Untitled by Katherine Wood

Visual Art

This September, Vancouver, BC once again plays host to the exciting, profound and moving international culture of disability arts, with the KickstART2 Festival!

KickstART2 is a project of the Society for Disability Arts and Culture (S4DAC), and will take place from September 16th to 19th, 2004 at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Vancouver. With the theme "Extraordinary Lives, Extraordinary Art", the festival will present the perspectives and creativity of artists and performers, and mixed-ability groups, with any type of disabilities. People with and without disabilities are encouraged to attend the festival's many workshops, performances, and shows.

The visual arts component of kickstART2 is being co-curated this year by Emma Kivisild and Sima Elizabeth Shefrin. The curators looked for work which was cutting edge, and which explored in some way the experience of disability.

The artists in the curated exhibit are Bill Beaulieu, Persimmon Blackbridge, A.J. Brown, Bonnie Dalziel, Donimo, Dominic Fetherston, Bernadine Fox, Neville Grey, Robert Jackson, Jan Legault, David Low, Daniel Migneault, Julie Milano, Bruce Ray, Rhonda Simmons, Adam Spiller, Margaret Van der Pant, Lynda Walker, Rose L. Williams and Katherine Wood.

They are from Victoria, Hornby Island, Saltspring Island, Sechelt, Abbotsford, and Saskatoon, as well as the Lower Mainland. Extraordinary Art, the exhibit, will open on Thursday September 9 in the evening, and run through kickstART2 and continue until September 23. The official opening of the kickstART2 Festival is Thursday September 16.

People with disabilities interested in participating in kickstART2 as visual artists can also do so in an area known as the "Open Wall". On this wall, the festival welcomes unframed works on paper, either originals or colour copies, of a maximum size of 8.5 by 11 inches (They will need to fit into plastic sleeves of that size). You may submit up to 3 pieces and all will be displayed. If you want your work returned you must put your name and phone number on the back. Work will be available for pickup, either at the end of kickstART2 or at the office afterwards until the end of October only. Pieces for the Open Wall may be dropped off or mailed in, between now and August 30.

In addition, the site will be decorated with banners painted by groups of children and adults with disabilities. If you are interested in participating, two free workshops will be held Wednesday August 25, 7-9pm and Sunday August 29 from 2-4pm, for people with disabilities and friends to decorate the last of the banners and pennants. All materials are supplied. Workshops will be held at the Roundhouse Community Centre. Call Shannon at the S4DAC office at 604-685-3368 to register for the workshops or for information on any of the above projects, or check the volunteers page on this site.

The Society for Disability Arts and Culture presents and produces works by artists with disabilities and promotes artistic excellence among artists with disabilities working in a variety of disciplines.