Creative growth artists are celebrated in a documentary

More than 100 people are expected Tuesday at the New York premiere of "Beyond I Wanna "by photographer and filmmaker Cheryl Dunn Go," as part of a fundraiser for the nonprofit Creative Growth.

Made in collaboration with the Creative Growth Art Center, the documentary highlights 10 years of Creative Growth fashion . The Oakland, California-based nonprofit organization advocates for the inclusion of artists with intellectual disabilities in contemporary art and provides studio and gallery representation. Dunn, based in New York, has chronicled alternative urban and youth culture in her multidisciplinary work which also includes a few books.

The 30-minute film plays Creative Growth's annual fashion show, which before the pandemic was a annual extravaganza must-see in person. Noting how musician David Byrne walked the track a few years ago, Dunn said: “It went from studios on makeshift tracks to these giant venues with thousands of people. There's just a lot to be said for the work we do - being appreciated and being seen."

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Dunn first connected to the organization through Kim Hastreiter of Paper Magazine, a longtime supporter of Creative Growth, and focused on the band in other endeavors, including through a series of videos for Pharrell Williams' "I Am Other" initiative. Dunn has also created videos which are viewable in "Creative! Growth!" at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center through May 23 in Wisconsin.

The film replaces this year's fashion show, due to pandemic health precautions, but the hope is that one will be held in person next year. The film reflects current and past work and highlights how the dozens of artists approach the creative process to give viewers a better look at their work. “I make films about artists. If possible, I like to do them in the words of the artists themselves, not someone's interpretation of them. I have to do it with this movie,” Dunn said.

The film debuted in August at Creative Growth's annual Beyond Trend event in Oakland Museum of Art. The next event at Stella Ishii's showroom 6397 will also include a Q&A with Dunn and Tom di Maria, Acting Executive Director of the Creative Growth Art Center. Ishii, owner of the News showroom and creative director of 6397, has been supporting Creative Growth for over 20 years. Tuesday's fundraiser will feature a performance by fellow creative growth advocate, Joey Arias, who volunteered his services for the benefit.

Entrants can purchase unique Beyond Trend fashion items and artist-made artwork Creative Growth with all proceeds going to the association. There will also be portraits of the artists Dunn photographed as part of his creative process. The sale will then continue at store 6397 at 199 Mulberry Street in New York City for a limited time. The craftsmanship of their fashion designs is timely given the current appreciation for brands such as Bode, Dunn said.

Proceeds from the benefit will go toward supplies and other necessities related to the artists' work and organizations' costs operating. Before the pandemic hit, an average of 100 people went to the art center daily for work.

The Creative Growth documentary can also be streamed on the Creative Growth Art Center site for a nominal fee. Highlighting how much she enjoys capturing that pure creative force and studying where inspiration comes from, Dunn said: "For all artists, it's really hard to get to that area where creativity and what you do is purely connected. This is, I believe, what most artists like. That's why you go to an artist residency and why you have to cut yourself off from the world."