Accessing Art With Amy

"Amy Amantea is a multi disciplinary art with legal blindness and a love for photography. With a focus on “Finding the Light,” Amy asks people to describe the photos she has taken and never really seen. Amy uses her recollection of place and time to engage in conversation and shared memory, creating a unique participant experience. Connect with the artist: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.amantea"

Goldbard is a divergent creative who is sharing their healing gifts with the world through art, writing and song. Whether performing with their duo, SonicJoy, or doing healing work with clients as a trauma recovery coach, their work centres their lived experience in a queer, neurodivergent, fat, trauma survivor body. They believe the arts are our most powerful tool for personal and collective transformation, and that QUEER JOY is the birthright of every human on this planet.Episode Highlights:Song - "When Love Wins"  (5:48)How does disability impact writing and performing music?  (10:24)The Journey to Self-Advocacy  (14:15)Where do you get your inspiration?  (20:16)Taking Space for Yourself  (22:07)Mixed Bag Game (24:30)Check out more work from Goldbard: Instagram, YouTube, SpotifyMeet host Amy Amantea: Bio, "Vocal Eye" episode of Our Community. 

"When you acquire a disability, there is a period of adjustment when you figure out what this “new life” looks like. And, while you do that, those around you are often comparing you to who you were or looking at you as someone how won't be able to function in society or live a normal life. What is “normal” anyway? Who decides what that looks like? If you are Jennifer Burgmann, you are taking these everyday experiences of ableism and oppression and integrating them into your creative process proving it to be both satisfying and empowering! Celebrate British Columbia's Access Awareness Day with Jennifer Burgmann, who is lending her talents from her home in Surrey, B.C. Connect with the artist: https://adayinthelifeofapwd.weebly.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenniferburgman?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferburgmann/?hl=en"

"Johnny Tai is a lot of things. He is an accomplished martial arts instructor, a former dragon boater, a YouTuber and a singer songwriter. He also is a tactile artist. Johnny, who is totally blind and partially Deaf, shares the biggest challenge he had when he was learning how to draw was how to translate a three-dimensional form onto a two-dimensional surface. Using aluminum or copper sheets as his medium, Johnny continues to explore texture and form as he draws images and scenes from his imagination, as they are not things he has seen before. Connect with the Artist on his website: http://www.johnnytiger.com/ Connect with Johnny on Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnnytiger1981?lang=en Connect with Johnny on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnnytiger1981/ Subscribe to Johnny on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/bigbigmanful"

"Joining us from, Duncan, on Vancouver Island, Lise Gillies describes her ADHD as a superpower – being able for focus on multiple things at once while creating graphic recordings. She also works with Indigenous traditional plants to create some of the most luxurious lip balms ever. Connect with the Artist on her website: blackbirdholistic.ca"

"Katherine Matlashewski is a graduate of Studio 58, a well-known professional acting school in Vancouver. Being dyslexic meant she had to advocate for herself throughout her education and life, but she is turning some of these experiences into work that she can perform on stage in order to “fill that gap” where artists with disabilities should be present. Connect with the artist on Instagram: @katie_kat347"

"Shawn Jordan has been drawing since childhood, and this has been a key narrative through their artistic practice. Living on Treaty 1 Territory (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Shawn explores a multitude of artistic mediums and is open to, as they put it, “Trying anything once.” In this episode, we introduce you to Sunny Bubbles and learn about how this character came to be. Connect with the artist on Instagram: @ShawnOlinB "

"According to her website, Ysabelle Vautour has a mission to elevate disability representation on the arts. How does she do this? With her desire to continue exploring new art forms and connecting with other artists who live with disability AND bring these artists together so that we can learn from eachother and perhaps even create together! Connect with Ysabelle, commission her work and consider her for your residency programs. Connect with the artist creatingaccess.org "

"This world is full of fascinating people. Q is one of them. With multiple intersections and a background as a death dula, Q shares some of the artistic work that explores lived experience and politics and changing the narrative. What does it mean to have a ”forever project?” Let's explore that and so much more. Joining us from Chilliwack, B.C., it is Q! CONTENT WARNING: ableism, strong and possibly offensive language Connect with the Artist on Twitter and Instgram: @QJustTheLetter "

With significant changes in mobility, old spaces become unknown insofar as the body must learn anew to navigate through them. In recent years, Kim Kitchen sought a more accessible means to art-making conducive to her new reality of disability. Audio and video emerged as a friendly, gentle, no-friction medium. From her home in North Bay, Ontario, Kim shares her journey and a new project that is a culmination of three years of this work! Connect with Kim: kimkitcheninthestudio.com

"Based in Toronto out of Lisa Anita Wegner's Haus of Dada Studios, the Mighty Brave Productions team has been creating film and multimedia content since 1998. The group has evolved from a film production house into a diverse, community-focused collective that produces disability-led projects in all forms of media for the world stage. Come and explore Lisa's unique universes. Connect with the Artist: https://linktr.ee/lisaanitawegner www.lisaanitawegner.com www.mightybraveproductions.com "

"Connor Runnings lives on Vancouver Island and studies theatre and acting at the University of Victoria. He brings his lived experience of autism into his writing and performing, and is an advocate for representation of authentic storytelling. His show, Built Different, involved an entire creative team of people who identify as neurodivergent; what a powerhouse and he is only just getting started! Follow Connor on Instagram: @connorrunn"

"Artist Sacha Kopelow is located in Winnipeg. Sacha puts her heart and soul into an artistic practice called glass casting, the process in which glass objects are cast by directing molten glass into a mould where it solidifies. This technique has been used since the 15th century BCE in both Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia but is also alive and well in Winnipeg! Visit Sasha's website: sachakopelow.wordpress.com"

Pottery making began in the 7th millennium BC. The earliest forms were hand-formed from slabs, undecorated, unglazed low-fired pots made from reddish-brown clays. How far we have come! Jenel Shaw, of Winnipeg, invites us into her world and shares the gifts pottery has brought into her life.

"Born in Liverpool, UK, Kevin Morris now lives in London. Kevin's interest in poetry started in his youth and was inspired by some of the “greats!"" Kevin has particular interest in rhyme, letting the words come to him naturally, not forced. Using Braille and screen reader technology, Kevin writes from the heart about his experiences, and the environment around him. Visit Kevin's website: https://kmorrispoet.com Purchase his book, The Selected Poems of K Morris: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WW8WXPP/ Follow Kevin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drewdog2060_ Follow Kevin in Intagram: https://www.instagram.com/kmorrispoet/ Check out his Soundcloud page: https://soundcloud.com/kevin-stephen-morris "

"Nicholas Fernette is a Vancouver-based artist with a real flare, and unique style of tattooing. Living with anxiety, Nicholas shares his journey as a tattoo artist and some of the additional consideration that living with anxiety brings to the work. Maybe he will inspire you to get your first tattoo! Follow Nicholas on Instagram: @floridantetat2"

Alan Shain has been an artist, in many disciplines, for more than 30 years and has travelled the world with his comedy routines, including the 2000 Paralympic games in Australia. Navigating the stage with his power wheelchair and combatting ableism around his cerebral palsy accent, Alan is smashing stereotypes one audience at a time. Learn more about Alan on his website: http://www.halicamedia.com/shain/ Check out some of Alan's standup routine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2hHuUOHSek

Dr. Leona Godin is a writer, performer, educator and the author of There Plant Eyes: A Personal and Cultural History of Blindness (Pantheon, 2021). She is also a writer and performer; “The Star of Happiness,” about Helen Keller's time performing in vaudeville, has been one of her great successes. Listen to Leona talk about her life as a blind academic, writer, performer and teacher, as she joins us from New York City.  Find out more about There Plant Eyes:She is the founder of Aromatica PoeticaVisit her websiteFollow her on social media: @drmlgodin

You don't have to be a kid to like animation. It can be full of auditory, visual, extravagant movements and larger-than-life characters ... or it can be boiled down to the most simplistic element. Any way you consume it, you need your imagination to activate and to create it! Joining us today from Vancouver, is Erica Miles, who identifies as an Autistic Animator. Learn more at ericaanim.com or follow her on Instagram @ericaanim.

Sometimes, you meet people who have a real infectious personality! Shayla Shenanigans brings a shimmy to everything she does as a drag queen and comedian. With a flare like no other, her boisterous personality and slightly raunchy stylings are aimed to please and delight audiences of all kinds! WARNING: some mature content and topics that may be triggering for some Website: Suntothfx.wixsite.com/home/about-shayla

Vanessa Furlong has combined her training in circus arts with her lived experience as a mad artist and integrated them into her work as a therapeutic clown. We mostly know clowns to be the butt of the joke and having a need to make us laugh, but is that all there is to a clown? If you want to be a clown, you may find you have big shoes to fill!   Follow Vanessa and fellow circus arts performer Erin Ball on Instagram

Victor Enns was born in Manitoba, and knew from a young age that he was good a writing; he published his first piece in Grade 8. Living with multiple disabilities and chronic pain, Victor has used these experiences to channel the creative process and is excited to embark on his new project Listen, Here. Follow his progress on his website: 

Jenna Reid is an artist who identifies as a psychiatric survivor: her work is based in textiles and fabrics and is informed by memory, community, activism and the asking of questions around some big questions. Jenna shares with us her journey as an artist, and how it intersects with her life experiences.  Follow Jenna on Instagram

We hear the term B-Boy a lot in regards to breakdance, but Robyn Gell identifies as a B-Girl. This is an energetic style of dance typically performed to hip-hop music and characterized by stylized footwork and acrobatic or athletic movements; the dancers were known as Break Girl's, or B-Girls for short. Robyn invites us into their world as a B-Girl who is blind and living in the UK. Follow Robyn on Instagram 

 Find Erin at  kingstoncircusarts.com 

What comes to mind when you think about adaptable clothing or fashion? For Carol Taylor, of Queensland, Australia, she was tired of the utilitarian shapes, the placement of seams and zippers that can cause pressure sores and the bland colours that were offered. Carol is changing the narrative, designing, what she calls “Inclusive Fashion,” based on her lived experience of quadriplegia. She creates her own patterns based on her painted artworks and prints them on fabric. All bodies are unique, and Carol wants to design with disability in mind and find a creative way to “solve” a problem; perhaps it's adding a magnetic button to a shirt so that someone can change independently. Carol's philosophy is that fashion should be available to everyone. www.caroltaylordesigns.com.au

Christine Bruno has embraced the arts, and is a trained actor and director who has graced stages and screens alike! In the most transparent way, Christine shares her journey through an education system that was, at times, unwelcoming to someone with Cerebral Palsy. Barriers be damned! Christine's brilliant career in the arts and her understanding of the “system” in place has spurred her to make change, helping support actors and creators with disabilities find the roles they were meant to play!

Marilee Talkington is an accomplished actor and creator. Her professional training in the industry, her lived experiences as a person who is partially sighted, and her desire to see representation of disability on our stages, televisions and big screens spurred her passion to create a training program. The Access Acting Academy, which started as an in-person intensive for blind and partially sighted actors has pivoted to an online format and opened up classes to actors that identify with disability. Marilee is a true change maker! www.accessacting.com

At the age of 17, James Lake was diagnosed with bone cancer that resulted in many months of chemotherapy and the amputation of his right leg. It was also at this time that James developed his passion for art and chose to sculpt from a non-traditional sculptors material: cardboard! James believes in art for all; art beyond race, gender, age, ability and disability. His life-sized and beyond paper sculptures are detailed and realistic, and have popped up in public spaces all over the UK and Europe. www.jameslakesculpture.co.uk

Sir Daniel and Lady Linda Smith take us on a journey back through time on their property near Three Hills, Alberta. Experience an unforgettable, immersive experience of all things Renaissance made fully accessible, including glamping, banquet feasts, costumes, swordplay and arts and crafts. This husband and wife team bring their passion for the period directly to guests in a way that they won't soon forget. Lady Linda is a wheelchair user, hence why it was so important for the couple to give accessibility a high priority. www.goodknights.ca

What is Stop Motion Animation – its more than just cartoons. It can be done with any medium. Joining is from her home in Toronto, Cristal Buemi shared her journey is discovering movement through different mediums, even salt! We explore this universe through Cristal's "behind the scenes" lens www.cristalbuemi.com

Initially from Ghana, George Quarcoo discovered the art of the D.J. after moving to Canada. He became aware the available technology was relatively accessible for his low level of vision, and focused on the art of creating the sounds that excite him around a particular track and feeling the vibe of the crowd. Performing gigs in a variety of environments – weddings, night clubs, lounges, corporate events and private parties – George says “variety is the key” and that he doesn't limit himself to a specific genre.

Vancouver's Kristina Shelden is a singer-songwriter and performer who identifies with a disability and chronic pain. Kristina's voice is packed with depth, power and vulnerability; she embodies a unique control over her voice and gracefully carries it from soft and delicate to an avalanche of sound. She is an integral part of the disability music scene and sits on the board of directors for Vancouver Adapted Music Society (VAMS).

Artist and actor David Roche was born with a vascular malformation on his face, neck, mouth and throat. Basically, "veins gone wild." The removal of the lower part of his mouth and heavy radiation caused this part of his face to stop growing and created purplish-coloured skin. David found his artistic talent later in life and has explored many art forms with interesting people. He recently starred in a feature film “Happy Face.”

Greg Labine started freestyle rapping in his teens, and today is one of the most accomplished artists living with a disability on the rap scene. Laying down beats and creating lyrics from scratch is core to the creation of his many albums, including the newly-released "Trust the Process."  Find his music on Spotify - 77 SpokesWatch and listen to the music video for his song No Data on Youtube  

Luca "Lazylegz" Patuelli is the founder of Ill-Abilities International Dance Group. Exploring the challenges of choreography (both solo and routines), the group discovers the power of adapting their movements together into a distinctive vocabulary, one that inspires limitless possibilities. Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli joins us from his home in Montreal and shares his history of dance, reality TV show appearances and his motivational speaking business. Follow him: @BboyLazylegz and visit www.lazylegz.com.

Toronto-based Kirsten Kirsch is a lyricist, songwriter, theatre professional and so much more! After a nation-wide search, Kirsten was announced as the Playwrite-in-Residence for Realwheels Theatre. Kirsten, who has cerebral palsy, channels her lived experiences into a new musical called GIMPY, which follows the lead character on her journey to become a musical theatre performer. Song written and composed by: Darin Meilleur and Kirsten Kirsch. Guitar: Darin Meilleur; Presley: Mason Temple; Soren: Kirsten Kirsch; audio production: Kimit Sekhon

After nearly losing his life in an apartment fire, Prince Amponsah made a decision to return to the stage. Identifying as a black, disabled actor, performer and creator, Prince has a passion for acting and performing which serves to fulfill a larger goal of increasing representation of disability in the media. Being in the room is the first step to gain equality in representation –  so he kept auditioning and creating. 

At 3'3″, Tanyalee Davis is the Ferrari of comedy – low to the ground and kind of racy. Canadian born, Tanyalee is now based out of the UK and continues making the stage her home by touring all over the world bringing the funny!Performance footage was provided courtesy of Tanyalee Davis www.tanyaleedavis.com@TanyaleeDavis

When Russell Boast began his career in casting, he discovered the platform could offer so much more! While Russell does not live with a disability, he has spent his career advocating for actors with lived experience. He continues to ask, “Why don't the characters on TV and in film reflect the look of our actual population?” In his role as the President of the Casting Society of America, Russell wants to effect changes by pushing other casting agents to seek representation of lived experiences in these characters and bring those actors into the room! Joining us from Los Angeles, Russell continues to move the needle forward in the goal of equal representation in media.

Corina Duyn joins us all the way from Ireland! She is a writer, artist and puppet designer whose work is reflected by nature and her life with a chronic illness, myalgic encephalomyelitis. Corina shares the deeply personal journey of how she has transformed her pain through puppetry into poetry. Follow her on Instagram @corinaduyn www.corinaduyn.com

While Canadian sisters Tiffany and Inuk (Plqslq) don't personally identify with disability, what they bring to the listener is an auditory sensation like no other, rooted in history and tradition and accessible to arts lovers with vision loss. Inuit throat singing, or katajjaq, is a form of musical performance uniquely found among Inuit peoples. Follow PIQSIQ on twitter @piqsiq Find their music at https://piqsiq.bandcamp.com/

Welcome to the world of wheelchair dance! Harmanie Rose, a Vancouver local,  has a love for dance that you can hear in her voice. She shares with us her whirlwind journey and exploration of movement and chorography. Find Harmanie on Instagram and Twitter @HarmanieRose

“Assonating Thompson” Performer and creator, Bruce Horak, lost over 90% of his sight to a childhood cancer called Bilateral Retinoblastoma. This talented human has toured across Canada, the USA and Europe. Often asked “How he sees the world”, Horak took up painting as an experiment to see if he could capture the essence of that question. “Assonating Thompson” is an exceptional creation that explores the stage and the canvas through the storytelling of the death of one of Canada's “Group of Seven” painters. www.brucehorak.com

Amy Amantea speaks with artists from all genres, and learns about what inspires them, what adaptations they have developed, and the barriers they face in their medium's industry.