Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Two spaces celebrate access to artists with disabilities
by Kerry Reid
2018-10-17

This article shared 1771 times since Wed Oct 17, 2018
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Accessibility has many shades of meaning in the arts, far beyond the question of "Is this work that people can understand?" For artists themselves, access—or the lack thereof—to time and space for creating work proves crucial to their ability to realize their visions. For artists with disabilities, those issues are compounded. They face the same difficulties as every other disabled person in navigating the physical world and challenging the prejudices of non-disabled people.

Yet, two Chicago institutions are currently showcasing work—new and old—by artists with disabilities this month. High Concept Labs holds its annual Fall Open House on Thursday, Oct. 25, at Constellation, where work by a variety of artists supported year-round by HCL will be showcased. Meanwhile, Gallery 400 at University of Illinois Chicago continues its exhibit "Chicago Disability Activism, Art, and Design: 1970s to Today" through Friday, Oct. 20.

There is crossover between these two institutions. Both currently feature work created by sound artist and musician Andy Slater, who is blind, and Matt Bodett, a poet and visual and performance artist with schizoaffective disorder. Both Slater and Bodett are activists and advocates as well as artists.

In Gallery 400's current exhibit, Slater's sound installation, A Space for the Overactive Ear, combines field recordings he's made as he navigates city spaces. It's accompanied by a book designed by Bodett containing Slater's stories and musings about what it's like to walk around Chicago with a cane. ( There is a braille version available in the gallery. )

In a section entitled Paralytic Transit, the familiar sounds of CTA trains and announcements take on a more menacing quality when juxtaposed with Slater's observations about how disorienting it can be for a blind person to walk underneath the elevated tracks. "The old wise blind mage inside me said 'Face your fears, Andy, go and record the sounds that don't intimidate you and make something beautiful out of them.'"

Creating space and opportunities for artists to create something beautiful is key to High Concept Labs' mission. Founded in 2009, HCL functions as what executive director Steven Wang described as "an arts incubator, supporting artists through four-month residencies twice a year, which is the sponsored artist program. We're an incubator because we provide the support with no financial requirements and no organizational requirements."

He added "We look at all the different obstacles that artists might face when they're developing new projects and finding ways to remove those." The support HCL provides includes, said Wang, "studio support for rehearsal space, documentation support, graphic design support, marketing support. We provide all of that for free."

Sponsored artists can include both individuals and groups. Since 2017, HCL has also partnered with Chicago's 3Arts, which focuses on providing support to women artists, artists of color and artists with disabilities. Artists who have come to HCL through the 3Arts partnership include Jan Bartoszek of Hedwig Dances and filmmaker/performer Rashayla Marie Brown. Wang said "With this partnership, more and more artists who are appropriate for HCL find out about the support we provide."

The four-month Sponsored Artist Program ( SAP ) doesn't place requirements on the artists to do a final presentation or performance. HCL board member Robyn Trem noted "There are multiple residency programs and other programs that will provide similar support, but they are associated with a final outcome, either a public performance or an exhibition. There is a quid pro quo. We do not ask for a final return from the artist."

HCL also offers an Institutional Incubation Program ( IIP ). This provides additional support for artists who have come through SAP and need more time to bring a project to fruition. Unlike the work developed through SAP, those in the IIP do share the final project with audiences.

The Open House is a mix of works-in-progress and finished pieces from present and past sponsored artists. On Thursday, Oct. 25, that will include work by choreographer Brittany Harlin, Opera Butoh Lab, conceptual painter and multimedia artist Shonna Pryor and the contemporary classical ensemble Zafa Collective.

Artistic director Billie Howard noted that sometimes sponsored artists through HCL find each other and begin collaborating. For example, Bodett, who creates performance poetry as well as visual art, worked with composer/sound artist Ryan Packard when the latter needed people to join a choir for a piece he's creating.

In terms of access, Trem noted that it increasingly includes "engaging different geographies in the city and expanding community engagement" by bringing work to different neighborhoods. She also noted that "Serving artists living with disabilities has been a tremendous learning opportunity. Space is always a consideration, and we're thinking more about how to make an inclusive space that can enable all kinds of artists to thrive."

Chicago has been on the forefront of that drive for inclusion, as the Gallery 400 show amply demonstrates. The exhibit also shows how tightly knit the disability arts community has been over the past several years and the collaborations they have developed. A milestone, as noted in one exhibit case, was the 2006 Bodies of Work Festival, spearheaded by Dr. Carrie Sandahl, director of UIC's Program on Disability Art, Culture and Humanities, Disability and Human Development.

In addition to Slater's sound installation, the work in the exhibit includes several paintings by Chicago artist and curator Riva Lehrer, who specializes in portraits of people with disabilities. The exhibit features Lehrer's images of writer/performers Bill Shannon, Susan Nussbaum and Mike Ervin. A T-shirt with an image created by Ervin's late partner, Anna Stonum, hangs on one wall. It bears the legend "Adapt or Perish" from Charles Darwin, along with a humorous look at "evolution" from primates to the familiar sign for wheelchair accessibility. A video of Shannon negotiating busy downtown Chicago sidewalks using a skateboard and modified crutches plays in one smaller room.

Nussbaum, the daughter of longtime Chicago actor Mike Nussbaum, has been working through the nonprofit Access Living for the past few years with a group of disabled young women who call themselves "Empowered FeFes." Portraits of the "FeFes" by celebrated Chicago photographer Dawoud Bey, along with personal statements about how they see themselves, cover one wall. They are the future, and their images form a continuation with the past through documentary images of protests for disability rights and access in Chicago and Washington, D.C., from past decades.

Making visible the work of artists, particularly those with disabilities or who are otherwise traditionally marginalized, provides strong impetus for the work of both High Concept Labs and Gallery 400. The latter invites those with personal experience at "the intersection of disability activism, art, or design in Chicago" to contact them through their website. High Concept Labs is now accepting applications through November 11 for the spring 2019 Sponsored Artist program.

High Concept Labs Fall Open House will take place Thursday, Oct. 25 7-10 p.m. at Constellation, 3111 N. Western Ave. Tickets $15 ( includes light appetizers and a cash bar ); visit HighConceptLabs.org .

Chicago Disability Activism, Arts and Design runs through Saturday, Oct. 20, at Gallery 400, 400 S. Peoria St. It's open Tuesday-Friday at 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday at 12-6 p.m. and by appointment. Admission is free; call 312-996-6114, email gallery400@uic.edu or visit Gallery400.uic.edu .


This article shared 1771 times since Wed Oct 17, 2018
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance
2024-03-18
Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition'
2024-03-15
Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

Chicago History Museum announces "Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s - 70s exhibition
2024-03-14
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 14, 2024) — The Chicago History Museum is thrilled to announce its upcoming exhibition, "Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s—70s." Set to open on Saturday, May 18, 2024, this exhibition is ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted celebrates Dreams of Drag
2024-03-11
On March 9, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., in partnership with the Ralla Klepak Foundation, presented the Dreams of Drag Spring Cohort Class of 2024. The event featured performances from a class of new ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted hosts 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show
2024-03-03
On the evening of Feb. 29, Center on Halsted held its 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show in front of a packed audience at the Hoover-Leppen Theater. The event brought together participants of the Center's youth and senior ...


Gay News

TAWANI Foundation commits $25K to StartOut, supporting LGBTQ+ entrepreneurship
2024-02-08
--From a press release - CHICAGO — February 8, 2024 — The TAWANI Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that provides support in the areas of arts and culture, historical preservation, health and wellness, LGBTQ+ and human rights ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted opens two new art exhibitions
2024-02-07
On Feb. 2, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., hosted its latest gallery opening, presenting two solo exhibitions exploring the role of the artist and their relationships with their environments, albeit using vastly different styles. ...


Gay News

ART Champaign display looks at the Midwest Black lesbian experience
2024-02-03
In Illinois, archival photos are the centerpiece of a new display at the Krannert Art Museum focusing on the Black lesbian experience in the Midwest, IPM reported. The new solo exhibition by St. Louis-based artist Jen ...


Gay News

ART Queer photographer James Hosking focuses the lens on his own work
2023-12-18
James Hosking—a Chicago-based LGBTQ+ artist who specializes in photography and collage—is one of 17 people selected to be part of "Once: 2023 Emerging Artists Exhibit" at the Cleve Carney Museum on the College of DuPage campus ...


Gay News

GLAAD marks World AIDS Day with launch of global resource hub, new HIV report
2023-12-01
--From a press release - New York, New York — Friday, Dec. 1 — GLAAD marked World AIDS Day this year by sharing the results of its fourth annual State of HIV Stigma Report, a national survey among U.S. adults measuring ...


Gay News

Wrightwood 659 to present 'Daniel Goldstein: The Marks We Leave Behind' on World AIDS Day
2023-11-29
(CHICAGO, Nov. 29, 2023) —Alphawood Exhibitions will present Daniel Goldstein: The Marks We Leave Behind, an exhibition of works from the San Francisco-based artist & HIV/AIDS activist's iconic "Icarian Series," ...


Gay News

'Jersey Boys' stars reunite as Midtown Men on Dec. 2 in Glen Ellyn
2023-11-14
The original stars of the Broadway hit Jersey Boys—Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard and J. Robert Spencer—will reunite as Midtown Men on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at McAninch Arts Center's Belushi Performance Hall ...


Gay News

Black Excellence Awards winners named, inaugural Chicago Black Arts Hall of Fame inductees honored
2023-11-08
--From a press release - CHICAGO (Nov. 7, 2023)—The nonprofit Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago is proud to announce the winners of its 23rd Annual Black Excellence Awards, honored last night in a festive celebration at Black Ensemble Theater. ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Avid ceramicist Don Heggemann remembered for 'dedicated,' lively presence
2023-11-03
Ceramics instructor Dubhe Carreño first met Don Heggemann when he took her Saturday general ceramics class at Northeastern Illinois University in 2010. He took every one of her classes after that. Heggemann eventually joined the staff ...


Gay News

Chicago Gay Men's Chorus celebrates 40 years of holiday music in 'The Big 4-0, ho, ho'
2023-11-01
--From a press release - CHICAGO, November 1, 2023 — Chicago Gay Men's Chorus celebrates its 40th Anniversary with The Big 4-0, ho, ho!, a celebration of CGMC's holiday favorites over the last 40 years. Featuring festive arrangements from current Artistic ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.