I approached this brief reframing the question: What field am I both interested and uncomfortable with and why? I have always been an advocate for creative social inclusion and diversity and yet I had found myself unable to name any artists with an intellectual or developmental disability. Now, that has changed.
This might have been due to the lack of mainstream spotlight to their work, or inclusivity in Art History curriculum or my lack of thought to consider artists beyond the ‘typical’ norm but what shocked me the most was the following thought: If making it or breaking into the creative arts industry is already hard enough for myself and other young artists I know… how would it be for an artist living with IDD? Or what support and opportunities will a person living with IDD receive if they aspired to become an artist?
Artist from Creative Growth (Oakland). In 1987, Sylvia Seventy was a visiting artist with Creative Growth and introduced Scott to fibre materials during her workshop.
This thinking led to the study of publications and journals, on disability arts, social inclusion, the social disability model, arts and IDD, inclusive curation, the arts educational curriculum, and led me to discover an extensive amount of visual art work (specifically in fine art) of artist from different organizations. It also introduced me to a lot of complex debates in academia surrounding the theme of artists living with IDD – and the linking to the genre of art brut, outsider art, disability arts and therapeutic art.
This has personally been one of the most transformative experiences, from not being able to mention one artist living with IDD to admiring the incredible artwork that is currently out there; and yet still faces difficulty to gain the spotlight. I’ve realised how much great art I’ve been missing out and how many distinct perspectives can be missed or go unrecognised and unvalued if not given the right support, inclusion and opportunities to thrive.
This one question seemed to be a result of the research, as it is not that there are not artists living with IDD, the issue is that they are not being exposed enough or given the artistic support to develop their artistry: How can the exposure, support and access to the contemporary art world be improved for artists living with IDD? To what degree are the existing organizations helping artists and how can this model be applied in locations that do not have such support? Would including and discussing art works by artists with IDD diversify the arts educational curriculum and help create more tolerant conversation around the subjectivity of being ‘abled’ and ‘disabled’?
“People with intellectual or developmental disabilities are arguably the most marginalized members of our society and have historically suffered oppression. They have not experienced the same access to the arts as non-disabled people; artists with intellectual disabilities are typically situated within a therapeutic paradigm and excluded from institutional structures of contemporary art”
Sara Lige, Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and the Visual Arts: “It’s NOT Art Therapy!”
As I look back into my journey throughout this brief, I must say I have seen the sole intention of the course itself with this project; up until this point I’d been blinded by the impulsivity of my own creative drive without a depth of critical investigation and reflection. It has been with this initial research that I have rediscovered the importance of in-depth investigation prior to jumping to any conclusions and or propose any solutions. I’m now excited to consider this study as possibility for my major project.
I created a questionnaire in which I asked participants (artists) about artists living with IDD and inclusivity and diversity in the contemporary art world.
Here are some of the responses:
“I think that differently abled people offer a fresh perspective on the world. Their participation in artistic roles not only offers a greater understanding of their experiences, leading to a more tolerant society, but also the opportunity to share new stories and ideas.”
“I don’t believe intellectually disabled artists are represented enough, and cannot think of one name or face from the industry I work in.”
“I believe there are steps required to make the art world more inclusive. It’s subjective nature means that people of all “abilities” can and should thrive. Locally I have enjoyed the work of support groups helping intellectually disabled adults develop new skills and find purpose through art.”
“Are they represent enough? Hell no!!! I honestly can’t think of any names of artist that are intellectually disabled which is awful!”
“artists with disabilities are usually cast away from the spotlight of perfection that makes them marketable, or artists who have disabilities usually try to hide them to maintain their image of perfection. i think the most awareness i’ve gotten about an artist with a disability in the spotlight of social media has been when actors talk about themselves having dyslexia or a learning difficulty that’s affected their job.”
“art is a way of understanding the world and the people around us – expression shouldn’t be segregated to a specific group of people with certain abilities over others.”
Bibliography
Albert, B. (ed.): In or out of the mainstream? Lesson from research on disability and development cooperation. The Disability Press, Leeds (2006)
Haller, B.A.: Representing disability in an ableist world: Essays on mass media. The Advocado Press, Louisville (2010)
Buckley, S., Bird, G., Sacks, B., Archer, T.: A comparison of mainstream and special education for teenagers with Down syndrome: Implications for parents and teachers. Down Syndrome News and Update 2, 46–54 (2005)
D’Haem, H.: Special at school but lonely at home: An alternative friendship group for adolescents with Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome Research and Practice 12, 107–111 (2008)
Rimmerman, A. (2012). Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities: National and International Perspectives. In Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities: National and International Perspectives(Cambridge Disability Law and Policy Series, pp. I-Ii). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chapter 2 (In ‘Implementing the Social Model of Disability: Theory and Research’ edited by Colin Barnes and Geof Mercer (2004); Leeds: The Disability Press, pp. 18-31)
Duggan, C., & Linehan, C. (2013). The role of ‘natural supports’ in promoting independent living for people with disabilities; a review of existing literature. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 41(3), 199-207.
Hall, S. A. (2009). The social inclusion of people with disabilities: A qualitative meta-analysis. Journal of Ethnographic and Qualitative Research, 3, 162–173.
Hartup W. W. & Stevens N. (1999) Friendships and adaptation across the life span. Current Directions in Psychological Science 8, 76–79
Lloyd, C., Tse, S., Deane, F.P. (2006). Community participation and social inclusion: How practitioners can make a difference. Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, 5(3)
Inclusive Curation Guidebook by Jade French
Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and the Visual Arts: “It’s NOT Art Therapy!” by Sara Lige
Simoni Symeonidou (2019) Disability, the arts and the curriculum: Is there common ground?, European Journal of Special Needs Education, 34:1, 50-65, DOI: 10.1080/08856257.2018.1435012
Some art & IDD organisations model studied:
Creative Growth Art Center (Oakland, USA)
Creativity Explored (San Francisco, USA)
Art Project Australia
Studio A Australia
Bus Stop Films Australia
Atelier Yamarami Japan
LAND studio & Gallery NY, USA
Pure Vision, NY, USA
Riera Studio, Havana Cuba
Atelier Goldstein, Frankfurt, Germany
Ampans, Manresa, Catalonia SP
WAC arts, London UK
Art Box London , UK