Crip News v.99
Farewell to the double digits! New works, other news, calls, and events.
welcome to the last double-digit issue of this newsletter. [the scream emoji] what! ok! thanks for being here. [heart eyes emoji]
-kevin
NEWS
New Works
In Fire Through Dry Grass, the disabled artists known as Reality Poets document the devastation they experienced at Coler Specialty Hospital on NYC’s Roosevelt Island during the coronavirus pandemic and “shows these disabled Black and brown artists refusing to be abused, confined, erased.” The film has upcoming screenings in NYC, London, San Francisco, and LA before its public release on PBS on 10/30. The filmmakers are also calling for signatures on The Nursing Home Lives Matter Bill of Rights.
For The AMP, an online magazine from the Asian American Arts Alliance, Danielle Wu interviews Lakshmee Lachhman-Persad about her Accessible Travel NYC project, the intersections of disabled and minority experiences, and what arts institutions in NYC can do better to be more accessible.
UK-based scholars and artists are using fiction (commissioned work based on interview research with access workers) to “understand the essential role of access workers within the digital space.” Tomorrow, September 19th, authors Jo Lindsay Walton, Jenny Chamarette, scholar Dr. Louise Hickman, and curator Natalie Kane will ask: “What are the harms of automated text for disabled and D/deaf workers?”
“No Fun Club: On Punks Who Came Back Wrong” by Alma R. was published in Cripple Punk 3 Magazine, addresses the pain of surviving Covid and the pain of returning to punk scenes that do not seem to care about access.
Also on the topic of music and access, Welsh disabled musician Right Keys Only was recently featured on ITV discussing disability discrimination in the music industry and introducing her new project Amplifying Accessibility.
Connecticut Public Radio’s Disrupted podcast recently featured a conversation about racism and ableism in the field of dance, featuring India Harville, Jennifer Wiesner, and Anna Jayne Kimmel.
In a longform article for YES!, Brooke Anderson reports on the ways community organizations and localities are trying to wrest control of energy away from utility companies who have created devastating conditions for Indigenous, Black and Brown, disabled, elderly, poor, working class, and rural communities.
In Chico, California, the Sign Sign Project installed several murals celebrating Deaf culture, including a portrait of deaf and disabled artist Judith Scott by Dylan Tellesen.
In Other News…
The Australian Medical Association unveiled what it calls a “whole-of-profession” approach to break down the barriers for disabled people seeking careers in medicine.
A recent move by London’s Royal Court to remove age limits from a playwriting competition was celebrated by disabled artists who, says disabled artist Jamie Hale, “are often only able to start their careers later than others, or to create work more slowly.
CALLS
Disabled scholar and artist Marisa Olson needs funds to recover from surgery and a prolonged illness. Donate here.
Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio, a communal art space based on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation in Southampton, New York, is raising funds to build a much-needed ramp to make Ma’s House accessible. Donate here and check out their “Friendraiser” event this week on September 21st.
Creative Capital and the National Coalition Against Censorship are inviting applications for a curatorial workshop called “On curating difficult content: Reconciling an ethics of care with artistic freedom,” taking place Wednesday, November 15th in NYC. Deadline to apply is October 15th. More here.
The Arts Council in conjunction with Arts & Disability Ireland is accepting applications for the Arts and Disability Connect awards scheme, specifically Opportunity Two of 2023, across 4 strands: Mentoring, Training, New Work, and Research and Reflection. Applications are due on Tuesday 10 October at 4pm IST. More here.
EVENTS
Both/And: Crip Materiality with Jessica Cooley
Thursday, Sept. 21, 1 - 2:15pm ET, on Zoom
In this program series, Curator Brooke Wyatt invites curator and scholar Jessica A. Cooley to present her concept of crip* materiality, which addresses the unseen ableism in the care, conceptualization, and exhibition of material objects in museum institutions. During the first half of the program, the speakers will unpack terms such as “crip,” “ableism” and “disability justice,” by discussing their complex history and explaining their significance within a museum context. The conversation will encourage participants to rethink assumptions about what constitutes a museum-quality art object, while uncovering new ways to approach disability and resistance within museum collections.
Undercover Artist Festival
Sept. 20 - 23, in person at Queensland Theatre in South Brisbane QLD, Australia
Bend the rules, push artistic boundaries and be entertained in a way you didn’t know possible! Australia’s premier disability-led performing arts festival is back for 2023. Headlining only artists with disability, Undercover Artist Festival will bring the boldest and brightest national and local performing artists to stage 20 to 23 September. You can expect a high-energy electric music concert that will get you moving, hilarious comedy that will have you laughing out loud, and thought-provoking theatre productions that will linger in your mind long after the curtain falls. But that’s not all! There’s one-on-one immersive poetry, dance showcases that will captivate you, and a family-friendly concert bursting with colour, sound and storytelling. With 17 events over four days, there’s something for everyone at Undercover Artist Festival 2023.
Thinking About Disability and Climate Change
Wednesday, Sept. 20, 1:30 – 3.30pm ET, in-person in NYC
This workshop will offer insights into the oppression and stereotypes that affect people with disabilities as well as the increasing impact of the climate crises on their lives. Members of this constituency are often left out of discussions with activists and policy makers who don’t understand the resources needed to help people with disabilities survive in environmentally compromised circumstances.
Axis of Access: A Performance & Disability Cultural Conversation
Monday, Sept. 25, 6 - 9pm CST Saskatchewan Time, in-person at The Artesian in Regina, SK
The event will open with a dazzling montage of music and theatre from past & future productions performed by Lis to Dis’s music ensemble The Dripping Honeys and guest artists. Their goal is to invite people in, through art and facilitated dialogue, to create a better understanding of access and inclusion from a Crip perspective. One that helps construct community awareness and appreciation of disability and access in art, culture, and education. It is unapologetically satirical, ironic, and hilarious and is meant to interrupt hidden biases around disability. Following the performance, we will host a safe and nurturing community conversation about ACCESS and the ARTS: The how, why, when, where, and who, and we would love to have you join us. We will, as always, MOVE at the SPEED OF TRUST.
Kinetic Light Hangout
Friday, September 22, 2 - 3:30pm ET, on Zoom
Join us for an open-structured virtual social space for disabled artists to connect and get to know one another. Hangouts offer space to talk about disability, art making, creative practices, life hacks and tips, dreams, desires, disability wisdom, and more. You’re welcome to bring ideas for conversation or a bit of art that inspires you. LAB Producers, morgaine and Camisha, will loosely guide the gathering, offering topics and questions as needed. Come meet and be with us!
Hi Kevin! I have a call for ASL/BASL artists for an upcoming dance-based performance I'd love to have included in the newsletter if possible/appropriate. How would I get this info to you to include? Thanks! -Rachel