[Banner credit: Screenshot from film Cementa-17 assisted residency. The film follows artist Skye Saxon's creative journey throughout the development of her work 'The Snowflake Sharman' during the residency.]
July 2017 Newsletter
We are pleased to present the latest in arts and disability news, with a state, national and international focus. If you'd like to submit an item for an upcoming edition please get in touch.
Your expertise is needed - help shape our future!
We would like to ask you to complete a short survey (10-15 minutes) to help us develop our strategic plan and programming over the next few years. We are interested to know about your experience with Accessible Arts, as your feedback will help us to understand how we can best support the sector in the future. This is a great opportunity to share your creative ideas and we look forward to hearing your thoughts!
By participating, you can also enter a draw to win a $100 Westfield shopping voucher or two A reserve tickets to a Sydney Symphony Orchestra concert (valid till end of 2017 and subject to availability). The survey closes on Friday 21 July 2017 5:00PM EST.
Here's a video introduction to the survey in Auslan. If you would prefer to provide feedback in another format, please contact Anke Timm or call our office on +61 9251 6499.
We're very serious
How do theatre makers, visual artists and dancers with disability get taken seriously as artists?
Three Winston Churchill Fellows joined forces recently to discuss this question and their research, at a Vivid Ideas Exchange event at the Museum of Contemporary Arts.
The Fellows are Sarah-Vyne Vassallo, Founder and Artistic Director of Murmuration, Gabrielle Mordy, Artistic Director at Studio A and Alison Richardson, Director, Founder and Co-collaborator with RUCKUS,
Read a summary of each of their key findings and a snippet from the Q and A that followed, on the Accessible Arts website.
The Snowflake Sharman
We hope you enjoy this new film, which follows artist Syke Saxon's creative journey and performance of her work 'The Snowflake Sharman' during a a residency and four-day arts festival in Kandos, NSW in April.
This was made possible thanks to the Delineate program, which offers a small arts grant to support disability-led projects to build capacity, leadership skills, and artistic networks for artists with disability. The StudioA Cementa17 Residency that Skye took part in was a 2016 and 2017 grant recipient.
Delineate is a partnership between Accessible Arts and the don’t DIS my ABILITY campaign run by Family and Community Services (FACS). Accessible Arts has supported six Delineate projects in the last two years. A big thanks to all who worked hard on this project, including Arts Development Manager Kristina Tito.
Art for everyone - Undercover Artist Festival 2017
Break the boundaries. Bend the rules. There are no limits as Access Arts unfurls Undercover Artist Festival 2017!
The Festival returns to Queensland Theatre in October 2017 and artists, both emerging and professional, are encouraged to contribute to an immersive, enchanting and empowering experience that ignites our collective belief that art is for everybody. Find out more and apply on the Access Arts website.
Audio-described tours at the Museum of Contemporary Art
The next audio-described tour at the MCA, on Saturday 29 July at 10am, is of their exhibition Jenny Watson: The Fabric of Fantasy. This is a free tour and guide dogs are welcome! To confirm your spot, please email accesstours@mca.com.au or call 02 9245 2400. [image: Jenny Watson, Portrait for Nick, 1977, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, gift of the Visual Arts Board, Australia Council, 1984, courtesy and © the artist.]
You can also book a free Auslan tour at the MCA, with Artist Educators Angie Goto and Stefan Kater. The next is Saturday 22 July.
![[Riona signs to the left of the image, standing in front of a screen featuring the Bundanon residence with the text 'a place to create, Artists in Residence] and her email address rtindal@aarts.net.au]](http://media.wordfly.com/accessiblearts/emails/accessible-arts-enews-april-2017/screen-shot-2017-07-07-at-9-18-53-am.png)
Auslan update: Accessing Sydney Collectively and Deaf artist residency opportunity at Bundanon
Here's the latest Auslan Accessible Arts update for the Deaf Society from our Deaf Arts Officer Riona Tindall.
She discusses the Accessing Sydney Collectively initiative and an exciting new residency opportunity in Bundanon, from 4 to 11 September. We're looking for three Deaf or hard of hearing artists who are emerging, starting out, have just finished art degrees or are seriously creative and who need one week of quiet in a rural bushy setting, in Bundanon, a beautiful area near Nowra.
The Bundanon Trust in collaboration with Accessible Arts, offers a residency of three buildings with studios attached for the selected artists. As they work on their self-directed project they will have professional mentoring and support from other artists. Creative people can be painters, photographers, illustrators, sculptures, writers, filmmakers, performers and any other creative roles!
Expressions of interest are open now - email Riona for more information and an application form. Successful applicants will be notified by email on 1 August. You must be available during the entire week, make own travel arrangements, be over 18 years old and Deaf, or hard of hearing.
Create NSW Fellowships - applications close soon!
The deadline for applying for a Create NSW Fellowship is 7 August, so get cracking! Applicants from all artforms, including dance, design, digital arts, history, Aboriginal arts and culture, literature, music, theatre, moving image, filmmaking, community arts, collections and cultural heritage, curatorial and the visual arts are invited to apply.
There are ten Fellowships on offer including an Artist with Disability Fellowship.
More people with disability accessing the arts
The results of a national arts participation survey by the Australia Council for the Arts indicate an increase of people with disability accessing the arts.
However, detailed research is needed to fully understand the picture for people with disability, according to Arts Access Australia and Accessible Arts.
Read our press release and the full report on the Australia Council for the Arts.
Fools' Gold - Free poetry workshops, performances and dialogue
Outlandish Arts present Fools’ Gold, a series of poetry workshops, performances and critical dialogues on art, mental health and well-being taking place in August. Noted UK poet, artist, disability and mental health activist Colin Hambrook will work with Australian poets and artists, including award-winning Sandy Jeffs. Together they will lead workshops, critical discussion and perform their work at the Art Gallery of NSW.
The first of four workshops is a two-hour poetry workshop with Colin Hambrook for writers who identify as experiencing mental health issues, at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Wednesday 2nd August 2017, 12.30pm – 2.30pm. Workshops are free but tickets are limited. Outlandish Arts are crowd-funding for this project via the Australian Cultural Fund.
How does our mental health affect our art?
How does our mental health affect our art? How does our art affect our mental health? What does it mean to be a practicing artist with mental health support needs?
Heads Will Roll is a multidisciplinary installation work, created by the Self Help Arts team with artists from the wider community. It explores the mental health experience of artists through a series of collaborative workshops in writing, movement, visual arts, photography, object play and film. The opening event is on Thursday 3 August at 6pm at 107 Meeting Room.
Self Help Arts also presents ARMOUR Day on Saturday August 5 at 107 Meeting Room. This is a day of collaboration and connection for artists including creatives resilience training and a discussion panel with guests from the arts, health and community sectors. It's free but places are limited! Read more and book your place on the event page.
Meet the team - Kay Richardson
We’re a new team here at Accessible Arts and we’d like you to get to know each of us. Today we introduce Operations Manager Kay Richardson (pictured with the Accessible Arts team, second from left), who joined the team in April.
What attracted you to the role at Accessible Arts? I really enjoy experiencing all forms of arts and culture.
Also, for many years I have been involved in developing initiatives that create positive social impact on behalf of not for profit organisations. AArts provides me with a way to focus on all of the above!
Read the full interview with Kay on the Accessible Arts website.
Murmuration | Days Like These - Join the Arts Bus!
Murmuration presents the world premiere of Days Like These, the latest work from NSW’s only professional adult integrated arts company. The three performances (including one relaxed performance) are in Cootamundra, NSW on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 July.
Days Like These explores the varied ways we, as humans, express our emotions and invites you to revisit and reflect on the best and worst days of your life. This work has been created with artists with disability and as such the work challenges society's view of what artists with disability are capable of and proposes a new aesthetic.
Sydney residents can take the 'Arts Bus' to Cootamundra, which departs on Saturday 21 July and returns on Sunday 22 July, and guests will be able to enjoy the Saturday 7pm performance and a night in the country.
Read more and book your ticket and bus on the Murmuration website.
Heading to Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year?
Unlimited Project Manager Clara Giraud shares our list of things to see among the huge diversity of work on offer.
- Unlimited will host ‘Beyond Tick Boxes’ – a panel discussion bringing to the stage artists and organisations that have worked together to create significant changes to open up buildings to disabled artists and audiences.
- Liz Carr is back from Australia, and part of the ever-popular British Council Showcase with ‘Assisted Suicide: The Musical’ – an Unlimited Commission from 2016. Read the full article.
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Accessible Arts Level 3 | The Arts Exchange 10 Hickson Road The Rocks | Sydney | NSW | 2000 email: info@aarts.net.au | +61 2 9251 6499
Accessible Arts is assisted by the NSW Government through Arts NSW and Family and Community Services.
