About Us
Opening Doors for Artists of ALL Abilities
Open Door Studio was established in March 2021 in Downtown Oxnard, California. We are an art gallery and working artist studio operated by a team of artists with all abilities.
Our Mission
Our mission is to promote inclusion and diversity, and uplift local arts through our mentorship program for adults with disabilities. Our resident artists are provided opportunities to work alongside many local artists in our open community events, classes, and art shows. Our art gallery provides our Resident Artists real work experience, and provides all local artists the opportunity to showcase and sell their work.
We mentor our resident artists in their own artistic development and entrepreneurship, as well as their personal (social and developmental) goals. In the spirit of inclusion, all of our classes and community events are accessible to people of all abilities.
Our Vision
Our vision is that Open Door Studio be a safe creative space for all types of people to connect and grow through art, and that we add value to our community by uplifting the local arts community, and that we teach a bit about inclusion and diversity by the way we treat people.
Meet The Team
Our Community Partners
Sue Murphy,
Camarillo
“Caraline, our 31 year old daughter with autism, is thriving at Open Door Studio (ODS). She has found that ODS is not just an art studio, but as well a community-interactive team of energetic and caring human beings. Such interaction has included painting a mural at Food Share, and making tissue decorations for the City of Oxnard Dia de Los Muertos Collaborative. She has hosted her own Art Show at ODS, and earned income through her specialty scented candles, decorated hand sanitizers, painted sneakers and acrylic paintings. Her Social Skills have been noticeably enhanced during her involvement with ODS, as has her confidence level and contentment with life in general. For Caraline, ODS has been and continues to be a wonderful and meaningful experience!”
Chika Johnson,Â
Woodland Hills
“My son, Taku, who is 25 years old with autism, has been a resident artist at Open Door Studio since March, 2021. He goes there 4 days a week, and enjoys every day. His main focuses are digital art and photography, which not many places offer. At Open Door Studio, the staff encourage him to broaden his skills and artistry by giving him some ideas, and collaborate on projects with other local artists. Because of his autism, he needs some guidance, instructions or verbal prompts more often than others, so he has his 1:1 mentor at the studio. When we needed to find a person whose personality and skills were a good match with my son, the staff at ODS helped us to find and do interviews. Without their help, it would be much harder to find a good person. Besides working towards his artistic goals at ODS, my son really enjoys spending time with other artists. They work together for group projects, go out in the community for fun, shop for the studio, and enjoy their friendship everyday. There’s no forced activities at the studio. They are always “team” activities from planning to participating. My son is very happy at ODS, and that makes us, his parents, very happy, too.”​
Lorena Hernandez,
Oxnard
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