Art & Community   •   Contribution & Community  •  Ethics & Community  
Social Services & Community   •  Time & Community

John Tusa, in his book Art Matters, defines the human capacity to
create music, dance, literature, theatre and visual art this way:

"Art is about searching and sometimes finding; it defines pain and sorrow and sometimes softens them; it is about exploring confusion and defining disorder; it is about sharing the private and listening in silence... it is diverse...  it resists categories and makes connections across them..."

His references to diversity, to making connections, to sharing and
listening, make clear the links between art and community.  Creating and sharing art is one of the ways in which communities are built and
sustained, and people's lives are illuminated.

Often people are identified as artists because they see the world
differently. Because their perspectives are unusual, their means of
self-expression are also  unique.

Their "art" lies partly in their ability to cause us to question our
assumptions and beliefs, to encourage us to consider different visions of the ordinary.

One of the gifts shared by many people with disabilities is that they, too,
see the world differently and they, too, challenge us to rethink the things
we take for granted.

Adapting to an environment designed for people who are equipped to function in ways you are not, is an art in itself. Creativity is an inherent part of living with a disability; daily life often demands the invention or
development of alternative ways of doing and communicating.

And art that expresses the vision of people with disabilities is integral
to PHILIA's notion of an inclusive community that draws on and is enriched by the gifts of all its members.

For commentary on, ‘The Art of Disability’ by award winning film maker Bonnie Sherr Klein click here or on the STRAMP button on the left.  

For comments by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson at the opening of KickstART! - Celebration of Disability, Arts and Culture please click here