Momentum Partners with Interact Center to Empower Artists with Disabilities

Known for its history in artist and architect collaborations—from Yinka Ilori to Shantell Martin—the textiles and wallcoverings manufacturer has been working with St. Paul, Minnesota’s Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts since 2025 to include Wildes’ work in its Digital Art Library so that designers can specify his bold, dynamic drawing style as custom wallcoverings in their projects. Wildes’ “DC Metro Walls” artwork is just one of nine pieces by Interact artists that make up the collection that launched earlier this month. As a nonprofit committed to empowering artists with disabilities, Interact’s work is rooted in radical inclusion, an expanded definition of accessibility, and, ultimately, the power of human expression.  

Momentum has also been reflecting on how design can better reflect different ways of experiencing the world. “At a time when AI is becoming such a significant part of our creative world, I think we’re craving the opposite: human connection, the evidence of the hand-made, and stories behind what we create,” says Sarah Nelson, Momentum’s creative director. “There is something incredibly powerful about knowing who made something and understanding the experiences, passions, and ambitions that shaped it.”  

The collaboration came about when Wildes’ mother and SANDOW Design Group’s very own executive vice president and design futurist, AJ Paron, made the introduction. In the Summer of 2025, Momentum visited St. Paul and had the chance to meet the artists in the galleries and studios. After looking through hundreds of pieces of artwork with the Interact team, “The energy, creativity, and stories we experienced left a lasting impression on all of us,” Nelson remembers.  

Ultimately, the team selected works that they felt would translate beautifully into large-scale digital murals, while still honoring the spirit of each artist’s original work. “No two artists are the same and neither are the stories or experiences that shape the work,” says Nelson. “To me, that’s what makes this collection so relevant right now. It’s about creating more space for different voices and perspectives within design and recognizing that great art is great art—with no box or boundary.” 

Plus, a portion of collection sales will be donated to Interact to help support the organization’s mission challenging society’s perception of disabilities while building community connections. 

Paron couldn’t be more thrilled by how the collaboration has taken shape. “Not only does Interact give Devin access to different materials and mediums to experiment with, as well as resources to learn new techniques, more importantly, it has given him community,” she says. “I’m so excited that Momentum gave a vehicle for designers to support diverse artists and bring purpose behind a specification. It is hard work to keep programs like these running, so bringing the design community together to understand that their spec can make a difference in someone’s life—that is really powerful.”  

As for Wildes, he adds, “I am proud that people like my art. It will be big on walls and that makes me happy.”