Crip News v.127

New works, labor organizing, calls, events. Thanks for being here.

Apr 08, 2024

New Works

A photo of an art object shows a set of teeth marks in a ball of uncertain material, maybe soft but probably hard. — **Shahrzad Changalvaee**, **As long as it casts** (2016) (detail).

Glot, curated by Sophie Rose, “explores the politics of speech beyond its signifying function—a politics residing in the strange excess of the voice itself, which both carries and disturbs the speaker’s intention.” Featuring works by Shahrzad Changalvaee, JJJJJerome Ellis, Nour Mobarak, and Anri Sala. Up at the Hessel Museum of Art at Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, NY) through May 26.
In a new episode of the You First podcast from Disability Rights Florida, Indigenous organizer Vesper Moore discusses the history of the Mad Movement, psychiatric survivorship, and envisioning a future of collective care.

A still from a video work. A white, non-binary, trans cane-user dances on a blue gym mat on a light wooden floor. Their black cane lays parallel to one side of the mat, just touching the adjacent mirrored wall. The disabled dancer is costumed in a long sleeve, tight, black shirt adorned with nearly five hundred bubble levels. The video documents them dancing horizontally across the mat to music played in their headphones, inaudible to the audience. Throughout the fifteen minutes, the camera cuts between an overhead view of the dancer on the mat and close-ups of the bubbles within the levels shifting with the dancer’s movement.

In a new issue of New Suns, a publication from United States Artists, disabled artist Alx Velozo documents the process of making Level, a choreographic and video work that aims to materialize and visualize the artists’s experience of vestibular dysautonomia.
A team of researchers recently published an open access article, “Advancing disability-inclusive climate research and action, climate justice, and climate-resilient development,” in The Lancet Planetary Health.

An artist hangs cloth bags of various light earthy tones on a rope line in a large greenhouse. — Photo by **Shinpei Kato**.

In collaboration with Perth Festival and DADAA gallery and studio (Disability in the Arts, Disadvantage in the Arts, Australia), 4 Japanese disability arts organizations are presenting A Rising in the East, featuring the work of 11 artists working across textiles, works on paper, books, and illustration. Part of Perth Festival through April 22.
This month, HBO’s Max streaming platform will debut an animated kids show called Hop featuring a cast of disabled characters.
Carolyn Coons from the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts recently spoke with disability culture activist and community performance artist Petra Kuppers about her life, work, and disability culture.

Labor Organizing Dispatch

A photo of 18 people outside on a sunny day holding a large banner with quilted letters that say CREATIVE GROWTH UNITED. — Photo from **Creative Growth United**.

The workers of Creative Growth Art Center, the 50 year-old Oakland-based disability arts organization, are unionizing. All eligible workers have signed union authorization cards as they seek standardized pay, more participation in decision-making, and a commitment to the cultural boycott of Israel.

A photo of a hand-written note on yellow paper: Accessibility is not optional, nor does it end at the letter of the law, (ADA). The Walker/PELI has shown that they understand and embrace that notion. Providing programming like SFS + accessible tours is a testament to our commitment to accessible options without the need to self identify. Your staff deserve the same treatment. The audiences we serve agree! To meet + serve our communities we must also serve our staff. Rollback the policy before it’s too late, before our reputation is called into question. Don’t make education staff hypocrites. -LK

The union at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis is organizing a postcard campaign to protest a new policy that prevents Gallery Assistants from using stools. More here on how to send your own postcard.

In Other News…

Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley led a team of lawmakers in delivering a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice urging the agency to strengthen and quickly finalize its proposed rule to improve access to medical diagnostic equipment for people with disabilities.

CALLS

[Correction from last issue] Sistas Rising is distributing 7 grants of $200 to US and Canada-based women of color and femme-expressing visual artists of color. Applications are open through May 5th. More here.

A graphic with black text on a white and seafoam background that says : Disabled 17 year old Mohammed Hammad needs medical evacuation immediately! To the left of the text is a photo of Mohammed Hammad laying down with his right leg propped up and images of an x-ray showing a lot of metal pins in a leg. His leg has a Ilizarov apparatus, a metal fixator that holds pins in his leg (so they are both external and internal, and are easily infected). He is wearing a brown shirt and is smiling. There are two QueerCrip symbols on the graphic that are filled in with pal-eh-steinian flags.

Fed Up for Palestine is raising funds for a disabled 17 year-old Palestinian who needs immediate medical evacuation. Donate here.
Amsterdam-based Students4Palestine are seeking submissions for a zine on Disability Justice and Palestinian Liberation. Submit by April 10. More here.

The graphic for the offering, "Undoing Internalized Ableism." The graphic has a light gold background and the text "Apply by May 15" in the top right corner and in a purple banner. In the top center of the graphic is "Undoing Internalized Ableism Cohort" and below it is the text "Our goal is for disabled people to support one another so we can effectively contribute to movements without killing ourselves to do so, and decide for ourselves how we can push each other to meet the demands of what is happening to us." Below that is text "We want cohort members to leave with the tools, skills, and analysis to support other disabled people in undoing internalized ableism." Below that are the dates "June 15, 9am PT / 12pm ET" and "June 20, 27 & July 11, 18, 12pm PT / 3pm ET". To the right are two green seedlings sprouting from a small pile of dirt. At the bottom center of the graphic is a purple banner that says "More info + apply: PeoplesHub.org"

PeoplesHub will lead a cohort of disabled people who are currently engaged in social justice work through a workshop series designed to develop knowledge and skills (peer support, self-advocacy, practicing access, and more) to navigate internalized ableism. Apply by May 15. More here.

No Limits! Art Castle is seeking 1-minute videos for We Need New Superstars as part of The One Minutes project and to be screened at Sexyland World in Amsterdam on July 6. Submit by June 1. More here.
Horror film director Fox Maxy is seeking participants for a Mental Wellness Film Workshop to take place online and in NYC from May 23 - June 9. Apply by April 15. More here.
Hearthstone Access-Alliance Garden, a peer-run Disability Justice initiative based on Vancouver Island, Canada, is seeking funds to create “a lush food forest to distribute food for free and host accessible skillsharing.” Donate here.
NAMED Advocates is hiring an Education & Programs Specialist and a Partnership & Sales Specialist. More here.

EVENTS

Disability Justice for Artists

TODAY, Monday, April 8, 7 - 9pm PT, online

This event is a unique opportunity for artists with disabilities to come together, share experiences, and explore the intersection of art and disability. Whether you are a painter, writer, dancer, or any other type of artist, this event is for you! This workshop will be led by Danie Ocean, a blind, queer, non-binary singer/ songwriter and arts advocate who is changing the face of what the call of musicianship means in America.

Disabled Artist Symposium

Wednesday, April 10, 12 - 1pm CT, on Zoom

Artists Cielo Saucedo, Joselia Hughes, Dominic Quagliozzi, Ariella Granados, Darrin Martin, & Mae Howard will present and discuss their work.

Making Making Accessible

Wednesday, April 10, 5 - 7pm ET, in-person in NYC

Assistive Technologies have the potential to empower individuals to accomplish tasks they might not be able to do otherwise. Unfortunately, a large percentage of Assistive Technologies end up unused or abandoned, and many people end up with "solutions" that are inappropriate for their needs. Dr. Amy Hurst is working to help more people gain access to the Assistive Technology they need by empowering non-engineers to “Do-It-Yourself” (DIY) and create, modify, or build their own solutions. In this talk, she will discuss her work understanding the potential and reality of using 3D printing to create DIY Assistive Technologies from both the clinician and end-user perspective. Dr. Hurst will also discuss several of the challenges non-engineers face learning these technologies and our work to overcome them; and the potential to create jobs in this space for people with disabilities.

What does sound do?

Friday, April 12, 4 - 5:30pm ET, on Zoom

The NYU Center for Disability Studies invites you to join Andy Slater, Josephine Sales, and Meesh Sara Fradkin for an artist talk moderated by Jonathan Sterne. The three artists will delve into their individual practices through various forms of sound art and descriptions, and then come together in conversation about poetics and access.

Kinetic Light’s Lab Hangout

Friday, April 12, 2 - 3:30pm, on Zoom

Hangouts are hosted as 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!

There’s a tilted horizon and thin lines that shoot out from a vanishing point like a sunset (the usual Crip News header) except the colors are inverted and it’s a black background with white lines, like nighttime. Big text floats over the land-line: INTENSITIES BELOW. Smaller text under: we could breathe, hold the breath and let it out slow, mist the plants, or notice a sensation, get water, leave the screen entirely, nap

For Atmos, Georgina Johnson writes about disability in times of war.

Sandra Gail Lambert

Apr 8

Thanks for highlighting the podcast "You First" podcast from Disability Rights Florida. They do such consistently good work here in Florida where it is so needed. And the article about disability inclusive climate research is just what I needed to inform a piece of writing I'm working on. I always look forward to your next Substack post.

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