ARTISTS WITH DISABILITIES

Nationwide, there are countless opportunities to see and purchase artwork by artists with disabilities.

San Francisco’s Mission District is home to Creativity Explored, a nonprofit art studio and gallery where artists with disabilities can create, share, and sell their art in a judgement-free environment.

Washington, D.C. offers a studio with a similar concept called Art Enables.

Meanwhile, the University of Lousiana in Lafayette’s Beacon Club, a student disability inclusion and awareness organization, will host an art show on October 24. The display will feature various works of art by artists with disabilities and depicting their experiences and struggles.

That same day, Madison, Wisconsin’s Madison Concourse Hotel will host local disability advocacy organization Access to Independence’s second “Artists Beyond Boundaries” event. It will feature a dinner, an exhibition of artwork, and an award program.

On October 7, the New Jersey’s Edison Arts Society hosted an exhibit featuring all varieties of artwork created by artists with various disabilities.

If you are or know an artist with a disability, similar institutions and events probably exist in your area as well. They may be a great opportunity for you and/or your loved one and their work to shine.

Michael Rock is a New York City-based reporter and self-advocate with autism. A graduate of Brandeis University, his work has appeared in Kings County Politics, Chelsea Now, Our Town, Queens County Politics, and WhoWhatWhy.