Creative Growth and Studio Route 29 to Unveil Peace Makers in the Summer
Time, a Collaborative Record by William Scott and BJ Armour at NADA Art Fair
2025
Immersive Listening Installation Offers First Look at a Powerful New Album from Two
Groundbreaking Artists; Official Release June 20, 2025
OAKLAND, CA & FRENCHTOWN, NJ (May 2025) — Creative Growth and Studio Route 29
proudly announce the debut of Peace Makers in the Summer Time, a new record by artists
William Scott and BJ Armour, premiering at NADA 2025 in New York City. The fair marks the
first public unveiling of the album, which blends visual art and music into an immersive listening
experience. The full record will be released on June 20, 2025, across LP, digital download, and
streaming platforms.
This multi-sensory installation, located at the Creative Growth and Studio Route 29 booth,
invites fair-goers to engage with original artwork while listening to select singles from the record.
The project brings together two of the most distinctive voices in contemporary progressive art
practice—Scott, a celebrated artist whose work is held in the collections of SFMOMA, the
Museum of Modern Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Smithsonian American Art
Museum; and Armour, a dynamic creative force at Studio Route 29 known for his expressive
visual language and vibrant narrative compositions.
While William Scott is internationally recognized for his bold cityscapes and deeply human
portraits, this record marks his first foray into music, showcasing a new dimension of his creative
expression. Paired with BJ Armour’s clever and catchy compositions—the project explores
shared themes of identity, fantasy, sadness and hope.
More than a cross-medium experiment, this record is the result of a thoughtful artistic dialogue
between two notable artists working within revered progressive art studios that support artists
with developmental disabilities. It reflects the creative independence, voice, and vision nurturedat Creative Growth and Studio Route 29, and serves as a model of collaboration that defies
geographic boundaries and genre limitations.
Visitors to NADA 2025 will experience 2–3 tracks on loop through headphones. Printed
takeaway cards with QR codes will direct users to teaser audio, artist bios, and a pre-order link
for the full album, which will be available on major platforms in late June.
“This collaboration is about connection across distance, community through creativity, and the rhythm of shared expression,” said the team behind the project. “NADA provides the perfect moment to introduce this story to the world."
Following the NADA preview, a lead single from William Scott will be released on May 9th. The
full record release will be celebrated with listening events hosted at Creative Growth (Oakland)
and Studio Route 29 (Frenchtown, NJ). Proceeds from album sales will be used to pay the
participating artists and to fund future music projects that feature musicians with intellectual and
developmental disabilities.
About the Album
Peace Makers in the Summer Time conjures a new season of peace and presence through
improvised vocals, layered textures, and deeply personal storytelling. The album was created in
collaboration with facilitator and producer Hop Peternell, with sessions taking place at both
Creative Growth in Oakland, CA, and Studio Route 29 in Frenchtown, NJ.
For William Scott, long known for his utopian paintings of “Praise Frisco” and his visionary
Inner Limits series of spaceship-guided rebirth, this album marks his first foray into music. His
tracks, co-composed with Peternell, unfold like incantations—spells cast toward a future of
healing and beauty, where people are reborn and peace reigns eternal.
BJ Armour, in contrast, channels time travel and transformation. His songs weave together the
spiritual and mundane, the humorous and the solemn—offering a sonic salve to his past self,
guided by imagined visits from family and heroes. Improvised and emotionally rich, Armour’s
compositions push forward and backward at once, powered by instinct and memory.
About Creative Growth
Founded in 1974, Creative Growth Art Center is a pioneering nonprofit based in Oakland,
California. For five decades, Creative Growth has nurtured the artistic talents of individuals with
developmental disabilities, empowering them to create impactful art recognized worldwide. The
organization is committed to advancing the disability arts movement and promoting the idea that
art is for everyone.
About Studio Route 29
Studio Route 29 is a progressive art studio centering the creative practices and perspectives of
people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We are a community space that
champions inclusion and brings people together in play and creative spirit.
For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact:
Hop Peternell - beautymusicforever@gmail.com
Ibby Sasso - ibby@creativegrowth.org
Track Listing
Side A – William Scott
●Peace Makers in the Summer Time
●People Are Coming Back to Life
●Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
●Whole Wide World
Personnel:
Composed and produced by William Scott & Hop Peternell
Vocals: William Scott | Instruments: Hop Peternell
Additional Drum Programming: Liam Peternell
Mixed by Peternell & Jeremy O. Harris | Mastered by Jeremy O. Harris
Side B – BJ Armour
●Fall is Coming
●Swimming in the Spa
●Qweirder
●If You Love Me Let Me Leave
Personnel:
Composed and produced by BJ Armour & Hop Peternell
Vocals: BJ Armour | Instruments: Hop Peternell
Sample on “Fall is Coming”: Here Before by Vashti Bunyan
Mixed by Hop Peternell | Mastered by Jeremy O. Harris