National Adoption Week

Celebrating artist & adoptee Rick Grimster.

Author

Joanne Prince
October 21, 2025

National Adoption Week
20–26 October 2025

It is National Adoption Week, and we’re proud to celebrate adoptee and artist Rick Grimster in our current exhibition, HOMELANDS.

Born in London, Rick was one of approximately 22,000 babies fathered by American G.I.s during World War II. His birth father, Freeman Marshall, was a Native American soldier from the Muscogee Creek Nation. Adopted by a loving English couple, Rick grew up unaware of his origins until much later in life.

His new exhibition, HOMELANDS, is a powerful love letter to the people and places that shaped this extraordinary artist.

Featuring a vibrant series of acrylic paintings on paper and canvas, HOMELANDS playfully merges abstract impressions of England and America. With masterful use of colour, pattern, and texture, these autobiographical landscapes trace Rick Grimster’s extraordinary journey — from London to Oklahoma, from adoptee to Indigenous elder.

You can read more about Rick Grimster’s life and work in the October issue of The Bristol Magazine.

Collector & Curator: Lemn Sissay

Poet, broadcaster, and curator Lemn Sissay, who curated the Ethiopian Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, has a personal connection to adoption, having been placed in long-term foster care as a baby.

Lemn was captivated by Rick’s vibrant paintings from the very start, acquiring work from Rick’s debut exhibition, BELONGING (2023).

“As a keen collector of Rick Grimster’s amazing art, I wish him well in his 80th year. What better way to celebrate than with a solo exhibition, at the wonderful Rainmaker Gallery, during National Adoption Week!”
— Lemn Sissay

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In addition to our regular hours Rainmaker Gallery is open by appointment on any other day. Feel free to contact us by email to arrange a visit.

Opening hours:

Monday by appointment

Tuesday & Wednesday 10am - 5pm

Thursday by appointment

Friday 10am - 5pm, Saturday 10am - 4pm

Contact [email protected] / 0117 973 0398

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Jo xx