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A section of a painting called 'Dark Night' by Steven O'Hara. An abstract white and grey painted face is against a black background

[Banner credit: A section of 'Dark Night' by Steven O'Hara, acrylic on canvas. This is an artwork from the upcoming exhibition at Art Factory, a Supported Studio in Wagga Wagga.]


Newsletter November 2017


Morwenna Collett, CEO at Accessible Arts

Farewell Morwenna

As the year draws to a close we say a very warm and heartfelt thank you to our Interim CEO, Morwenna Collett. Morwenna has been on secondment to Accessible Arts for most of 2017 and will return to the Australia Council for the Arts in December. 

Morwenna has made a huge contribution to the organisation, helping us to explore and define new directions, broaden our networks and build our profile, particularly within the wider arts sector. We know Morwenna will remain a close friend of Accessible Arts and all of our stakeholders. We are currently recruiting a new CEO, and will provide news of that appointment as soon as it is finalised. 

Sharman Pretty, Chairperson, Accessible Arts

Dan Daw stands in a room with his head thrusted back and arms outstretched to either side. He wears a white t-shirt, black trousers or shorts and has tatoos on one arm.

FREE event with Dan Daw 

Please join us at 'In Conversation with Dan Daw - the Man Behind the Beast', a talk with with acclaimed performer and performance maker Dan Daw on Sunday 14 January at 5pm during the 2018 Sydney Festival. 

Dan (who is also performing in Beast at the Festival) is recognised as a leader in the conversation on dance and disability here and in the UK. He'll share insights into his practice and how, as an artist with disability, he pushes boundaries of mainstream performance to shift perceptions and expectations. 

Co-hosted by Accessible Arts and Sydney Festival, this event is wheelchair accessible and will be Auslan interpreted - and keep your eye out for an Auslan video about it next week. 

Three women stand in the Bella Room, which is covered in light green shelves filled with colourful cushioned artworks in the colourful shapes of mouths, eyes, noses and other objects.

Accessing the Arts Group

More than 40 people from across NSW arts organisations came along to our final Accessing the Arts Group (ATAG) meeting of the year last week at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) - our biggest turnout yet!

Our speakers included Gill Nicol, Director Audience Engagement at the MCA and Fiona Jackson, Executive Projects Coordinator for Sydney Festival. 

A still frame from Pulse, Daniel stands in what looks like a darkened dance floor, with a sift green light illuminating one side of his face. He wears a grey t-shirt and has a glow stick around his neck.

Support Jo's marathon challenge!

Film maker Johanna Garvin is competing in the World Marathon Challenge/Triple 7 Challenge in January - and attempting to be the first person to complete it in a wheelchair. 

She's holding a fundraising screening of the award-winning film 'Pulse' on 5 December (6:30 – 9:15pm). 'Pulse' is the ambitious debut of Daniel Monks, who writes and stars in this body swap drama.


News and views

Events and opportunities

  • Read our interview with Steven Burchill, Facilitator at the Mai-Wel Group. He discusses the hard work that has gone into DESTINY – The Musical, an inclusive musical theatre production created by artists with disability. It's will be showing at the Cessnock Performing Arts Centre on 6 December at 7pm. 
  • Don't miss our Deaf Arts Officer Riona Tindal presenting the latest news from the arts and disability sector in Auslan in this month's Deaf Herald
  • What are the current issues and opportunities for disability-led arts around the world? Why are we still talking about the same barriers and limitations? Answer these questions and help shape the program for a global symposium on disability-led arts in the 21st Century which will be hosted by Unlimited next September in London. 
  • Emerging filmmakers with disability Samia Halabi, Dieter Knierem and Daniel Monks have been announced as the recipients chosen to lead three teams in creating short films through this year’s Create NSW Screenability Filmmakers Fund

  • Have you checked out Jeremy the Dud? It's a comedy set in a world where everyone has a disability, and those that don't are treated with the same prejudice, stigma and attitudes people with disability face in our own society. 
  • Read Debra Keenahan’s essay in The Conversation titled: The female dwarf, disability, and beauty. She reflects on the stigma, stereotyping and discrimination that people with achondroplasia dwarfism are still subject to.
Check our website for the latest arts and disability news.

  • We run several general Disability Inclusion Training sessions each year, which are 2.5 hours in length and held at the Arts Exchange in the Rocks. The next is in on Tuesday 20 February, 10am - 12.30pm. Book your tickets via Eventbrite.
  • The lovely Jane is moving on to expand her family in January, so we're on the hunt for a Marketing and Communications Manager. In this role you will work closely with the CEO and all staff, developing and implementing strategies and plans to increase awareness of Accessible Arts and artists with disability across NSW. Applications close 4 December.
  • The Art Factory is a Supported Studio in Wagga Wagga that provides support, mentoring and career paths to artists with intellectual disability, to assist them in developing their contemporary arts practice. They’re holding an exhibition from 28 November to 5 December which will bring together a collection of works created by the Art Factory artists throughout the year, with art work available to purchase. 
  • Do you want to help bring people and art together while gaining transferable skills and making new friends? Biennale of Sydney are recruiting for a range of volunteer positions including Exhibition Host, Live Interpreter, Access Host and Art Assistant.  
  • Don't forget, Sydney Festival 2018 will present more Auslan interpreted and captioned shows than ever before! Find out details at the Festival website and check out these Auslan videos on their YouTube channel. They've also launched a podcast which dives deep into the accessible and inclusive programs available. 
  • The State Library of New South Wales will celebrate the 2017 International Day of Disability by welcoming performer, arts manager and diversity advocate Sarah Houbolt to the Library to talk about accessibility and how we should think about designing our spaces. This free event, on Sunday 3 December will be Auslan interpreted and captioned.
Submit your upcoming event or opportunity to Accessible Arts for promotion. 

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Accessible Arts is assisted by the NSW Government through Arts NSW and Family and Community Services.

Accessible Arts Level 3 | The Arts Exchange 10 Hickson Road The Rocks | Sydney | NSW | 2000 info@aarts.net.au | +61 2 9251 6499.