![[Delineate Professional Development Day, Don't DIS my ABILITY 2011] Giraffe family, Clarrice Collien, Framing Gravity, Sydney College of the Arts, 2011.](uploads/images/newsletter/2011/08/GiraffeFamily.jpg "Delineate Professional Development Day, Don't DIS my ABILITY 2011")
News
Newsletter :: March 2010
Jim Conway, member of Accessible Music Pathways and Don
Hopkins peform at the Uniting Care Burnside Extended Family
Support launch.
Accessible Arts welcomes new research issued by The Australia Council for the Arts this month. More than bums on seats: Australian participation in the arts will help arts organisations better understand their audiences and make their art more accessible. The research states 9 out of 10 Australians participate in the arts, but people with disability are less engaged with the arts than those without disability. Sancha Donald, CEO Accessible Arts says, "We are heartened by the fact that progress is being made by the arts sector and strategies are being implemented to improve access, however there is still a need for resources, skills and support as well as greater representation of people with disability participating in the arts.” Our own research into the barriers to participation into the arts for people with disability can be accessed under Speak Up: Arts & Disability Priorities for NSW on our website.
Taking the Lead
Janet Diane, performance artist, presented as part of the NSW
Showcase at Arts Activated 2010
Arts Activated close to full house
The Arts Activated National Conference has attracted interest from an international audience with over 220 delegates registered to date. The Honorable Paul Lynch, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability Services and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs will present an opening address to launch the conference. New editions to the program include two interactive sessions at the Powerhouse Museum's ThinkSpace with The SoundHouse Special Access Kit, which uses technology to open up musical experiences for people with disability. A NSW entertainment showcase has also been announced, with local performers with disability presenting a variety of short performance pieces across theatre, music and dance on Friday 26 March 2010. An information booth and staff from the Australia Council for the Arts will be available in the foyer at the conference for Australian delegates to drop by, have a chat and pick up relevant information about current funding programs and services. Registrations close 15 March 2010 and are approaching full capacity.
Action on Cinema Access awaits Australian Human Rights decision
A nationwide protest was held in all capital cities on Saturday 13 February 2010, galvanizing general consensus that the current level of access to cinema is unacceptable to people who have sensory disabilities, their families and their friends. Action on Cinema Access, a national campaign, is calling for captioning and audio description at cinemas, to allow the millions of Australians who are Deaf, hard of hearing, legally blind and vision impaired access to enjoy the movies like everyone else. Currently less than one percent of all screenings across Australia are accessible to people who have sensory impairments. These screenings are limited to a very small number of cinemas that screen a very limited number of films. Recently, Village, Greater Union, Hoyts and Reading cinemas applied for exemption from the Disability Discrimination Act for two and a half years. If the exemption is granted, these cinemas will continue to provide a minimal amount of captioning and audio description. Read more...
Kurt Fernley, Sofya Gollan, James O’Loghlin and Graeme
Innes AM on The New Inventors
Special edition of The New Inventors tackles access to new media
A special edition of the ABC1 television program The New Inventors will screen on Wednesday 10 March 2010 at 8 pm, showcasing inventions made by and for people with disability. One of the inventions is directly connected to access to new media – a web-based, free screen reader. This invention, the NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA), was invented by two men who are blind, James Teh and Michael Curran. Existing screen readers cost thousands of dollars, but the NVDA is free to the user. The other two inventions featured are a 3-in-1 wheelchair and a Speed Demon off-road buggy that can be driven through the steering wheel. To celebrate these important innovations, James O’ Laughlin will be joined by a panel of experts living with disability: paralympian Kurt Fearnley, filmmaker and presenter Sofya Gollan, and Federal Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes. The program will also feature Auslan interpreter Jemina Napier translating for Deaf viewers throughout the program, a first for The New Inventors. Read more...
Photo courtesy Rodney Magazinovic
Artist Profile: Duncan Luke, performer, No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability
Ducan Luke has been a member of Adelaide based theatre company No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability since 1994. In 2007 he co-created the role of Tom in Tom the loneliest and performed the role in the 2009 critically acclaimed full production in Adelaide and Melbourne. He has since been nominated for a 2009 Melbourne Green Room Award (Theatre-Independent category). Duncan identifies as a disabled artist with a moderate intellectual disability. He is presenting at the Arts Activated National Conference with others from No Strings Attached on the creative mentoring strategy that pairs an emerging disabled performer with a professional theatre worker. The company has devised eight short theatre duets using this strategy and one of these works won a Fringe Critics award at the 2006 Adelaide Fringe Festival for innovation and excellence. Visit the Arts Activated online program for more information on the presentation Mentoring Strategies & Time: Allies for Excellence.
Creative Inclusive
Back to Back Theatre mentor local theatre group at Sydney Theatre Company
A mentorship involving eight performers from the Ever After Theatre Company, working under the guidance of Back to Back Theatre will take place in April in partnership with the Australia Council for the Arts and Accessible Arts at Sydney Theatre Company. The Back to Back and Ever After mentorship will culminate in a week long intensive workshop at STC with actors from both theatre companies and directors from Back to Back in residency. There will be an opportunity for interested people to participate in an open workshop run by Back to Back Theatre, as part of the week of workshops. The week will conclude with an informal public showing at STC. Back to Back is one of Australia’s leading contemporary theatre companies. Formed in 1987 and based in Geelong, Victoria, the company is driven by an ensemble of seven actors perceived to have intellectual disabilities. Read more...
First Flight Crew breaking into the scene
First Flight Crew will make their first appearance for 2010 at Platform 3, Sydney’s largest hip hop festival, on Saturday 20 March 2010. Platform 3 is an annual showcase event that highlights some of Australia’s best DJs, MCs, beat boxers, breakers and graffiti artists, presented at CarriageWorks Contemporary Arts Centre, Eveleigh. "Performing at Platform 3 will raise the profile of the First Flight Crew directly within the hip hop community. It is about reaching new audiences outside the disability sector to show the talent, spunk and attitude of the First Flighters,” says Alison Richardson, Creative Programs Coordinator at Accessible Arts. FFC will also be performing at Accessible Arts’ Arts Activated National Conference on Friday 26 March 2010 at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. The eight piece hip hop crew from all over Sydney is managed by Accessible Arts’ Creative Programs Coordinator, Alison Richardson. Read more...
Sculpture Studio offers scholarships to artists with disability
Accessible Arts, Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School and Pine Street Creative Arts Centre are developing scholarship positions for artists with disability. Based in Sydney, Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School is the oldest and largest independent sculpture school in Australia. This opportunity is open to artists with disability who wish to develop knowledge and understanding of creating sculpture through the process of modelling in clay, casting and colouring. Throughout 2007 to 2008, Accessible Arts worked with Pine Street Creative Arts Centre on a project that provided a supported studio and workshop environment for visual artists with disability. Network opportunities, creative growth and skills development were key outcomes for artists involved. As joint facilitators, this process re-confirmed the need to target mainstream opportunities for artists with disability. The scholarship at Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School is a rare pilot program that addresses this aim. Read more...
Epic Arts. Photo by Kim Hak, Melon Rouge
Inclusive Arts strengthens in South East Asia
A network in South East Asia is bringing together artists with disabilities, arts managers and festival producers to create an international dialogue about inclusive arts. The network known as Spotlight, is being hosted by Epic Arts, an organisation based in Cambodia that works to empower people with disability through the arts. With funding from The Nippon Foundation, the network has undertaken research, presented the Spotlight Festival in 2008 and launched the new website Spotlight - An Asian Network of Inclusive Arts. The website profiles artists with disabilities across South East Asia, and presents a calendar of significant events in arts and disability across the globe. Marie de Pibrac, Spotlight Project Manager at Epic Arts says, "We want to promote Asian artists internationally, to offer a clearer picture of the quality, variety and strength of the inclusive arts scene which is developing in Asia." The network is currently working on the Spotlight Festival planned for January 2011. To find out more information contact Marie de Pibrac by email: marie@epicarts.org.uk or visit the Spotlight website.
Newcastle’s Lady Mayoress Cathy Tate holds the prize-winning
artwork by Gregory Barnes.
Hunter disability services partner in new exhibition and art prize
Works currently on show at Newcastle Art Space as part of the Art from the Heart exhibition were recently judged by Deb Abrahams, Director of Lake MacQuarie City Art Gallery and Maryanne Ireland, Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Accessible Arts. The new Art from the Heart art prize is the culmination of a 12-month initiative undertaken by three disability services in the Hunter region, offering art workshops at the Newcastle Community Art Centre. “There were some particularly strong stand out works from certain artists, the winner was Gregory Barnes who presented a very cohesive body of self portraits and was equally effective across the media of painting and monoprints,” said Maryanne Ireland. “Bill Pain was awarded second prize and had written a wonderful artist statement about his passion for art and Donny Gray came third with his very joyous self portraits.” Throughout the past year over 100 people with disability have participated in the project. The exhibition continues until 14 March 2010 at 246 Parry Street, Newcastle.
Other Events and Opportunities
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NSW LitLink Varuna Program 2010 – professional development opportunities for writers living outside Sydney
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National Youth Self-Portrait Prize 2010 – call for self-portrait works from 18 to 25 year olds for the National Portrait Gallery self portrait prize.
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ACAA Conference: Challenges, Achievements and Opportunities - Conference focusing on equitable access to the built environment, information, communication and other services.
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Auslan Art Course: Drawing with pencils – explore pencil techniques at a drawing course taught in Auslan in Parramatta.
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Burbs Western Sydney Youth Festival – call out for a variety of opportunities to be involved in the festival and in the lead up to the festival, including training opportunities in event management, stage management and music.
Feedback
We invite feedback and suggestions from our readers. Share your experiences of attending any of the listed events or offer suggestions for future newsletter items. Email feedback to info@aarts.net.au.
Send us your news
Contributions to the newsletter are welcome and encouraged. Please send us your item by the 15th of the month, for the following month’s edition. Listings should include the title, date, location, a short description (100 words), plus all available contact details, access details and an image (JPEG or GIF format). Arts events, opportunities or news that will be of interest to people with disability, their families, friends and carers and are accessible will be published. Email contributions to info@aarts.net.au.