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Clay: From Wellbeing to Art
Written by Josie Cavallaro and presented at the 12th Australian Ceramic Triennale, Sydney, 2009.
My contribution to the Clay, Art and Wellbeing panel is drawn from my experience in working alongside emerging artists with a disability and as an advocate for access to the arts for people with a disability. This presentation bypasses any examination of art and wellbeing within the heath setting, a context in which art created by people with a disability can be limited by clinical or therapeutic outcomes. Here, wellbeing is interpreted as a by-product of access to creative opportunities and social inclusion.
This presentation looks at some of the identified barriers and gaps to people with a disability accessing ceramic art education, workshops and networks. Quality examples of ceramic art access initiatives and creative partnerships between the arts and disability sectors are highlighted. These examples illustrate some of the creative possibilities that may aid and inform the future direction of inclusive ceramic arts practices.
This platform also establishes an opportunity to address issues of access to professional development, such as studio and mainstream exhibition opportunities. Supported studios, which are facilitated by arts workers, have played an integral role in bridging the divide between studio practice and professional opportunities for a number of artists with disabilities. Roomies Art Space (NSW) and Monte Lupo Arts (Queensland) are two examples of such studios with very different models of operation.
Roomies Art Space is a Sydney-based community art studio. An initiative of the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre, Roomies provides a space where boarding-house residents and artists with disabilities can attend workshops, work individually or work with mentors to develop as practising artists. Monte Lupo Arts is the creative arm of Multicap, a disability services provider based in Eight Mile Plains, Queensland. Monte Lupo Arts was established to provide career pathways for people with disabilities, who wish to be gainfully employed in the arts. The common strength between these two initiatives is that while they support the creative and technical needs of artists, they also actively seek exhibition and professional development opportunities for artists, outside their immediate networks. Finally, this presentation looks at the contribution made to ceramic art by artists with disabilities, and the potential of such practices to broaden the language and interpretation of ceramic art culture within Australia. Facing a future where people with disabilities have full access to ceramic education, networks and professional opportunities will only expand the creative possibilities and audiences of this art form.
Josie Cavallaro is a Sydney-based artist and Arts Development Officer at Accessible Arts. Accessible Arts is the NSW peak body for Art and Disability.
This article was published in the Journal of Australian Ceramics, July 2009
Related Links
Accessible Arts: aarts.net.au
Roomies Art Space: roomiesartspace.blogspot.com
Monte Lupo Arts: montelupoarts.com/montelupo