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Accessible Arts achieved its mission in 2011, working with a range of partners to create
better access to the arts for people with disability. We prioritised the gathering of
information from people with disability, and from the services they use, to find out where
the gaps still exist with access to the Arts. We published our findings from the survey
Arts Programs and Projects for People with Disability in NSW and presented the research
at the Community Participation National Disability Services Conference in February 2011.
And then we worked throughout the year to achieve our strategic goals to help bridge these gaps
by creating, supporting and promoting opportunities in the Arts for people with disability.
This included the first national music residency for professional musicians with disability
in Australia. Eight musicians who experience disability from across the country attended
the Orange Regional Conservatorium to work with an artistic director and five local musicians.
For several years we've worked closely with Bundanon Trust to develop the Accessible Arts
Bundanon Residency. Once again this year we’ll be offering a NSW artist with a disability
a four-week residency at Fern Studio, Bundanon. We supported a twenty-week mentorship program
for an artist with an intellectual disability. The first of its kind, the Acceptance project
provided Tracie Sammut the opportunity to successfully win Australia Council for the
Arts funding, and work in partnership with Australian Theatre for Young People to develop
skills as a theatre workshop facilitator.
Hi, my name is Tracy. I had 12 students and we got together and we did improvisation,
theatre sports, a series of workshops which I drafted up. It was awesome.
Raising the profile of artists with disability nationwide continues to be a priority for
Accessible Arts. Our biennial survey exhibition Framing Gravity, offered increased opportunities
for artists with disability to exhibit new work. For the first time, in partnership with
Arts NSW, Framing Gravity further increased professional development opportunities for
artists with disability, awarding an exhibiting artist a $4000 scholarship to develop their
arts practice. With support from Perpetual, we launched an online Artist Resource kit
offering ongoing assistance to emerging artists with disability.
We also fostered access to quality arts and cultural experiences for people with disability through the Delineate
project, providing small grants and mentoring to six quality arts projects, centered around
the NSW Government Don't Dis my Ability campaign.
Before Beyond Vision there was really nowhere for people with vision impairment to access
theatre. With this Delineate grant, we actually had a great opportunity to have a mentor and
to develop professionally.
Accessible Arts takes pride in fostering strategic partnerships to increase awareness of arts
and disability issues. We did this in 2011 with the City of Sydney and Sydney Opera House
to present a Festivals Forum, bringing together major festivals and venues to encourage awareness
and ongoing consultation. We joined with industry leaders in dance, including Ausdance NSW,
Restless Dance Theatre and dis/assemble dance project, to present a Symposium and Masterclass
at CarriageWorks in Sydney, strengthening inclusive dance practice in NSW. We worked
with Museums & Galleries NSW and a panel of experts to raise awareness of how both conservation
of our heritage sites and improving access to these places can be successfully integrated.
As the statewide provider of Disability Awareness and Access Training for the Arts, we catered
to the training needs of organisations such as the ABC, Australian National Maritime Museum,
Australian Theatre for Young People, Historic Houses Trust, Sydney Opera House and Sydney
Festival. Accessible Arts has consolidated its role as a valued provider of advocacy,
information and education to the Arts and Disability sector in NSW. Thank you for taking
the time to hear about Accessible Arts work and our contribution to inclusive arts practice
across NSW.