Author: Scott Artley

Events with Disability and Arts in the Spotlight

A strange thing happened in the last few months. Three efforts, by three different organizations, aligned to uplift artists with disabilities. The timing was a coincidence, but the timeliness for these conversations was clear. What follows are some brief recaps on what I learned, and how you can stay connected to future conversations.

Care Work Workshop Series

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theatre (HOBT) produced a multi-faceted series of workshops based on Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha’s book Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice. “This dynamic book,” says the HOBT website, “is illuminated by the wisdom and labor of disabled queer femmes of color, and is chockful of dreams, schemes, and invitations for all of us to grapple with in our day-to-day lives.”

The series, which ran weekly from October to early November 2021, was facilitated by aegor ray, with instruction on four do-it-yourself arts projects designed and led by artists Nailah Taman and Julie Boada. Rubin Hardin served as in-house accessibility support. The series culminated in a Guest Speaker Panel and Celebration, featuring artists Kenna Cottman, Lonnie Shaw, and Teighlor McGee. Questions posed to the panel included: What does disability justice mean to you? When was a time when you experienced care? What are your disability justice dreams? Their answers were wide-ranging and generous, describing limitations and spaces for hope.

Recordings and transcripts, including ASL interpretation, of the panel and all workshops are available on the HOBT Care Work Workshops page. Care Work Workshops graphic design by Jaffa Aharonov (Instagram: @_._jaf_._)

Artists with Disabilities Virtual Social & Discussion Series

In October, Springboard for the Arts hosted the first event in its three-part series of virtual discussions designed for artists with disabilities to connect, share, and learn from each other. Led by artist, performer and Springboard for the Arts artist career consultant Alison Bergblom Johnson, the first session focused on accessing grants with three guests.

Sculptor Donna Ray’s rosy but realistic perspective about making art work balanced candor and optimism. I talked about the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC)’s grantmaking and the place of Disabled artists and groups led by people with disabilities in opening up philanthropic institutions. Finally, Lauren Gower from Disability Hub MN gave detailed information about the complicated impacts of grant income on disability benefits through helpful hypothetical examples.

Two more events are planned for January and May 2022, which will focus on artists with disabilities navigating mainstream arts institutions, and accessing a daily artistic practice and disability-specific spaces. Details for these upcoming events are available on Springboard for the Arts’ Artists with Disabilities Virtual Social & Discussion Series page. ASL interpretation and automated captioning will be available.

Twin Cities Metro Arts & Disability Forum

Hosted by the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC), the Twin Cities Metro Arts & Disability Forum on November 19th was a public conversation exploring how people with disabilities are making, sharing, and experiencing art in the Twin Cities Metro region––and what we need to do next to fully include disability communities in the region’s cultural fabric. My colleague Sam Stahlmann and I were thrilled to partner with KFAI’s Disability & Progress radio show, led by Sam Jasmine, broadening the reach of this event to the audiences of the live radio show and their podcast. Four artists with disabilities served as panelists: Nicole Noblet, Teighlor McGee, Minda Mae, and Nicole M. Smith.

The event started out with questions I asked panelists. For example: How does access and disability show up in your work? Nicole M. Smith said, “the art of being a person with disabilities is how I show up.” We also asked questions submitted by the audience, including: Who defines “artist with disabilities?” Teighlor responded, “I genuinely believe most people are disabled, and a lot of folks just aren’t in a place where they realize that yet.”

The art of being a person with disabilities is how I show up.

Nicole M. Smith

You can now access the recording of the TC Metro Arts & Disability Forum, which includes ASL interpretation, edited captions, and a text transcript. Listen to the episode on the Disability & Progress radio show website, also available by searching Disability & Progress wherever you get your podcasts. To stay in the loop about future events, join the MRAC mailing list.

About the author

Scott Artley, CPACC (he/they) is the Accessibility Program Director for the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (St Paul, MN), a role designed to develop and oversee accessibility grant programs for arts organizations in the Twin Cities, and to develop resources targeted to artists with disabilities and organizations serving artists/audiences with disabilities. Scott has over a decade of leadership experience in the arts, with a special focus on community-based initiatives and social justice, emerging (in part) from his own experience as a queer person with disabilities. He is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals.

The Minnesota Access Alliance (MNAA) works to raise the bar for accessibility across the culture and arts sectors in Minnesota. Accessibility resources and a calendar of accessible arts and cultural events in the state are available at mnaccess.org. You can also share your expertise and learn from others in the MNAA Facebook group.

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