#arts advocacy

[punkxhazard]

ART IS NOT MINE* The Art Against Apartheid toolkit contains 100 posters made by artists from across the world in solidarity with Palestine.

There are some fantastic pieces in here and above are some of my faves. If you wanna check them out yourself go to againstapartheid.art

Free Palestine, stop the genocide.

[artistsonthelam]

Since its founding in 2011, Artists on the Lam has been dedicated to championing local artists while channeling global perspectives (our motto!), making art accessible, bringing people together, breaking barriers, building community, inspiring people to see the world anew, and demonstrating that art is for everyone—all to acclaim. Hailed by the press and the public as an “art wave-maker,” “a global arts mover and shaker,” “a pioneer of art that is interactive, collaborative, and as much fun for viewers as it is for artists,” and as an enterprise that “keeps Chicago’s arts and cultural scene fresh, engaging, and thriving” and “embodies everything that we, in the art world, need,” Artists on the Lam has spent the past 11.5 years cultivating a vibrant international community across 177 countries and counting, connecting artists and art lovers from all walks of life. We’ve launched the careers of emerging artists and provided a prominent platform for emerging, mid-career, and established artists alike, whether it’s through the blog that started it all, which was voted “Best Local Visual Arts Blog” in the Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago issue by readers like you, or through groundbreaking—and rule-breaking—interactive art shows, such as the landmark exhibition I CAN DO THAT, which was voted the audience choice for “Best Art Exhibit” in the 20th anniversary edition of NewCity’s Best of Chicago issue by visitors like you. From massive audience participatory shows like LEXICON, which was lauded by visitors as “wonderful training and exercise in the world of art appreciation,” to storied celebrations like SLAYSIAN, which South Side Weekly praised for its “role in educating and engaging with the broader Chicago community” and for showcasing “a subset of artists that have always been part of the city’s art scene, but rarely acknowledged as a collective,” at Artists on the Lam we’ve always prided ourselves in being at the forefront of art. We’ve also always prided ourselves in being entirely independent and free. If you’ve ever had fun at one of our events, connected with one of our artworks, enjoyed reading—or been oddly moved by—a post on the blog, found respite perusing a pandemic-era virtual exhibition, or would simply like to express your appreciation for the things we do, consider supporting Artists on the Lam by making a donation here! Your name will be included on a published list of patrons. Your support goes towards: - Keeping the site (including the online art galleries of hundreds of talented artists) up and running; - Keeping the site and blog ad-free and without any paywalls; - Keeping in-person events free to attend; - Helping produce these events and allowing them to be the best they can be; - Helping pay our assistants; - And so much more. Thank you endlessly for your generosity and for supporting artists and the arts!

Artists on the Lam © Jenny Lam 2011-2022

[adelphenium]

travis dermott + everyone fighting the cowardice of the league.

we keep on!

[sluggoonthestreet]

Riley would like to know if you have a moment to talk about trash can security.

[themajorbarkana]

Here are a bunch of important facts about service dogs in the United States! Many people don’t know the real laws about these amazing dogs that help disabled people every day–so please share this far and wide to spread the word. 

Remember, all our product sales help support service dog handlers and organizations. We donate 10% of profits and include educational service dog fact cards with all US shipments. I’m also a disabled artist, and the best way to empower disabled people is to financially support them! 

💜(Due to health complications, I’ll be shutting down my shop on Dec 31st–so all decks and art prints will only be available until then. After that, I never plan on selling the Barkana deck again btw!) 💜

P.S. These service dog facts are specific to US laws, not worldwide. 

[respect-the-locals]

*Not mine, found on Facebook. There was no artist there either.*

[timetodiverge]

None of these men know how to buy kids' clothes 🙄 (It's okay tho, she DOES love it, girl has 99-core fashion all figured out)

In honour of all the people who instantly wanted this one-liner on a t-shirt:

(in all seriousness, as someone with a disability and chronic illnesses, the way Wrecker delivered this line- with such straightforward humour, warmth, & self-acceptance- meant so much to me.)

[brettesims]

Free Palestine!

From the river to the sea 💦

[de-mykel]

Andrea Bowers. Femme Trans-corporeal Fantasy (Remembering Joy + Re-enchantment), 2023.

acrylic on cardboard

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

Proposal: A mascot for Disability Pride Month

A disabled dragon. The idea came to me years ago that if a dragon has fought -- and defeated -- all the knights and brave nobles in the surrounding seven kingdoms, then they would not be Hollywood Fashion Model perfect when the time comes for their final battle at the end of the fairy tale.

"Survivor" by @capricorn-0mnikorn, 13 July, 2019

I'm visualizing an allegorical vignette (which I have neither the tools nor the spoons to create right now) of a visibly disabled dragon in their lair -- surrounded by the crumbling, turning-to-dust skeletons of the humans who dared try to battle them. Each mark of difference, each "Stigma" they now live with, is undeniable proof that they survived -- not the symbol of weakness or cause for pity, but proof of their strength and resilience.

They may be changed by their battles, but they are Not Dead Yet (<-Self advocacy organization opposing assisted suicide).

[spookietrex]

Finally had a chance to post my customized mobility aids. First up, my cane!

Pictured: a foldable purple cane covered with stickers of cartoon ghosts, cats, spiders, and candy. End picture ID.

Next up, my found-for-free-on-social-media-that-I-painted-and-fixed-up walker! It includes my handmade glow in the dark dinosaur basket, custom made grippers, and a custom paint job. It is an electric blue base, accented with sky blue for the wheels and bottoms, with lime green accents around the rings in the middle. The basket and hand grippers are made from a Dollar Tree blanket with various dinosaurs that if left in the sun long enough DO glow in the dark. It is all made by me.

[whyshouldilistentoyou]

So this is gonna be a double…

I’m doing this for both Children Of The Stars art challenge thing (@poemsofanentomologist ) and for limb difference for the disability pride boogaloo (@thepromptfoundry ) (hard to see but the child is missing a hand/part of their arm)

[what-shitfuckery-is-this-ew]

i love base colouring my sketches

hopepunk flag on shirt by @chipbutbetter

pose by @kaosdisabledsupported on tiktok

[chthonic-cassandra]

On reflection I have mixed feelings about my childhood involvement in professional performing arts, but there are some very, very important things I got out of it, including the capacity to easily receive critical feedback on my work (whether professional or artistic) without either collapsing in insecurity or responding defensively.

I don't think I realized until reaching adulthood both how important a skill that would be and how rare it is for people to actually be given the opportunity to develop it.

[mandiweirdmore]

One of my more graphic pieces done in oil paint. In many traditional medicines in the past they believed eating the organ that ails you would cure you. Of course this is factually incorrect, but I think it shows the lengths chronically ill people would go to, to feel healthy. I’ve been sick my whole life so I look at my childhood with a kind of mist as it was filled with hospitals, so it all seems to be corrupted. The thing about me as a kid, though I would do anything to feel better to not be a burden on my parents. So that’s childhood me. 

[daniemililly]

CN suicide, political and systemic ableism

In Irish politics, we almost never had disabled people be anything more than props for use for photo ops, or to demonise as welfare cheats

In Irish politics, we talked about the hard work of our carers once in a rare while, but never the hard work of disabled people being cared for or looking after ourselves

In Irish politics, disabled people are objects of pity, and not people trying to get through our days as denizens and citizens of our country which often tells us that we do not belong here

In Irish politics, we protect the facade of a colonial era building before we'll put in a ramp or lift to let a disabled person who needs it go inside

In late 2023 a Green Paper was published on reforming payments to disabled people in ways that meant we would be under more regular surveillance, be pressured into employment services or potentially risk sanction, and be under pressure to work enough to stop receiving payments. It would also tier us depending on how disabled we could prove we are

This document was made without Disabled Persons' Organisations involved, in direct contravention of our recently won rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of People With Disabilities

It led many, including myself, to absolute despair, and I had the worst suicidal ideation I'd had in nearly six years

The only thing that kept me alive was a promise to keep fighting it alongside my fellow disabled people just for a little bit longer, but it got pretty close at times

We didn't really expect to win, but one day after seven months of fighting, we somehow did

The government backed down Disabled people will be part of any future attempts at reform

We even got the Dáil to declare that there should be non means tested, universal disability payments, even if the government is nowhere near that sort of position yet

But as much headspace as that took up, and as big as that victory was, the day to day thriving of disabled people in Ireland remains blocked by a system designed to keep taxes on corporations low and the costs of disability high

In watching the last Disability Matters Committee, there was case after case of how disabled people are being failed by the state, with the politicians on the committee hearing the stories and wondering how many more times they were going to have to hear the same things before there is action by the government

The committee has had report after report to the Dáil stating the dire problems with disabled rights in Ireland and nonetheless, the government decided to put out that Green Paper which ignored all of their recommendations and did more harm to disabled people. Nonetheless, the government have cut services and underfunded our needs

People unable to have their vehicles adapted because they didn't lose the correct limb

People left without insurance for their prosthetics

People unable to access personal assistance hours

People not able to live their lives

So I painted something to express how our politics treats our lives

It took me awhile but here it is

[A Dáil chamber with disabled supports, like mobility equipment, sensory equipment, comfort items, masks, and laptops, overturned and empty on the floor. Blood is spattered on the carpet and equipment]