Disability Arts History Australia

Items

• Cam Noble
• Patrick Francis
• Anthony Romagnano
• “‘Arts and Disability: A Research Report’ published in 1995”
  In 1995, ‘Arts and Disability: A Research Report’ was published. Des Walsh and Juliet London were commissioned by the Australia Council to prepare the report. However, they found little information that was relevant to the theme of the report. In addition to a review of existing literature, they met with people involved in arts organisations, disability organisations and organisations dedicated to both, as well as funding bodies. Walsh and London outlined the different ways that disabled people interact with the arts: as artists, consumers, and through art therapy. They also recognised the “negative or unduly limiting notions attached to arts in relation to disability” (12). Overall, they found “no conclusive evidence […of a] widely shared, articulated concept of a ‘disability arts’ movement in Australia” at that time. The report was intended to inform meaningful policy going forward. They made recommendations related to buildings and physical barriers, leadership, education and training and action plans.
• Peter Ben
• "Interview with Janice Florence"
  Janice Florence is a performing artist and disability advocate. She originally trained as a Teacher and Librarian. Janice has worked in Education and Libraries for many years and in disability advocacy for 20 years She has worked in Training and Consultation at Arts Access Vic for 12 years. Janice has been involved in theatre, dance and human movement for over 35 years. For 25 years she has been the Artistic Director of Weave Movement Theatre, comprising disabled and non-disabled performers. Weave has produced many devised original works often with respected performing artists as collaborators. She was the inaugural recipient of the Australia Council Awards for Disability Arts-Established Artist in 2019. Interview Summary Janice Florence is a veteran performer and Artistic Director of Weave Movement Theatre, which includes disabled performers. During the interview, Janice reflected on her extensive history with dance, both prior to and after acquiring her disability, highlighting the significance of political and personal themes, as well as the use of humour in her work. She discussed the ongoing challenges in securing accessible rehearsal and performance spaces, along with the complexities of funding and recognition within the Disability Arts scene in Australia. Janice also acknowledged the importance of Disability Arts historically and its potential for challenging societal expectations regarding disability.
• Mary Hutchison
• Leo Cussen
• "Australia Council - Annual Report 1998-99"
  Australia Council Annual Report 1998-99 - discusses letter from chair of council, functions, profile, organisation chart, corporate overview, year in review, arts funding, main activities of Council and its Boards, and includes promoting the importance of accessibility in the arts for all people with and without disabilities with workshops for arts organisations and training for Australia Council staff, financial statements and lists of grants made including grants for programs, projects, information and advocacy with Restless Dance Company being the first youth dance company to receive a Triennial Grant.
• "Australia Council - Annual Report 1989-90"
  Australia Council Annual Report 1989-90 - discusses objectives, highlights, support for artform development, main activities of Council and its Boards, and includes financial statements and lists of grants made including grants for conferences, access and touring, programs training and resource development as well as publications such as “The Arts and People with Disabilities”
• "Bree Hadley (2017) Disability theatre in Australia: a survey and a sector ecology. Research in Drama Education, 22(3), pp. 305-324.”
• "Australia Council - Annual Report 1988-89"
  Australia Council Annual Report 1988-89 - discusses objectives, Council Committees and members, board members, allocation chart, main activities of Council and its Boards, and includes financial statements and lists of grants made including grants for community cultural development traineeships, training, programs, projects, performances and promotion and publications including “The Arts and People with Disabilities: A code of practice for arts organisations.”
• "Accessible Arts - Annual Report 2006"
  Accessible Arts - Annual Report 2006 - About Accessible Arts, Chair’s report, Chief Executive Officer’s report, Accessible Arts’ people, Strategic Outcomes, Service, Arts programs, Training, Audience Development, Information and Public Relations
• Tutti Arts
• Tutti Ensemble
• Miles Howard-Wilks
• ”Hadley, Bree, Paterson, Eddie, & Little, Madeleine (2022) Quick Trust and Slow Time: Relational Innovations in Disability Performing Arts Practice. International Journal of Disability and Social Justice, 2(1), pp. 74-94.”
  "Despite a range of policies, plans, protocols and funding programmes to support disabled artists and collaborations between mainstream producers and disabled artists, the statistics – at least in our context in Australia – suggest most disability art still occurs outside and alongside an industry that struggles to include these artists. In this article, we draw upon findings from a series of workshops with disabled artists around Australia, conducted as part of the ARC funded Disability in the Performing Arts in Australia: Beyond The Social Model project – known colloquially to its collaborators and participants as ‘The Last Avant Garde’ project (https://lastavantgarde.com.au) – to propose a new approach. We find that while provision of logistical access (ramps, hearing loops, interpreters) and ideological access (stories, characters, discourse and language) is critical, so is methodological access, which embodies disability culture in training, rehearsal and production processes. Disabled artists use crip culture, along with relational space and time to negotiate what happens in disability arts and culture production practices and work through desire, fear, vulnerability and reciprocity to rapidly establish trusting collaborations."
• "Interview with Kath Duncan"
  Kath Duncan is a writer, a director, a provocateur, a visual artist, a comedian, a producer, a journalist, a radio broadcaster and disability advocate. Interview Summary Kath Duncan is an experienced and prominent figure in the disability arts community with a passion for experimental performance arts, having witnessed the beginnings of the disability arts movement in Australia and participated in its evolution. Her art is inherently political, shaped by her unique perspective as a congenital amputee. Kath firmly believes in the inherent creative revolutions and endless inspiration within all impairments. Kath highlights the ongoing struggles within the disability arts sector, including high unemployment rates for disabled individuals, systemic barriers, and the need for disabled leadership in arts organizations. While cherishing the milestones and transformative experiences she's had, Kath calls for significant systemic changes, emphasizing the importance of team playing and collective work to support and grow the disabled artist community.
• "Australia Council - Annual Report 2002-03"
  Australia Council Annual Report 2001-2002 - discusses letter from chair of council, corporate overview, year in review, financial statements, analysis of funding and grants for projects, initiatives, new work, programs, presentation and promotions including funding for implementing the Commonwealth Disability Strategy by evaluating current and changing needs of people with disabilities in the arts sector and reflecting this in funding and policies, arts marketing and audience development and triennial grants to disability arts organisations in NSW, South Australia and Victoria as well as a Fellowship by the Community Cultural Development Board (CCDB) to Tony Doyle to develop models for disability-led community building and on-the-job training for disability support workers and performance of “Soft” by Back to Back theatre at the Melbourne Festival and on tour to Switzerland and Germany.
• Rebecca Scibilia
• Dr Cheryl Daye
• Cheryl Daye
• Cheryl Day
• Steven Perrette
• Dionne Canzano