Disability Arts History Australia

Items

• "High Beam Festival Program 2002"
  High Beam Festival Program 2002 reads "Welcome to High Beam 2002 Australia's international arts and disability festival, celebrating disability culture from around the globe. In our third biennial festival we explore the significance of the circle. In High Beam Festival 2002, that significance is represented through our international program, 'circular' Wheelie BIG Event, the online community of Tech Arts Express and over 40 companies, performers and community members who span the arts and the globe. High Beam is about showing that living with a disability does not exclude you from creating real, exciting, cutting edge art. High Beam is also about showing what it is like to live with a disability through the medium of art. Get out there and enjoy! We are thrilled to present Australia's own legendary pianist David Helfgott, UK comedian Mat Fraser, the amazing wheelchair dancers from Nepal as well as Belinda Mason - Lovering's Intimate Encounters - a landmark photo-graphic exhibition from Australia."
• "Australia Council - Annual Report 2004-05"
  Australia Council Annual Report 2004-2005 - discusses letter from chair of council, letter from CEO, corporate overview, year in review, goals, financial statements, analysis of funding analysis and grants list, including funding for key organisations, new work, presentation and promotion, audience participation (with publication “Access All Areas”), skills and arts development with Arts Access partnering with Helicon Dance to provide 10 workshops in Princess Alexandra hospital Mental Health Service to find out which arts the community members wanted to pursue with a reference group including the University of Queensland and funding for Back to Back theatre to perform Small Metal Objects, in collaboration with sound artist Hugh Covill, animator Rhian Hinkley, director/designer Bruce Gladwin to shed light on, provoke and transform society, and to position artistic creativity as an integral part of the nation’s agenda. Triennial funding to Arts Access Australia (formerly known as Disability in the Arts Disadvantage in the Arts Australia—DADAA)
• "Interview with Mike Moshos"
  Mike Moshos is a creative director, writer, actor and disability advocate. Interview Summary Mike Moshos is an arts worker and creator living with achondroplasia who provides support to young adult artists with disabilities and engages in community theatre and interactive performances for children with special needs. His personal experiences and growing political awareness have led him to advocate for the rights of disabled individuals and strive for equity in the arts. Mike has a deep passion for storytelling and is currently writing a science fiction novel while enjoying his role as Bing in an interactive children's show. He believes that all art is inherently political and that every piece of work, whether overtly or subtly, expresses a stance on societal issues.
• Sarah Austin
• "Interview with Graham Wilfred Junior"
  Graham Wilfred Junior is a Yolngu man and artist with Incite Arts were he works with different mediums including filmmaking, writing, performing, digital art, music and painting. Interview Summary Graham, an emerging artist with spina bifida whose father inspired his passion for art, has pursued various art forms including painting, music, and digital art, and is venturing into theatre and filmmaking. His digital artwork, through the creation of the emoji app, helps teach the Arrente language, a part of his cultural heritage, and he seeks to expand his impact through acting and creating films. Graham's motivation is to both celebrate and inspire people with disabilities, aiming for recognition as an artist rather than focusing solely on his disability. Graham shares his journey with Incite Arts, highlighting his involvement in music workshops, acting classes, and script development, emphasizing the importance of representation and empowerment for individuals with disabilities, ultimately aiming to document his experiences and create impactful performances that leave a legacy to encourage others to pick up where he leaves off, ensuring the continuity of artistic expression within his community.
• "Interview with Alex Creece"
  Alex Creece is writer, poet, editor, collage artist, and average kook living on Wadawurrung land. Interview Summary Alex Creece, focused on her experiences and journey as a disabled artist and writer in Australia. Alex discussed the importance of building a community and the challenges of balancing personal identity with maintaining professionalism in art. Alex expressed a desire for increased accessibility and recognition in the industry, highlighting the need for continued support of disabled artists. Throughout the conversation, the complexity of disability arts' visibility, identity politics, and the definition of creative success were explored, with Alex providing insight into her own work as well as broader industry trends and challenges.
• "Interview with Janelle Colquhoun"
  Janelle Colquhoun is an opera-jazz singer; corporate and community speaker; MC; producer; and writer. Interview Summary Janelle Colquhoun is a passionate and dedicated former opera singer, who in the interview speaks about, starting an entertainment agency to provide professional opportunities for artists with disabilities after losing her sight. She has produced over 1400 events, performed in a variety of concerts, and worked tirelessly to promote inclusivity in the arts, often by showcasing talented disabled artists to mainstream audiences. Janelle talks about how her work challenges the way people think about disability arts and inclusion, and strives to give equal performing opportunities by advocating for the recognition of artists with disabilities as professionals with the same quality of performance as any other artist.
• "Interview with Alison Bennett"
  Dr Alison Bennett is a senior lecturer in photography at RMIT School of Art specialising in expanded photography, webXR, queer and feminist creative practices. Interview Summary Alison Bennett, an artist and academic, spoke about her work in expanded photography, their experiences with autism, and the intersection of disability discourse with queer activism in their life and work. Their current project, vegetal/digital, arose from their experiences during the pandemic and connects audiences with plant sentience through interactive digital art. Alison also discussed the political nature of their work, aiming to shift ontological frameworks and exploring new modes of engagement through art. They reflected on the significant cultural changes regarding neurodiversity in the last few decades, highlighting the growing self-advocacy among autistic artists and their increasing impact in the arts.
• “In 2003, a demonstration outside Canberra’s Parliament House protests changes to Centrelink guidelines”
  In 2003, the Totally and Permanently Incapacitated Disabled Soldiers Association staged a protest outside Parliament House in Canberra, over changes to Centrelink guidelines that could have cost them up to $200 per week in income. “He said in Parliament that our payments are adequate, he's somebody who has never had the time to speak to us,” Association President John Ryan remarked of then Prime Minister John Howard.
• “Incite Arts (NT) established in 1998”
  What would become Incite Arts (Northern Territory) was established in 1998, known at that time as the Alice Springs Youth Arts Group (ASYAG). “ASYAG was formed as a response to a locally identified need for a vehicle to express young people’s stories in a valid contemporary cultural context.” In 2004, the organisation adopted the name InCite Youth Arts Inc and was incorporated as a not-for-profit. The following year, they became the host and auspice of Arts Access Central Australia (AACA), an arts and disability committee. The organisation’s name was revised once again in 2013, becoming Incite Arts.
• “Access Arts (QLD) established”
  Access Arts (QLD) was established in 1983. "Access Arts is Queensland’s leading organisation creating opportunities in the performing and visual arts for people with disability or disadvantage".
• "The United Nations makes comments on the rights of people with disabilities."
  In 1951, the United Nations made comments on the rights of people with disabilities."The focus of the United Nations on disability issues shifted in the late 1950s from a welfare perspective to one of social welfare."
• "The first Arts Activated conference takes place"
  Accessible Arts NSW started biennial Arts Activated conferences in 2007 "to inform, connect and activate people and organisations involved with Australia’s arts and disability sector" https://aarts.net.au/arts-activate/
• "Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons adopted in 1975"
  The 1960s and 1970s saw major changes in people’s attitudes towards disability. Stemming from the growth of the human rights movement and the introduction of normalisation theory internationally, Australia signed key human rights declarations of people with disabilities, the Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons (adopted in 1975). The Declaration argued that disabled people deserve to live lives “as normal and full as possible”.
• “The Mouth and Foot Painting Artists starts in Australia in 1971”
  The Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) started in Australia in 1971. The roots of the international organisation of mouth and food painting artists go back to the 1950s in Europe.
• “Lesley Hall leads a protest of the Miss Victoria Quest beauty contest”
  In 1981, Lesley Hall and a group of disability activists protested at the Miss Victoria Beauty Quest (a beauty pagent that was a fundraiser for the Spastic Society in Victoria). The focus on physical perfections was seen “as the norm all must attain if they are to be fully accepted into society”. The protests raised much media attention and marked the beginning of a shift in thinking about the place in Australian society of people with disabilities.
• “The Broughton Art Society is founded in 1965”
  The Broughton Art Society was established in 1965 by Ian Broughton (as The Arts Society for the Handicapped). Broughton, who had muscular dystrophy, was a resident at The Home for Incurables. BAS offers community-based art classes to adults living with disability.
• “Crossroad Arts (Queensland) founded in 1996”
  Crossroad Arts (Queensland) was founded in 1996 by Steve Mayer-Miller. "Crossroad Arts collaboratively develops opportunities for people who experience a disability, to access and participate in the arts".
• “The first Focus on Ability film festival held in 2009”
  In 2009, the first Focus on Ability film festival was started by the CEO of NOVA Employment, Martin Wren. (NOVA is a Sydney-based disability employment service.) FOA holds events in Australia’s major cities and welcomes entries in open categories as well as a schools category and international section.
• “The Asia-Pacific Wataboshi festival comes to Brisbane”
  Hosted by Arts Access Qld, in 2003, the Asia-Pacific Wataboshi festival was brought to Brisbane with the aim to raise the profile of disability arts. David Helfgott was the ambassador.
• "A contemporary visual arts exhibition, Connected 2008, is presented in 2008"
  In 2008, Arts Access Victoria produced Connected 2008, a contemporary visual arts exhibition attracting over 400 entries from artists with a disability across Victoria.
• “Access Arts establishes the SAFE Grant”
  In 2007, Access Arts established the SAFE Grant – Sacred Angel Funding Empowerment. It is a one-off grant for $1,000 to “emerging and professional artists with disability living in Queensland. It is designed to fund the costs (up to $1,000) of attending conferences, training courses, events or mentoring to help enhance an artist’s professional career.” The SAFE grant was established by Peter Vance, whose wife Marilyn passed away from angiosarcoma. In 2019, Choice, Passion, Life (CPL) “committed to upholding the legacy of Peter and Marilyn for an additional 10 years”.
• “Access Arts Achievement Award inaugurated in 2014”
  Access Arts announced a $10,000 Achievement Award in 2013 and first awarded the grant in 2014 to actor Doug Robins. Other recipients since then have included writers, musicians, visual artists, theatre makers, and multi-disciplinary artists. The funding goes to a Queensland artist with disability to “create, develop, present, produce, exhibit and/or tour their work.” Access Arts describe it as “a game-changing opportunity for Queensland artists, arts workers and producers to extend the life of an existing work or create a new one!”
• “80 wheelchair users and allies halt Melbourne trams, demanding better access to public transportation”
  In a 2000 demonstration organised by the Catch a Tram group, 80 wheelchair users and their allies halted city trams in Melbourne during lunch hours, demanding better access to public transportation.
• Theatre performance ‘Take Up Thy Bed & Walk’ integrates ‘aesthetic access’”
  The 2012 performance ‘Take Up Thy Bed & Walk’ designed by Gaelle Mellis and produced by Vitalstatistix proved that accessibility measures could be aesthetic. As Creative Australia describes it “is credited as Australia’s first performance work incorporating ‘aesthetic access’. It embedded the performer’s physicality and communication styles – and those of potential audiences – at the centre of the creative process. The work integrated audio description, captioning, sign language and interactivity uniquely into the core of the work.” Gaelle Mellis has said of the performance that “aesthetic access can be used in ways that add layer, texture, meaning and richness to a work. Art, at its simplest, is primarily about communication. Aesthetic access, at its simplest, is a form of communication that communicates to everyone.”