NEWS
New Works
“Dear Ableist Dance World,”
Dancer, choreographer, and activist Vanessa Cruz’s poem, published by Dance Geist, is “dedicated to a future where us multi-marginalized disabled artists can have a thriving professional dance career without having to constantly confront ableism.”
Natalee Decker’s mobility devices
Published in SYMS Vol. 2: Journal of Symbiosis & Cooperation, the artist imagines disability technology beyond “forced sterility and hyper-medicalization.”
Christopher “Unpezverde” Núñez’s essay “An embodied Manifesto: Disabled bodies liberating the arts” is published by Danspace Project, with an audio version read by the author.
Through My Lens: Justin Cooper is open at Gallery 400 through July 2nd.
Hallmark recently wrapped production on Color My World With Love, a romance centered on an artist with Down Syndrome. The film stars disabled actors Lily D. Moore and David DeSanctis and will be released later this year.
Alice Wong’s new anthology, Disability Intimacy, will be published by Vintage in 2023/2024.
From May 13-22, the Queens Theatre will present The Forward Festival of the Arts, featuring Omnium Circus, Phamaly Theatre Company, Full Radius Dance, composer Molly Joyce, and new works by playwrights from across the country involved in The Apothetae/Lark National Playwriting Fellowship (recently rehomed at Queens Theatre).
COVID-19
The BA.2 variant is surging in Western Europe, Canada, and Australia, and it looms as yet another impending crisis elsewhere. In the U.S., Philadelphia is the first major city to re-institute an indoor mask mandate, according to an automatic protocol for responding to surveillance data (contrary to the idea that the mandate is preventative). @COVIDSafeCampus has released the Higher Education COVID Policy Report Card to “provide students with the essential COVID policy transparency they need to make informed decisions as National College Decision Day approaches.” And new reporting by The Marshall Project shows the deadly effects of prison officials refusal to offer dignity to disabled and older adults.
Basic/Guaranteed Income for Artists
Last week, Creatives Rebuild NY notified 2400 artists of their selection to receive $1000 per month for 18 months. The lottery algorithm was weighted to recognize disability self-identification. In Ireland, a recently announced basic income scheme will offer €325 per week to 2,000 artists for 3 years. The New York program’s funds will classify the income as gift money, while the Irish program will consider it self-employment income - but both programs struggle to offer clarity and equity to disabled artists.
Social Security Advocate
In a letter to Pres. Biden, U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), and Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) called for a beneficiary advocate in the Social Security Administration. “The agency lacks a voice to represent beneficiaries,” they write, “especially in internal considerations for how to respond to problems and solve ongoing issues.” This comes as the agency reopens more than 1,200 field offices around the U.S. that have been closed since March 2020.
CALLS
“In place of catastrophe, a clear night sky”
Iele Paloumpis needs support to premiere the “live dance performance and film” at Danspace Project in May. The project “explores transgenerational resilience within a disability justice framework, particularly decentering sightism and uplifting the experiences of blind, low vision and visually impaired audiences.” Support this work here.
Mad Time Warp (Infinite Playlist)
A text-intensive flyer in purple, black, and green: Open call for sound art. Mad Time Warp (Infinite Playlist). Crip x Queer Artists. Deadline: 25th May. Party Office.
As part of Party Office’s project ‘Queer Time: Kinships & Architectures’ at documenta fifteen, the “anti-caste, anti-racist, a trans*feminist art & social space” invites audio submissions that “use sound as a medium for warping, altering, suspending, or dilating time.”
EVENTS
Kinetic Light/Disability Dance Works is hosting two virtual creative and social gatherings for disabled artists this month: LAB Hangout: Monday, April 25th from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm ET on Zoom & LAB Workshare: Thursday, April 28th from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm ET on Zoom. To RSVP and for more information, access coordination, or to be added to LAB’s mailing list, contact associate producer morgaine de leonardis at morgaine@kineticlight.org.
Disruption Embraced and Bodies in Translation. Screening and Panel. Friday, April 22nd, 5:30–7:00 PM ET. Part of the Toronto Queer Film Fest's online Symposium. Free. Register here.
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network presents “Cultural Work, Visual Art, and Disability Justice,” featuring Ashanti Fortson & Micah Bazant, moderated by Lydia X.Z. Brown. Sun, April 24, 2022, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EDT on Zoom. Free. Register here.
Accessibility at the Forefront of Dance Making: Audio Description for Dance Film with Vanessa Cruz. Saturday May 7th 6pm PT on Zoom. Email placeperformance@gmail.com or DM @place_performance if you are interested in attending.
People’s Hub presents Building a Disability Politic & Access-Centered Cultures with Dustin Gibson & Stefanie. Workshop #1: Thursday, April 21st from 2:30-4:30pm PT, Workshop #2: Thursday, April 28th from 2:30-4:30pm PT. True cost $200, pay what you choose starting at $80. Register here.
The Disability Collective and Canadian Green Alliance present Hack Your Wardrobe: A Sustainable and Accessible Clothing Workshop, led by Sky Cubacub of Rebirth Garments. Earth Day, Friday, April 22nd, at 6 PM EDT. Register here.
A cartoon by Amy Hwang shows two people resting in a museum, talking. “I like this painting because it has a bench.”