Detroit. Miami’s own 2bnonprofit is participating, as is the Oakland-based Creative Growth.
Fierman says some of the exhibitors have previously shown at the OAF, but that the term “outsider” does not fully capture the scope of the artists in the Open Invitational. “The rubric for outsider is mainly self-taught, which is not necessarily the rubric with the artists we show,” Fierman says. He sees Miami as an ideal place to launch the fair, since there is no local edition of the OAF to compete with.
Fierman hopes to “create a much more human-centred, compassionate environment than a typical fair model and figure out how to break the barriers to create some momentum around this type of work”.
Art Basel Miami Events 2024: Artists, Venues And Must-See Exhibitions
Forbes, November 26, 2024
I have to thank Bridget Finn, Director of Art Basel Miami, for putting The Open Invitational on my radar. In a week overflowing with blue-chip artists and dazzling installations, this freshman exhibition is refreshing in its inclusion. It focuses on work from studios supporting artists with disabilities.
Detroit’s Progressive Art Studio Collective (PASC) and New York’s LAND Studio, two of the 11 participants, will display works spanning painting, sculpture, and fiber arts and challenging perceptions of who can be a successful artist. Organized by gallerist David Fierman and arts patron Ross McCalla, with support from the Miami Design District’s Craig Robins, The Open Invitational is an example of what happens when inclusivity meets unfiltered creativity.
The Open Invitational Opening Celebration at Palm Court
Photography by Isaac Gil, worldredeye, December 2nd, 2024
Miami, FL – December 2, 2024 – The Open Invitational was a new fair held in the Palm Court Event Space in the Miami Design District, dedicated to progressive art studios showcasing the work of artists with mental and physical disabilities. The event aimed to build artists’ careers while challenging outdated hierarchies in the contemporary art world. Guided by the principle of openness, it broadened public awareness of these studios and shared remarkable, unique, and urgent art with collectors and institutions.
photo: Logan Fazio
Unmissable Gems at Miami’s Art Fairs
Valentina Di Liscia, Hyperallergic, December 6, 2024
I saw a dizzying amount of standout work at Art Basel Miami Beach, NADA Miami, and Untitled Art, but the week’s most underrated ticket was the Open Invitational, a new fair for nonprofits and galleries focused on artists with disabilities, or “progressive art studios.” Co-Founder David Fierman, whom I caught up with during Monday’s opening night, emphasized the importance of centering different ways of seeing the world.
“There’s a lot of purity in this work that is lacking in some of the higher echelons of the market,” Fierman told me. “Let’s have a story where people make a positive impact on people’s lives and do it in a really sustainable, human-to-human way.”
Beyond Basel: 7 Miami Superlatives, From a Heartening New Art Fair to Thrilling Performances
Andrew Russeth, artnet, December 11, 2024
Miami is not exactly short on art fairs, so news of an another one should fill any sensible person with dread—and even anger. Thankfully, though, this year’s big newcomer, the Open Invitational, was a stunner, the quiet hit of the week. Organized by New York dealer David Fierman and Miami art patron Ross McCalla, it featured just 11 exhibitors (a very nice size for a fair) in an event space in the tony Miami Design District. All of the participants were studios that focus on artists with disabilities, and they included the Center for Creative Works in Philadelphia, Creative Growth in Oakland, California, and Vinfen’s Gateway Arts in Boston. One highlight: the meticulous, loving portraits of South Korean breakfast sandwiches by Allen Yu in CCW’s section. (The price was just under four figures; I regret not buying it.) “It was the best-feeling art fair I’ve ever participated in, with collaboration in the place of competition and a genuine feeling of mutual support,” Fierman told me after the fact. “We will definitely be back in Miami next year and hope to grow.” Here’s hoping.
Miami Art Week 2024: A Global Celebration of Creativity
Ruben Carrillo, Luster, November 15, 2024
THE OPEN INVITATIONAL is a groundbreaking fair dedicated to progressive art studios that feature works by artists with physical and mental disabilities. Its mission is to advance the careers of these artists while dismantling outdated hierarchies in the contemporary art world. Guided by openness as its core principle, the fair aims to raise public awareness of progressive art studios and promote unique and compelling artwork to collectors and institutions. THE OPEN INVITATIONAL was founded by gallerist David Fierman and arts patron Ross McCalla.
