All of the artists have special needs. They are referred to the program by the departments of mental health and mental retardation and the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, among other agencies. The studio's clinical mission is important even as Gateway emphasizes finding markets for the artists. Gateway is, after all, a program of Vinfen Corporation, a large, nonprofit human services provider. Elsewhere, walls display collages, pencil drawings, and complex paintings.
Weavers work wooden looms near shelves full of spools of colorful yarn and wool.
At a nearby table, Bohill Wong, a prolific painter and the studio's top-selling artist, draws in pencil. Other artisans are gearing up for the Gateway Holiday Fair on December 2. A stylish shop, with spotlights and a sleek new counter, it carries greeting cards, jewelry, whimsical ceramic lamps, and chairs and side tables painted in bright primary colors. Gateway artists like Salvucci, Wong, Ruby Pearl, Joanne O'Connell, Gabrielle Sichel, Robert Kirshner, and Joe Salonis have developed their own following. Their work has been shown in venues such as the Berenberg Gallery in the South End and the Bodell Gallery in New York City, as well as at the New York Outsider Art Fair.