Disability Arts History Australia

Items

• Wesley Enoch
• Winfred Kwan Weng Fook
• "The Arts and Disability"
• "Jodee Mundy Collaborations - Imagined Touch - Documentary"
  Reads, in part "When two deafblind women Heather Lawson and Michelle Stevens approached director Jodee Mundy to make a show, they pulled off the impossible. They turned their small community performance into IMAGINED TOUCH, a theatre production that became a sell-out success at the Sydney Festival, going on to win at the Victorian Green Room Awards. This documentary has followed Imagined Touch with cameras from the very beginning."
• "Documentary by Madeleine Little on Indelability Arts - Theatre that leaves a Mark"
  Documentary by Madeleine Little on Indelability Arts - "Theatre that leaves a Mark" for Focus On Ability Film Festival
• "Back to Back Theatre - Website - About, captured 2008"
  Back to Back Theatre 'About' page, captured 2008 - reads, in part "Back To Back Theatre is a pioneering contemporary theatre company based in Geelong with a full-time ensemble of five actors considered to have an intellectual disability."
• "Australia Council - Making the Journey: Arts and Disability in Australia"
  Reads, in part "A collection of inspiring examples of how to include people with disabilities in the arts, as participants, creators and organisers"
• "Arts Access Victoria - Annual Reports 2006 - 2014, captured 2022"
  Arts Access Victoria - Annual Reports 2006 - 2014
• "Second Echo Ensemble - Performance, captured 2024"
  Second Echo website 'Performances' page, with information about past projects including 'The Stare', '[in]security', 'The Beauty Project, 'The Bridge', 'Outside Boy', 'Let Me Dry Your Eyes', 'The Chain', 'Right of Spring,' 'Contested Land', 'By My Hand'
• "IMDB Sparkles"
  Reads, in part "A 30-something-year-old Down syndrome woman leaves her past behind, and runs away from a small country town. Along her journey, she makes an unlikely friendship, teaching us all not to be afraid to celebrate who we are."
• "Jodee Mundy Collaborations - Imagined Touch - IMBD"
  Reads, in part, "When two Deafblind women asked a theatre director to help them make a show about being deaf and blind, never in their wildest dreams did they imagine it would become an award-winning show."
• Martin Wren
• "Interview with Jess Cochran"
  Jess Cochran (they/them) is an actor, model, writer and disability advocate. Interview Summary: Jess Cochran is a queer, non-binary, neurodivergent, performing artist, advocate, writer, and consumer consultant with a background in both physical and psychosocial disabilities. Their journey into the performing arts began accidentally with a role in the Awards winning Melbourne Fringe Festival production, Qualia, which opened doors to more local and international Awards-winning work in film and stage. Jess identifies proudly with their disabilities and considers their art both a personal expression and a political act aimed at highlighting the issues faced by the disability community. Jess’s work spans across writing, modelling, and various performance arts, and they wish to see an increase of disability arts representation in mainstream media with authentic casting, opportunities and improved accessibility for disabled performers. Jess is also passionate about highlighting intersectionality in disability arts.
• "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 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.
• "Interview with Tim McCallum"
  Tim McCallum is a singer, performer and speaker and disability advocate. Interview Summary Tim McCallum is a performer who specializes in singing and acting, with singing being his foremost talent. Having sustained a spinal cord injury resulting in quadriplegia before beginning his studies at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Tim's childhood passion for the performing arts has continued to motivate his career. Through his experiences, both positive and negative, regarding inclusion and discrimination in the arts, Tim has become determined to challenge preconceived notions and make disability a visible and celebrated aspect of performance. He is a strong advocate for the representation of artists with disabilities in leadership roles within arts governance, stressing the importance of lived expertise over tokenism for lasting change in the industry.
• "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.
• "Interview with David Doyle"
  David Doyle is the Executive Director of DADAA and has spent over 30 years leading large-scale Community Arts and Cultural Development (CACD) and arts projects globally and in Western Australia, significantly contributing to the arts and disability sectors through his work with DADAA and his dedication to community wellbeing and access to arts and culture. Interview Summary David Doyle, who originally trained in printmaking and ceramics with a background in community arts, has worked extensively in community arts and cultural development with a focus on addressing social issues through the arts. His experience with a disability from a young age and a deep understanding of power dynamics and privilege have influenced his motivation and commitment to disability arts in Australia. David highlights the significance of the Disability Discrimination Act and NDIS in empowering artists with disabilities and notes the uneven distribution of resources for disability arts across Australia. As the leader of an arts organization, he values the transition of power to individual artists with disabilities, stressing the importance of equipping them with the skills and contacts needed to lead and redefine the sector.
• "Interview with Graham Wilfred Junior"
  Graham Wilfred Junior is a Yolngu man and artist with Incite Arts where he works with different mediums including filmmaking, writing, performing and music. 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, now calls Mparntwe/Alice Springs home, and is venturing into theatre and filmmaking. His digital artwork, through the creation of the indigemoji app, helps teach the Arrernte, the language of the First Nations people of Mparntwe/Alice Springs. He now seeks to expand his impact through acting and creating films. Graham's motivation is to both celebrate and inspire people with disability, 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 disability. Ultimately, he aims 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.
• "Arts in Action Annual Report 2004"
  Arts in Action Annual Report 2004, describing the organisation’s work, including the 2004 High Beam Festival, an artistic program including visual arts workshops, music club and choir.
• "High Dreams at The Queens: an aerial sculpture installation"
  Flyer reads" High Dreams at The Queens: an aerial sculpture installation - the artistic oucome of a community project lead by Evette Sunset"
• "High Beam Festival - The Tutti Ensemble Holdfast Choir in Concert with David Helfgott"
  Flyer reads "The Tutti Ensemble Holdfast Choir in Concert with David Helfgott with special guests Brian Gilbertson and Jennifer Kneale"
• "New works by Nathaniel Edington and Too Many Legs by Bryan Tingey and Freight by DADAA"
  Flyer reads "You are invited to the launch of new works by Nathanael Edginton," and "Adelaide artist Bryan Tingey presents a new body of work that exhibits the varied influences of philosophy, history and psychology informing his work and his experimentation with the artforms of graffiti and , iconography and hieroglyphics. Freight is the latest shipment of outsider art on the move from WA. The exhibition showcases the work of three Western Australian artists working in textiles, photography and digital media."
• "The Arts and Disability"
  This booklet/brochure provides images, descriptions of the work, and contact details and contact organisations for key organisations in South Australia including: Access2Arts; Company AT; Mindshare; No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability; Restless Dance Theatre; Sit Down, Shut Up and Watch Film and New Media Festival; Sisters of Invention, Tutti Arts; The Jame, The Mix, The Gig.
• "The Arts and Disability"
  This booklet/brochure provides images, descriptions of the work, and contact details and contact organisations for key organisations in South Australia including: Access2Arts; Bearded Dragon Gallery; Beats Crew; Community Bridging Services (CBS) Inc.; Company AT; Lolly Jar Circus; No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability; Restless Dance Theatre; Sit Down, Shut Up and Watch Film and New Media Festival; Sisters of Invention, Tutti Arts.