Disability Arts History Australia

Items

• "Interview with Alison Richardson"
  Alison Richardson is an ally and advocate for people with disability with experience as an inclusive arts organisation artistic director and access and inclusion officer. Interview Summary Alison Richardson, artistic director and CEO of Crossroad Arts at the time of the interview, has had a 25-year journey through the fields of drama, theatre, and inclusive arts, starting in Sydney and leading to her role in Mackay, Queensland. Her work began by engaging with diverse young people and evolved into a focus on disability arts, recognising a gap in services and opportunities for people with disabilities in artistic expression. Throughout her career, she has witnessed and contributed to the gradual increase in visibility and opportunities for artists with disabilities, acknowledging the fluctuating support and funding in the sector. Despite challenges, Alison has observed progress in how disability arts are valued and the emergence of conversations around identity and representation within this community.
• "Interview with Michèle Saint-Yves"
  Michèle Saint-Yves is a playwright, filmmaker, poet, and director. Interview Summary Michèle Saint-Yves’ background includes a colonial upbringing in Pacific territories, a Scottish boarding school education, and a complex personal journey of confronting her own inherent racism and colonial legacy, particularly through her writing. Her work as an artist with disability is deeply informed by her sense of otherness and focuses on creating inclusive performance-based work that challenges mainstream audiences and systems, aiming for transformative experiences that impact disability justice and community. Michèle actively embraced the social model of disability, which shifted her understanding of herself and her art, and has received recognition for her pioneering work with the prize-winning show "Clock for No Time." However, recognising the social model’s limitations, her current creative endeavours are concerned with 'access intimacy' and evaluating the lasting impact of her performances, in collaboration with other artists and through research grants.
• Ben Strout
• Medina Sumovic
• Nina Mishriky
• Samantha Wilson
• "The Other Film Festival - Creating Change"
  The Other Film Festival Creating Change webpage, captured 2022 - reads, in part "The Other Film Festival is a groundbreaking disability-led program that has put Deaf and Disabled people at the centre of the Australian screen industry for almost 20 years. The days of Deaf and Disabled people being erased, misrepresented or under-employed by the mainstream have gone. We encourage the screen sector to embrace inclusive production structures and processes, including paid employment opportunities and career pathways for Deaf and Disabled screen practitioners and performers."
• "Interview with Jodee Mundy OAM"
  Jodee Mundy OAM is a Disabled creative director, performer, writer, activist, creative producer, executive producer, commissioner, interpreter, film, festival maker and cultural leader. Interview Summary Jodee Mundy OAM, is an artist and festival director who identifies as Coda (child of Deaf adults) and lives with chronic illness reflects on the historical and ongoing challenges faced by Deaf and Disabled artists in Australia. Her work is deeply political, aiming to tell untold stories and bring visibility to marginalized communities. Despite significant achievements, Jodee stresses the need for structural support and inclusivity within the industry, especially given the limitations of hybrid access models post-pandemic. Jodee's personal journey, including her recent incurable cancer diagnosis, shapes her advocacy for a culture of care and well-being in the arts. Jodee leads Alter State, Australia’s Disability- led arts festival presented by Arts Centre Melbourne and Arts Access Victoria.
• "Interview with Jianna Georgiou"
  Jianna Georgiou is a professional dancer, director and choreographer and has been with Restless Dance since 2006. Interview Summary Jianna Georgiou, who has Italian and Cypriot heritage, shared her journey as a dancer. She expressed her aspirations to collaborate with friends from other dance companies and emphasized her desire to continue her path with Restless Dance Theatre. Jianna’s determination remains strong, fuelled by her goal to perform and the emotional connection she feels through dance. She hopes to explore various dance styles, including hip-hop, which currently resonates with her, and she is motivated by the creative and energetic environment at Restless Dance Theatre.
• "Tutti Arts - Jackie Saunders and Laura Wills - Mineral Lines Exhibition - Invitation - Promotional Card"
  Tutti Arts - Jacki Saunders and Laura Wills 'Mineral Lines' Exhibition 2022 Invitation / Promotional Card - reads, in part "Inspired by the magic of minerals, contemporary artists Jackie Saunders, of Tutti Arts, and Laura Wills, have worked alongside one another to create works in response to the mineral sciences collection at the South Australian Museum. Mineral Lines Feature stunning colour palettes and dynamic patterns creating a truly exquisite collection.”
• "Tutti Arts - Sit Down Shut Up & Watch - Awards - Press Release 2014"
  Tutti Arts - 'Sit Down Shut Up & Watch' Awards 2014 Press Release - reads, in part, "Best Animation Award Cafe Chat - North Melbourne Institute of Technology (NMIT), Victoria; SA Film Corporation Most Original Film Award Our Story - William Gregory, South Australia; The Hive Award Wild@Heart Community Arts, Victoria; Funniest Film Award Next Factor - Caleb Rixon, Victoria; Best Special Effects Award- Eye TV - James Kurtze, South Australia; Arts Access Australia Best New Media/ Video Art Award- Dexter Aliens - James Kurtze, South Australia; People's Choice Award- Our Story- William Gregory, South Australia.”
• "Tutti Arts - Sit Down Shut Up & Watch - Filmmaking Workshop 2016 - Press Release"
  Tutti Arts - 'Sit Down Shut Up & Watch Filmmaking Workshop' 2016 Press Release - reads, in part “ On October 21 the second Sit Down Shutup and Watch [SDSW] Film New Media Festival will happen in the Angaston Town Hall. The festival is the brainchild of seven talented young film makers with learning disability form Regional South Australia and Adelaide. Their first festival, held in October 2014 was a fabulous success with over 40 films screened from all over the world and nearly 500 people attending. In the lead up to our second Festival, we are delivering a series of 4-day film-making workshops for people with learning disabilities across regional areas of South Australia to ensure we have plenty of South Australian films in the mix. The first of these is the Renmark / Riverland workshop to be held from Tuesday 8th March - Friday 11th March, at the McCormick Centre, Rau Rau Ave, Renmark.”
• Alan Constable
• Christopher O'Brien
• Chris O’Brien
• Danny Lyons
• John Bates
• Mark Smith
• Monica Lazzari
• Rebecca Scibilia
• Wendy Dawson
• "Bree Hadley, Eddie Paterson, Madeleine Little, Kath Duncan (2024) How Disability Performance Travels in Australia: The Reality Under the Rhetoric. In Czymoch, Christiane, Maguire Rossier, Kate, & Schmidt, Yvonne (Eds.) How Does Disability Performance Travel?: Access, Art, and Internationalization. Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon, pp. 62-76.”
  "The last three decades has witnessed the development of a distinct narrative about how disability performance has become a much celebrated component of the Australian theatre landscape. A central aspect of this narrative is the critical importance of festivals, events, and other industry initiatives that allow disabled performers to travel - both conceptually and corporeally - to meet and be mentored by other artists, and to present their work to new and more mainstream audiences, in new spaces and places, around the country, and around the world. In this chapter, we draw on historical data, collected as part of an AusStage ARC LIEF project designed to database information about disability drama, theatre, performance, and dance over the past 100 years, as well as the Last Avant Garde ARC Linkage project on disability performance in Australia, to unpack areas where the reality seems to challenge some of the dominant rhetoric."
• Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM)
• David Helfgott
• Veronica Pardo