Disability Arts History Australia

Items

• Jacque Robinson
• “National Arts and Disability Strategy is launched in 2009”
  In 2009, the National Arts and Disability Strategy was agreed on by Australian Cultural Minister’s Council. The strategy sought to improve access and participation in the arts and identified four priority areas: barriers to access and participation, supporting the creative practice of artists with disability, developing audiences for disability arts practice, and strengthening policy and planning within governments.
• “In 2014, the Australia Council introduces its first grant specifically for artists with disabilities”
  In 2014, the Australia Council introduces its first grant specifically for artists with disabilities. Then Australia Council CEO Tony Grybowski announced “the Artists with Disability Pilot Program; the Council’s Disability Action Plan for 2014-2016; and additional funding for Arts Access Australia to increase career development and employment opportunities for artists with disability.” The pilot program granted $300,000 to disabled artists to develop and present their work. Following this, the program was extended for another three years. The “million dollar investment” would “provide development grants of up to $25,000 and project grants of up to $50,000 for individuals and groups.” That same year, the Australia Council received its first ever grant application in Australian Sign Language (Auslan). However, in 2019, Australia Council ended its dedicated funding program for disabled artists and replaced it with the National Arts and Disability Awards.
• “Creative Australia releases reports on arts participation, including d/Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent artists and audiences”
  A series of reports about arts and disability in Australia published in the mid-to-late-2010s are summarised on the Creative Australia website. Sources for the summary include Connecting Australians: Results of the National Arts Participation Survey (June 2017), Making Art Work: An Economic Study of Professional Artists in Australia (2017), Creating Pathways: Insights on support for artists with disability (2018), and Arts and Disability in Australia: Meeting of Cultural Ministers (2018). The overview of this research series demonstrates that disabled Australians’ participation in the arts had increased as access had grown, though equity for disabled artists, especially those with intersecting marginalised identities, continued to face barriers. It reports that work by disabled artists is innovative and transformative.
• Carriageworks
• “Arts Access Victoria – Sharing knowledge (early – mid 1990s)”
  In 1990 AAV hosted the Participate conference. From this the DADAA (Disability in the Arts, Disadvantage in the Arts, Renamed Arts Access Australia in 2003) network was born. AAV created a guidebook on creating art projects in hospitals while programs and exhibitions “Stormy Weather”, “FEELEN BOORDUP” were gaining recognition with location and purchase of artwork.
• Robert Brown
• Michelle Stone
• Liz Smith
• Kimberly Sellers
• Kerri Peters
• Kelvin Heffernan
• Jenny McCarthy
• Janet Lobban
• James McDonald
• Evelyn Vyhnal
• Evelyn Vynal
• Ev Vynal
• Ev Vyhnal
• Eve Vynal
• Elizabeth McDowall
• David Bridie
• Daniel Pace
• Carey Brickel
• Anne Riggs