Art gallery for adults with intellectual disabilities celebrates 25 years in El Cajon

Sophie’s Gallery is a space in El Cajon for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to explore their creativity through art. In June, the organization will celebrate 25 years with a ‘Best of’ show.

The art defies preconceived notions people may have of adults with disabilities, said Erin Perschbacher, art program manager at Sophie’s Gallery.

“There might be some people we work with that don’t speak using words. Maybe they have an inner voice and inner creativity that get explored through the artwork that you may not notice or take the time to see unless you’re learning about that through the artwork,” Perschbacher said.

Professional artists teach classes five days a week to about 200 students.

“We do a little bit of everything here: weaving, mosaics, printmaking, painting,” said Hollie Pierce, a visual artist and teacher. “Usually we have about three of four classes going on in here at once. And so the artists come in and they get a choice of what they want to work on.”

Student artist Lauren Heim showed her favorite work to date: an orange, white and black fish in the ocean — a mosaic made of small colored tiles.

What started simply as an art program at the nearby St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center in the 1970s has grown into what is now Sophie’s Gallery storefront.

To commemorate that history, the ‘Best of’ show will display student artwork from the past 25 years.

The gallery is also a business.

The artists earn 40% percent sale of their artwork. The rest is used to keep the gallery running.

For Heim, making and selling her art is her job.

“It really makes me feel proud when people buy my art,” she said.

The free ‘Best of’ show at Sophie’s Gallery is open for the public to explore through July 7.