Art Abilities is dedicated to empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities through creative expression through art, community integration, and financial independence. Our mission is to harness the transformative power of art to enhance the lives of those we serve, fostering personal growth, creative skills, and social inclusion.
Art Abilities hosts adaptive art and movement classes for adults and children with intellectual disabilities, giving a wonderful community of artists opportunities to develop skills, socialize with their peers, and explore a variety of art formats—drawing, painting, clay work, textiles, digital art and dance. Our program has grown steadily since launching three years ago. In 2026, with your generous support, we plan to expand our services further—making an even greater impact in the lives of people with disabilities.
Art Abilities goes beyond helping students create art, we provide avenues for them to market and sell their art—creating economic opportunity and developing new skills. Our dream is to curate exhibitions for galleries, public spaces, and local businesses to showcase our extraordinary artist community. With your donation, we will be able to support more student artists from around Monterey County, and through new partnerships, offer classes in more locations.
Art Abilities is a one of a kind organization in Monterey County. We are the only organization in the County providing a broad range of adaptive art classes to residents with intellectual disabilities. We actively recruit students throughout Monterey County. Currently, students come to us primarily from the Monterey Peninsula and Salinas, but we have some students who travel as far as Castroville, CA. We are hoping to expand our geographic reach by offering art classes in Salinas which will be accessible to people in North County, Salinas, and South County. Through collaboration with schools, we hope to reach more children with special needs.
Art Abilities is an exceptional place filled with patient, caring, and responsible staff and volunteers. With his highly structured schedule, our son Colin eagerly anticipates his twice-weekly art classes. He even puts himself to bed early the night before each class to ensure he arrives on time and ready to participate. The studio maintains a wide variety of supplies, providing abundant media and materials for diverse art projects. Colin initially required one-to-one assistance from staff members but now creates, explores, and flourishes with increasing independence. This growth has enhanced his ability to manage not only his classroom experience but also his interactions within the broader community. We look forward to witnessing Colin's continued development alongside the expansion of the Art Abilities program.
- Scott & Christina Seeley, Pacific Grove
