1. art and entertainment

HOURS + LOCATIONS
All venues are closed on Mondays
DisArt Hub
50 Louis St. NW
Tuesday – Saturday, 12PM – 8PM
Sunday, 12PM – 6PM
250 Monroe Street Gallery
250 Monroe, Calder Building, Elevator to Floor 2
Tuesday – Thursday, 5PM – 8PM
Friday – Saturday, 12PM – 8PM
Sunday, 12PM – 6PM
(106) Calvin Gallery & Studio
106 Division Ave. S
Wednesday, 12PM – 9PM
Thursday – Saturday, 12PM – 8PM
Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA)
2 W. Fulton
Tuesday – Saturday, 12PM – 9PM
Sunday, 12PM – 6PM
The Fed Galleries @ KCAD
Woodbridge N. Ferris Building (KCAD)
17 Pearl St. NW
Monday – Friday, 11AM – 8PM
Saturday – Sunday, 11AM – 6PM
Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM)
101 Monroe Center St. NW
Tuesday – Wednesday, 10AM – 5PM
Thursday, 10AM – 9PM
Friday – Saturday, 10AM – 5PM
Sunday, 12PM – 5PM
All DisArt Festival Events are accessible,
free, and open to the public.
[email protected]
THE YEAR OF
arts + access
The 2015 DisArt Year of Arts + Access is an initiative endorsed
by Mayor Heartwell as a way to encourage Grand Rapids to be a
welcoming city to all people.
The DisArt Hub at 50 Louis is a gathering place. We aim to connect
organizations that already understand the human condition of disability
with each other and the public.
I think that the DisArt Arts + Access Exhibits rounds out the festival,
by reaching out to local organizations that would not be part of an art
exhibition, and giving them creative license to present their work in
interactive and collaborative ways. With partnerships and an expo day
to kick off our programming, these important professionals may look at
new ways to work together and learn from one another.
We aimed high when starting this endeavor, with the goal of
representing a broad scope of visible and invisible disabilities. After
inviting a long list of potential exhibitors, and filling three time slots
each day of the festival, we know our work is not finished, we know that
there are more amazing organizations to shed light on. This is the Year
of Arts + Access, and we are just getting started.
I want to extend our collaboration beyond the organizers, volunteers,
and organizations, to you- the participant. Come out to a workshop
or a lecture about something you have never even considered, give
exhibitors your feedback, invite friends and make new ones in the
experience. Without an audience, this is not a true conversation, and I
want to know what you think our city needs to keep this conversation
going.
For more information about how this exciting work will develop
both during and after DisArt Festival please visit disartfestival.org/
community-exhibitors/
Eliza Fernand
Committee Lead, DisArt Year of Arts + Access Initiative
The DisArt Festival is a 15-day celebration seeking to change
perceptions about disabilities through art. Beginning in downtown
Grand Rapids on April 10, the festival will showcase the work of artists
with disabilities through performance pieces, fashion, discussions, and
art that will challenge its audiences to reconsider the importance of
community, identity, and difference.
The ultimate test of living in a community is found in our willingness to
reach out and understand one another – being willing to be vulnerable
and to see the world from someone else’s point of view. Art is one
such catalyst that can provoke us into changing our perceptions and
opinions. Considering how 14-20% of people living in Grand Rapids
right now live with some kind of disability, this community collaboration
is necessary and important.
Through exhibitions and performances, the festival will showcase
thought provoking examples of disability art and culture in order to
inspire equality, social inclusion, physical accessibility, community, and
a sense of belonging for those living with disability.
DisArt Festival 2015 will put Grand Rapids on the map in the disability
arts world. The premiere of the international exhibit, Art of the Lived
Experiment, will mark the first time an international disability art display
of this magnitude has traveled anywhere in the United States. In
addition, the 2015 Year of Arts and Access has potential to reverberate
throughout the Midwest, showcasing Grand Rapids as a city supporting
and encouraging radical changes in perceptions about disability,
access, and community.
Art changes our minds all the time, and when it comes to changing
our perceptions about people with disabilities, art challenges our
assumptions and helps us to look closely at out lives. Disability art can
help to transform differences into similarities, and change perceptions
of inability into mere disability.
El Festival DisArt es una celebración de 15 días cuyo propósito es
transformar la percepción sobre las discapacidades por medio del
arte. El festival, cuya inauguración tendrá lugar en Grand Rapids el 10
de abril, expondrá el trabajo de artistas con discapacidades mediante
creaciones artísticas, moda, presentaciones en vivo y mesas panel
que desafiarán a la audiencia a redefinir conceptos como comunidad,
identidad y diferencia.
La prueba definitiva para saber si somos una verdadera comunidad
es la voluntad de entender y aceptar al otro; es decir, la capacidad de
ser vulnerable y ver el mundo desde una perspectiva ajena. El arte es
uno de los catalizadores que puede provocar un cambio en nuestras
percepciones y opiniones. Si consideramos que del 14 al 20% de
los habitantes de Grand Rapids viven actualmente con algún tipo de
discapacidad, esta forma de colaboración comunitaria adquiere una
mayor dimensión y se vuelve más necesaria.
Con un programa que incluye exposiciones y presentaciones en
vivo, el festival se centrará en piezas y obras de arte creadas por
discapacitados que invitan a la reflexión sobre conceptos como
igualdad, inclusión social, accesibilidad física, comunidad y sentido de
pertenencia para quienes viven con discapacidades.
El Festival DisArt 2015 pondrá a Grand Rapids en el centro del
mapa mundial del arte creado por discapacitados. La première de
la exposición internacional, Art of the Lived Experiment (Arte del
experimento vivido), constituirá la primera ocasión en que una muestra
de arte realizado por discapacitados de esta magnitud será llevada a
los Estados Unidos. Además, el programa 2015 Year of Arts and Access
(2015: año de las artes y el acceso) tiene el potencial de resonar en
todo el Medio Oeste, posicionando a Grand Rapids como una ciudad
que respalda y fomenta cambios radicales en la percepción sobre la
discapacidad, el acceso y la comunidad.
El arte ha logrado cambiar la mentalidad de los seres humanos a lo
largo de la historia, y tiene el potencial de transformar radicalmente
nuestra percepción de los discapacitados al desafiar los supuestos en
que se basa nuestra idea de la realidad y ayudarnos a observar más de
cerca nuestras propias vidas. El arte creado por y para discapacitados
puede ayudarnos a transformar las diferencias en similitudes y cambiar
la visión de la discapacidad como una inhabilidad.
arts + access
AT A GLANCE
ARTS + ACCESS KICKOFF EXPO PARTICIPANTS | April 11
Airway Oxygen Inc. - wheelchair display
Artists Creating Together
Disability Advocates of Kent County
Go!Bus
Hope Network
Lake Michigan Academy
New York Life Child ID Program
Recovery Academy
The Arc of Kent County
The Rapid
Wimage
PRESENTATIONS
April 11: Year of Arts + Access Kickoff Expo | Hub
April 12: DisArt sponsored - Riva Lehrer, artist | Hub
April 14: DisArt sponsored - Photography: Identity and Empowerment | Hub
April 16: Year of Arts + Access - Camp ALEC | Hub
April 16: DisArt sponsored - Calvin College + KCAD Students | Hub
April 17: DisArt sponsored – DisArt Fashion | Woodbridge N. Ferris Bldg. @ KCAD
April 18: DisArt sponsored - Arts & Activism Panel | Hub
April 19: DisArt sponsored – DisArt Film Festival | UICA Theater
April 20: DisArt sponsored – DisArt Film Festival | UICA Theater
April 21: DisArt sponsored – DisArt Film Festival | UICA Theater
April 21: DisArt sponsored - Robert Andy Coombs, artist | Hub
April 22: DisArt sponsored – DisArt Film Festival | UICA Theater
April 22: Year of Arts + Access - Sheldon House | Hub
April 22: Year of Arts + Access - Metals/Jewelry Design KCAD | Hub
April 23: DisArt sponsored - DisArt Local Artists | Hub
April 24: DisArt sponsored - Creating Inclusive Festivals | Hub
April 25: DisArt sponsored - ADA Legacy Tour Bus | Hub
INTERACTIVE EVENTS
April 12: Year of Arts + Access - Cook Arts Center + HIS Dance Outreach | Hub
April 13: Year of Arts + Access - Workshop | @ Arts in Motion Studio
April 14: Year of Arts + Access - SLD Read | Hub
April 14: Year of Arts + Access - Grand Rapids Children’s Museum | Hub
April 14: Year of Arts + Access - Workshop | @ Arts in Motion Studio
April 15: Year of Arts + Access - Disability Advocates of Kent County | Hub
April 15: Year of Arts + Access - Arts in Motion Studio @ the Hub | Hub
April 15: Year of Arts + Access - Workshop | @ Arts in Motion Studio
April 16: Year of Arts + Access - Indian Trails Camp | Hub
April 16: Year of Arts + Access - Gilda’s Club of Grand Rapids | Hub
April 17: Year of Arts + Access - Heartside Gallery & Studio| Hub
April 17: Year of Arts + Access - Workshop | @ Arts in Motion Studio
April 18: Year of Arts + Access - Family Hope Foundation | Hub
April 18: Year of Arts + Access - Workshop | @ Grand Rapids Public Library
April 19: DisArt sponsored – DisArt Family Fest | Celebration Cinema North
April 19: Year of Arts + Access - Recovery Academy | Hub
April 19: Year of Arts + Access - Healing Improv | Hub
April 20: Year of Arts + Access - Workshop | @Arts in Motion Studio
April 21: Year of Arts + Access - Workshop | @Arts in Motion Studio
April 22: Year of Arts + Access - Kent District Library | Hub
April 22: Year of Arts + Access - Heartside Gallery & Studio | Hub
April 22: Year of Arts + Access - Workshop | @ Arts in Motion Studio
April 23: Year of Arts + Access - Equity Drinks | Pyramid Scheme
April 24: Year of Arts + Access - Workshop | @ Arts in Motion Studio
April 24: Year of Arts + Access - Mental Health Foundation | Hub
April 24: Year of Arts + Access - Cal Graphics | Hub
April 24: DisArt Sponsored - ADA Legacy Tour Bus | Hub
April 25: DisArt Sponsored - ADA Legacy Tour Bus | Hub
April 25: Year of Arts + Access - Wimage and Mental Health Foundation | Hub
PERFORMANCES
April 18: DisArt Sponsored - Poetry and Comedy (not suitable for younger
audiences) | Hub
April 19: Year of Arts + Access -Drama | @ Grand Rapids Mosanic Center
April 25: DisArt sponsored – DisArt Performance, DisStories | Wealthy Theatre
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festival map
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cherry st
All DisArt Festival Events are accessible,
free, and open to the public.
[email protected]
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division St
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SPONSORS
DisArt Festival 2015 would not be possible
without the financial support of the following
Visionary Sponsors
KATE PEW
WOLTERS
DisArt Festival 2015 would also like to offer it’s
gratitude to the following organizations for being
Thought Leader Sponsors
INNOVATORS:
Arts in Motion Studio
Custer, Inc.
Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs
Reagan Marketing + Design
The Frey Foundation
ROCKSTARS:
Community Media Center
Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan
El Vocero
Out Front Media
The Richard App Gallery
The Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation
BRIDGE BUILDERS
Calvin College Alumni Association
Celebration Cinema
Grand Rapids Magazine
McGregor Student Research Fellowship
Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs
MLive
Stellafly Social Media
The Edge Salon
The Mary Free Bed Fund
CONNECTORS
Peckham, Inc.
FRIENDS
Artists Creating Together
Christine Photo Art
Indian Trails Camp
Kareismatic
Marilyn Titche
Open Style Lab
SiTE:LAB
Standale Lumber
The Image Shoppe
X-Rite
PALS
Aria Show Technology
Behler Young
Butler Electric
GR Bagel
Grand Rapids Public Schools
Heartside Gallery and Studio
John S. Hyatt & Associates
Marge’s Donut Den
Mercury Head Gallery
Natural Choice Chiropratic
RedLine Language Services
Twink Frey
ART EXHIBITIONS: DisArt
UICA, GRAM, KCAD
April 10 – July 31: Art of the Lived Experiment
250 Monroe Street Gallery
April 10 – April 25: DisArt Local
DisArt Hub
April 10 – April 25: Robert Andy Coombs
106 Calvin Gallery and Studio
April 10 – April 25: Tom Olin
ART EXHIBITIONS: Year of arts + access
YT Galleria
April 9 - April 25: The Joy of Us & Walk About
966 Cherry St. SE
Have Company
April 10 - April 25: Masks & Faces
136 Division Ave S
Fed Galleries at KCAD
April 10 - April 25: Icebreaker | @ Fed Galleries at KCAD
17 Pearl Street NW
Spiral Gallery
April 10 + by appointment: Collective Expressions
44 Division Ave S, Call to schedule 616.881.2551
(106) Calvin Gallery and Studio
April 10: The Olimpias Collective Salamander Project
106 Division Ave S., lower level
Mary Free Bed
April 19 – August 31 | Mary Free Bed Arts Exhibition
235 Wealthy St. SE
Westminster Presbyterian Church
May 1 – July 1 | Art of Being
47 Jefferson Ave SE
GRAM
May 5 – 10 | Legacy Trust Award Competition
101 Monroe Center St. NW
KCDS 315, Collaborative Projects
Amar Dzômba
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
FRIDAY, APRIL 10
DisArt Festival Openings
6PM - 9PM
6PM - 9PM
DisArt Hub | 50 Louis St. NW
250 Monroe Street Gallery | Calder Bldg., 2nd floor
106 Calvin Gallery & Studio | 106 Division Ave S.
sArt Festival
10th - 25th
SATURDAY, APRIL 11
The mission of DisArt is to change perceptions
about disability, one work of art at a time. We
believe that the creative act can stimulate important,
necessary civic conversation and influence cultural
change. By celebrating art practices that aim to
elevate an understanding of the human condition
of disability, we encourage all people, disabled or
not, to appreciate the complex identities of those
around them.
Year of Arts + Access Kickoff Expo
Various Community Organizations & Companies
1PM – 5PM | DisArt Hub
Connecting organizations with each other and the
community as part of the 2015 Year of Arts + Access
initiative.
[email protected]
ARTS + ACCESS KICKOFF EXPO
Our opening event at the DisArt Festival Arts + Access
Hub Venue will showcase a collection of organizations
that serve a wide range of individuals with disabilities.
Each organization will have a booth outfitted with
information and interactive displays, and a representative
to answer questions. Throughout the day we will pass the
microphone, spotlighting each booth as they give a short
presentation about what they do. This event will represent
a scope of visible and invisible disabilities, and give
participating organizations the opportunity to meet and
inspire future collaborations.
EVENTO INAUGURAL DE ARTS + ACCESS
La fecha inaugural en la sede central Arts + Access (Artes
+ Acceso) del Festival DisArt contará con la participación
de una amplia selección de organizaciones que trabajan
con toda clase de personas con discapacidades. Cada
organización tendrá un stand o puesto con información
y exposiciones interactivas, y uno de sus representantes
contestará las preguntas del público. A lo largo del día, le
daremos el micrófono a cada una de las organizaciones,
centrándonos en ellas una por una y escuchando una
breve presentación acerca de su trabajo. Este evento
dará voz a una amplia gama de discapacidades visibles e
invisibles, y le brindará a las organizaciones participantes
la oportunidad de conocerse entre sí y desarrollar futuras
colaboraciones.
Photo by:
Luc Fewer II
YEAR OF
arts + access
SUNDAY, APRIL 12
INTERACTIVE EVENT | Dance Workshop & Performances
Cook Arts Center + HIS Dance Outreach
4PM – 5:30PM | DisArt Hub
Dance performance and workshop by individuals with
special needs that will inspire you!
PRESENTATION | Artist Talk, Riva Lehrer
7PM | DisArt Hub * ASL interpretation provided
Riva Lehrer is an “artist, writer and curator, whose work
focuses on issues of physical identity and the socially
challenged body, especially in explorations of cultural
depictions of disability.”
MONDAY, APRIL 13
INTERACTIVE EVENTS | @ Arts in Motion Studio
2PM | Making Mandalas
5PM | Creative Movement
147 Diamond SE
Photo by:
Robert Andy Coombs
TUESDAY, APRIL 14
INTERACTIVE EVENTS | @ Arts in Motion Studio
11:15AM | Chair Improv
4:00PM | Fairy Houses
6:30PM | Rhythm Planet
147 Diamond SE
INTERACTIVE EVENT | Sensory Exhibit
Grand Rapids Children’s Museum
12:30PM – 3PM | DisArt Hub
Come play and interact with some of the Grand Rapids
Children Museum’s best sensory play activities/projects.
Interactive exhibits that are fun for kids of all ages!
INTERACTIVE EVENT | Perspectives
SLD Read
4PM – 5:30PM | DisArt Hub
Interactive workshop that helps participants view the world
of text through different eyes.
PRESENTATION | Photography Discussion
Local photographers
7PM | DisArt Hub *ASL interpretation provided
Robert Andy Coombs, Christine Gribble of Christine
Gribble Photography, and Bri Luginbill of Go Boldly
discuss identity and empowerment through images.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15
INTERACTIVE EVENT | DisIs: Conversations of
What Disability Is
Disability Advocates of Kent County
12:30PM – 3PM | DisArt Hub
Through an engaging activity, people will be encouraged
to think about what disability is, what it means to them, what
questions they have, and what their reactions are to others.
INTERACTIVE EVENT | Chair Improv For All!
Arts In Motion Studio
4PM – 5:30PM | DisArt Hub
Having fun while using Improv to help us feel more confident
and funny on a stage or to use in real life. A safe and adaptive
activity for all ages and abilities.
INTERACTIVE EVENTS | @ Arts in Motion Studio
4PM | Jungle Boogie
5PM | Wind Chimes/Sun Catchers
147 Diamond SE
THURSDAY, APRIL 16
INTERACTIVE EVENT | Imagination Playground
Indian Trails Camp
12:30PM – 3PM | DisArt Hub
Short performance, information, and a ‘make-and-take’
activity. Indian Trails Camp will provide opportunities for
participants to interact with their environment.
AND
EXHIBITION | Assistive Tech
Camp Alec
12:30PM – 3PM | DisArt Hub
Exhibitition of written work created by amazing kids/Camp
ALEC attendees, as well as information about assistive
communication technologies.
APRIL 16
continued
INTERACTIVE EVENT | Wellness Art
Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids
4PM – 5:30PM | DisArt Hub
Visitors are invited to express their feelings, through art. Make
and take an art piece or leave for display throughout the DisArt
Festival at the Hub.
PRESENTATION | Adaptive Design Presentation
Calvin College Students + KCAD
7PM | 250 Monroe Street Gallery
Area design students from Calvin College and KCAD talk about
work that is part of the DisArt Local Exhibition.
250 Monroe Street Gallery.
FRIDAY, APRIL 17
PRESENTATION | Fashion Workshop/Discussion
9AM – 10:30AM | Woodbridge N. Ferris Building @ KCAD
17 Pearl Street NW, Room 217
INTERACTIVE EVENTS | @ Arts in Motion Studio
11:15AM | Chair Yoga
147 Diamond SE
INTERACTIVE EVENT | ‘Images of the Self’
Collage Workshop
Heartside Ministry
4PM – 5:30PM | DisArt Hub
Visitors will use collage supplies to create images of how they
see themselves, and leave with a finished piece of art.
DISART FASHION SHOW, RECEPTION,
+ ICEBREAKER EXHIBITION
7PM – 9:30PM | Woodbrige N. Ferris Building @ KCAD
Produced by Robert Andy Coombs with the help of the KCAD
Fashion Studies Production class, the fashion runway show will
feature the work of Open Style Lab, Fashion Has Heart, and
KCAD Fashion Design in collaboration with Spectrum Health.
17 Pearl Street NW
Photo by:
Jill Vyn
SATURDAY, APRIL 18
INTERACTIVE EVENT | @ Grand Rapids Public Library
11:00AM - 2:00PM | Music for Life!
111 Library St. NE
INTERACTIVE EVENT | Family Fun!
Family Hope Foundation
12:30PM – 3PM | DisArt Hub
Face painting and artistic crafts for the whole family. Interactive
and artsy fun!
PRESENTATION | Arts & Activism
3:30PM – 4:30PM | DisArt Hub *ASL interpretation
Lively discussion about Arts + Activism moderated by Elizabeth
VanArragon, Calvin College. Participants: George Bayard, Bayard
Fine Art Consulting; Brett Colley, GVSU; Carrie Sandahl, U of
Illinois Chicago; Sandie Yi, Chicago
PERFORMANCE | A Night of Poetry and Comedy
Jim Ferris, Randy Smit, and Liz Carr
7PM | DisArt Hub *ASL interpretation provided
Come out for a great night of arts and laughs! Not
recommended for younger audiences.
SUNDAY, APRIL 19
INTERACTIVE EVENT | Photo Voice Workshop
Recovery Academy
12:30PM – 3:00PM | DisArt Hub
Arts are often a vital part of the recovery process for people
living with an illness. Experience the process of giving voice to
those who might not otherwise be heard.
INTERACTIVE EVENTS | @ Arts in Motion Studio
2PM | Making Mandalas
5PM | Creative Movement
147 Diamond SE
PERFORMANCE | The Wizard of Oz
Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan
3PM - 5PM | Grand Rapids Masonic Center
233 Fulton St. SE
DISART FAMILY FEST | Celebration Cinema North, Wave Room
3PM – 5PM
Join us for a family-friendly event that is sure to put a smile
on your face. Interactive art-making workshops, dance, music,
storytelling followed by a FREE Sensory Screening of the movie
Shrek.
2121 Celebration Dr. NE
INTERACTIVE EVENT | Laugh and Play!
Healing Improv
4PM – 5:30PM | DisArt Hub
Through interactive improv games, participants connect
with others, release stress, free locked emotions and most
importantly laugh and play and “permission” to enjoy life.
DISART INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL: Kickoff
6PM – 9PM
Special Guest: American Horror Story’s Mat Fraser
2 W. Fulton, UICA Theater
All DisArt Festival Events are accessible,
free, and open to the public.
[email protected]
MONDAY, APRIL 20
INTERACTIVE EVENTS | @ Arts in Motion Studio
2PM | Making Mandalas
5PM | Creative Movement
DISART INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL: Disability in Motion
6PM – 9PM
Special Guest: Simi Linton + Christian Von Tippelskirch
2 W. Fulton, UICA Theater
TUESDAY, APRIL 21
INTERACTIVE EVENTS | @ Arts in Motion Studio
11:15AM | Chair Improv
6:30 PM | Rhythm Planet
147 Diamond SE
DISART PRESENTATION | Frida Kahlo
12PM – 1PM | DisArt Hub
Come for a discussion of the amazing work of Frida Kahlo
and the connections between Latino art and disability. All are
welcome for this multimedia presentation by Salvador Jimenez
and Chris Smit.
INTERACTIVE EVENT | Art From The Heart
Peckham Inc.
4PM - 5:30PM
Collaborative art activity that is accessible for everyone and
requires only a willing spirit! Make an art piece to take home
and one to add to a large collaborative piece for the Hub.
DISART INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL: Desiring Disability
6PM – 9PM
2 W. Fulton, UICA Theater
PRESENTATION | Artist Talk
Robert Andy Coombs
6:30PM – 7:30PM | DisArt Hub * ASL interpretation provided
DisArt Local artist, Robert Andy Coombs, talks candidly about
photographic portraiture and his current series being exhibited
at the Hub.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22
PRESENTATION | Metals/Jewelry Design
Metals/Jewelry Design Students, Kendall College of Art and
Design
12:30PM – 3PM | DisArt Hub
Check out adornments that celebrate the art of disability and
universal design. Contribute to the design process conversation
while giving feedback to further develop their designs.
INTERACTIVE EVENT | Everybody is a Poet!
Kent District Library
4PM – 5:30PM | DisArt Hub
Use pages from old books to create new works by blacking out
some words and leaving others. Use images to create a wordless
story or illustrate your word poem.
INTERACTIVE EVENTS | @ Arts in Motion Studio
4PM | Jungle Boogie
5PM | Wind Chimes/Sun Catchers
147 Diamond SE
DISART INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL: Screening Disability
Special Guest: DisArt Director, Christopher Smit
6PM – 9PM
2 W. Fulton, UICA Theater
PRESENTATION | Adjusting our Perceptions
Sheldon House
6:30PM – 7:30PM | DisArt Hub
House will share stories of members affected by mental illness
as a way to provide education and to help change perceptions
about mental illness.
AND
INTERACTIVE EVENT | Make a Bag!
Heartside Gallery & Studio
6:30PM - 7:30PM
Using scraps and found materials, participants will learn basic
hand sewing skills. Create a finished, functional bag. All ages
and abilities welcome, supplies limited to 30 bags.
THURSDAY, APRIL 23
INTERACTIVE EVENT | Rhythm Planet
Arts in Motion Studio
4PM – 5:30PM | DisArt Hub
Explore rhythms and sounds that can take you from Mexico to
Japan! Learn about the origin of different rhythm instruments
from around the world, like the djembe drum from West Africa
and the kokoriko from Latin America.
INTERACTIVE EVENT | @ Pyramid Scheme
Equity Drinks
4:30 – 6:30PM
Networking event for those who self-identify as working
toward all forms of equity in Grand Rapids such as racial equity,
disability, LGBT or gender-equity.
PRESENTATION | Being an Artist
DisArt Local Artists
6:30PM – 7:30PM | DisArt Hub *ASL interpretation provided
DisArt Local artists, Marylu Dykstra, Deb Dieppa, and Reyna
Garcia, talk about their work being exhibited at the 250 Monroe
Street Gallery.
Photo by:
Jill Vyn
FRIDAY, APRIL 24
EXHIBITION | ADA Legacy Tour Bus
10AM - 4PM
“Making some History and Enjoying the Moment: Laugh, cry,
love, and have some fun!”
The ADA Legacy Tour is rolling across the country raising
awareness and building excitement toward ADA25 - the 25th
anniversary of the ADA in 2015!
INTERACTIVE EVENT | @ Arts in Motion Studio
11:15AM | Chair Yoga
147 Diamond SE
PRESENTATION | Creating Inclusive Festivals
12:30PM – 3PM | DisArt Hub *ASL interpretation provided
Local festival developers/planners engage in an active
conversation exploring ways that Grand Rapids festivals
can be more inclusive. Feedback gathered throughout the
festival from visitors will serve as a conversation starter for
this lively and passionate group.
INTERACTIVE EVENT | be nice.
Mental Health Foundation
4PM – 5:30PM | DisArt Hub
Your words and actions have a direct impact on how others
think, act, and feel. Make a positive change in your school
and community by living out the be nice. model. Learn how
to effectively notice, invite, challenge, and empower yourself
and your peers to raise awareness and decrease the stigma
surrounding mental illness.
PRESENTATION | Art is Everybody T-Shirts
Cal Graphics
6:30PM - 7:30PM | DisArt Hub
Get your Scott Robinson graffiti Art is Everybody t-shirt! The
Calendonia High School collective will be selling screen
printed DisArt Festival t-shirts for a scholarship fund.
THE ADA LEGACY BUS
IN G RAND RAPID S
The ADA Legacy Tour is rolling across the country raising awareness
and building excitement toward ADA25 - the 25th anniversary of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 2015!
The Tour:
See the “Road to Freedom” ADA Bus that has traveled to 48 states in
2007 to raise support for the ADA Amendments Act
Learn about the ADA Legacy Project and its effort to preserve of
disability history; celebrate disability history milestones; and educate
future generations of disability advocates;
Post your thoughts and illustrate the difference the ADA has made in
your life in the “Because of the ADA . . .” booth.
Make your mark on the ADA quilt by adding your signature to
thousands of others who have participated in the Tour;
Check out displays on the history of the Road to Freedom Tour;
Collect handouts on The ADA Legacy Project and the ADA
EL AUTOBÚS DEL HOMENAJE
AL LEGADO DE LA LEY ADA
ESTARÁ EN GRAND RAPIDS
La gira de Homenaje al Legado de ADA recorre el país informando a
la gente y fomentando el interés sobre ADA25, el 25º aniversario de la
Ley para Estadounidenses con Discapacidades (ADA, por sus siglas en
inglés), que se celebrará en el 2015.
El recorrido:
Conoce al autobús de ADA, “Camino a la libertad”, que ha viajado a 48
estados en el 2007 para fomentar el apoyo a la Ley de Enmiendas de
ADA.
Aprende más sobre el Proyecto del Legado de ADA y sus esfuerzos para
preservar la memoria histórica sobre las discapacidades, celebrar logros
históricos sobre este tema y educara futuras generaciones de activistas y
defensores de los discapacitados.
Publica tus reflexiones y cuéntanos cuál ha sido la diferencia que la ley
ADA ha marcado en tu vida en el puesto “Gracias a la ley ADA... “.
Pon tu marca en el edredón ADA añadiendo tu firma a las de miles de
personas que han participado durante el recorrido.
Visita las exhibiciones sobre la historia del recorrido Camino a la libertad.
Obtén folletos sobre el Proyecto del Legado de ADA y la aplicación ADA
SATURDAY, APRIL 25
final day
EXHIBITION | ADA Legacy Tour Bus
12PM - 5PM
“Making some History and Enjoying the Moment: Laugh, cry,
love, and have some fun!”
The ADA Legacy Tour is rolling across the country raising
awareness and building excitement toward ADA25 - the 25th
anniversary of the ADA in 2015!
INTERACTIVE EVENT | Words to Images Workshop &
Awards Ceremony
Wimage and Mental Health Foundation
12:30PM – 3PM | DisArt Hub
Check out the Wimage station at the DisArt Hub. Wimage
(Words to Images) will be hosting an online contest
throughout the DisArt Festival in collaboration with the
Mental Health Foundation. Award given out to the top
Wimage.
PRESENTATION | ADA Legacy Tour Bus Discussion
ADA Legacy Tour
3:30PM - 4:30PM
Curator and DisArt Exhibitions Coordinator, Elizabeth
VanArragon, engages documentary photographer, Tom Olin,
in a candid conversation about life on the road as an activist.
The Story of the
DisArt Donut
Recently, my dad took me to a donut shop to get a treat. At the donut
store, I saw the workers throwing away the “imperfect” donuts. When
I saw them doing that, I thought it was such a waste of good donuts
because they probably taste really good even if they are not perfectly
shaped. Thinking about DisArt, I realized that the donuts are like people.
If a donut doesn’t look “perfect” it doesn’t mean it doesn’t taste good
and if a person doesn’t look the same as you, it doesn’t mean that they
are not a good person.
-Carmen, 12
DisArt Closing Performance + Reception
DisStories
Music, Art, Theatre, Dance, Song, and more.
This is not just our stories, it’s our DisStories.
Join us in celebrating the heart and compassion of those with
disabilities.
Directed by Arts in Motion Studios
April 25, 7PM - 8:30PM, reception following
FREE, no reserved seating
Wealthy Street Theatre
1130 Wealthy Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
All DisArt Festival events are accessible, free, and open to the
public. If you have any access needs for these events,
please contact [email protected].