Futures Explored creating new center for artists in Concord
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 24, 2025) — Futures Explored Creative Arts & Media, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through the arts, is making a bold new mark in Concord.
Since its founding in 2013 with just six students in Livermore, the organization has grown into a vibrant, multi-city program offering creative arts, film and media education to more than 65 artists in its newly established Concord location.
Led by Hester Wagner, who brings a background in theater and a master’s degree in educational theater from NYU, the program has blossomed into a creative force.
“Using art to tell stories is also a way to empower,” Wagner shared. “It connects this community not only to the greater Bay Area but to the world.”
Since moving to Concord in July 2024, Futures Explored has been building toward an ambitious vision: a full-fledged Creative Arts & Media Center that will include an art gallery, film studio and community event space. While the facility is still in development, the team has an architect and a solid plan in place – and fundraising is underway.
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The Concord program currently supports a blend of full- and part-time participants working in visual arts, video production and acting. On a typical day, 50 to 55 artists fill the space, which is located near Sam’s Club at 2336 Stanwell Circle. Futures Explored hopes to expand that number to 80 by next year.
In addition to its regular programs, the organization hosts film, acting and art camps for youth ages 12 to 22 each summer. Their in-house production company also creates video content for clients, including other nonprofits, showcasing the talents of their artists in a professional setting.
One of Futures Explored’s newest initiatives is a regional arts collective in partnership with Helpers in San Francisco and AbilityPath in the South Bay. The three organizations will launch a series of collaborative art exhibitions this summer, with one major opening event and three smaller showcases to follow.
“It’s not ‘artists with disabilities,’ ” Wagner emphasized. “They are artists – period. And their work belongs in any gallery.”
Futures Explored’s mission is rooted in access and opportunity. The passion, talent and creativity are already there. What’s needed now is recognition and support from the broader community.
With a gallery buildout on the horizon and plans to offer inclusive classes for the general public, Wagner hopes to foster two-way inclusion: bringing Futures Explored artists into the public sphere and inviting the community into their world.
To learn more, donate or explore partnership opportunities, visit www.futures-explored.org.
Julia O'Reilly
Born and raised in the beautiful city of Istanbul, Turkey, Julia pursued her studies in Business and Economics at Istanbul University before immigrating to the United States in 1991. She furthered her education at Las Positas College, specializing in Interior Design, and eventually settled in Clayton, where she has resided for 29 years. In 2003, Julia began her career as a jewelry artist, earning recognition from Diablo Magazine as the Best of the East Bay Local Jewelry Designer in 2012. Since 2014, she has been involved with the Blackhawk Gallery in Danville, California, and became President of the Alamo Danville Artists Society in 2020. In 2022, she opened her own JOR Fine Art Gallery, and for the past two years, she has been actively contributing to the Art Community in Clayton, a passion she deeply cherishes.