Kicking off a statewide art tour with UVM collaboration
Building on the success of four prior exhibitions and a robust network of community partnerships, Inclusive Arts Vermont will be hosting a 5th annual exhibition, CYCLES, throughout 2024. CYCLES will highlight artwork by 25 Vermont artists with disabilities as they explore the title theme.
The exhibition will tour the state throughout 2024 beginning with an opening reception at UVM’s Davis Center on Wednesday, February 21 from 4pm to 7pm. The reception will be co-hosted in partnership with the UVM School of the Arts, UVM Center on Disability and Community Inclusion, the UVM Davis Center and Department of Student Life at UVM.
Heidi Swevens G’01, Inclusive Arts Vermont’s Director of Community Partnerships and Exhibitions, says of the exhibit, “We have come to understand Inclusive Arts Vermont’s exhibitions as ‘more than art on the wall.’ Yes, the art is exciting and engaging. What I find equally compelling is the artists’ stories. The creative processes. Partners’ enthusiasm and support. People with and without disabilities creating community with art and access at the center.”
The exhibit’s installation at the Davis Center has been a celebration of not just art and disability, but accessibility as well.
Swevens began her career as an artist in 2006, after being encouraged to take part in an accessible exhibition for Disability Awareness Month with UVM Living and Learning. She describes the experience as “transformative”.
Inclusive Arts Vermont invited artists and partners to collaborate on accessibility features like verbal description, alternative print formats, and tactile elements to eliminate some known barriers.
Audio versions of the verbal descriptions were written in part by Emily Tironi, a 2024 UVM Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Fellow, and Sydney Daniels, a UVM junior who is majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works at the Davis Center. Some were voiced by UVM staff for the online audio tour.
Daniels became an Inclusive Arts Vermont volunteer after experiencing last year’s exhibition, MASKED. This year, she also helped with the installation, getting to experience some of the pieces she provided verbal descriptions for.
As part of the February 21 exhibition opening, Inclusive Arts Vermont will offer accessibility services including a physically accessible venue, American Sign Language interpretation, assisted listening, Braille, large print, an audio tour, access for people with blindness and low vision, tactile elements, and a quiet space. Those with additional access requests are encouraged to contact Heidi Swevens at exhibitions@inclusiveartsvermont.org or (802) 556-3668.
Swevens also worked with Davis Center staff and students from a variety of programs to construct a physical environment that takes multiple types and levels of disability into account.
Emma Kane, one of two student Art Curators at the Davis Center, was part of the installation crew. She said, “This experience was so meaningful to me! I got to see an art installation from an entirely new perspective. Making art accessible to everybody is imperative, and I hope that other arts organizations soon do the same.”
Blake Stanberry-Beall graduated in December and found out about the opportunity through the School of the Arts last fall. Blake returned to campus to take part, and Beau Staff, a UVM freshman, stopped by after an art class to pitch in.
The exhibit has a very personal connection to UVM. Swevens is a graduate of the Master of Social Work program in the UVM College of Education and Social Services, and the exhibition also features work by UVM alumni.
CYCLES artist Leah Schulz G’15, has a painting in the show, titled “Cyclical Choices”. In her artist bio, she shares the story of how disability shows up in her art:
“This painting will be shown in some of the places I used to exist in. I walked through the Davis Center every day as a student. …Then, five years ago, I became too disabled to work, and I suddenly no longer existed in any of these places. What can I say about the last five years? What have I accomplished? For the last five years, I have been cycling, in and out, up and down, riding the waves of chronic illness.”
Inclusive Arts Vermont last year provided a workshop for undergraduate students in the UVM School of Arts on verbal descriptions. This year, they plan to offer UVM students a workshop on accessible art installations.
Kelley Di Dio, Executive Director of the UVM School of the Arts noted, “The School of Arts’ collaborations with Inclusive Arts Vermont reflect the School of Arts’ mission to connect with community arts organizations and increase arts access within and beyond UVM. We are so pleased to support this exhibition and look forward to our future work together.”
CYCLES is made possible through funding provided by Vermont Humanities, the Vermont Community Foundation, the Donley Foundation, and a group of generous individuals.
This article was written by Megan Bent, Sarah Brown, and Audrey Homan
