One Night in Miami

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend some time in Miami, Florida, land of Palm trees and beaches. I was there to work with docents and staff of the education department at the Pérez Art Museum Miami on accessible customer service and audio description. This was my third time working with this museum and its staff, and as always, it was a great pleasure. And the museum setting is fabulous too! We were in the Board Room, with wrap-around windows that overlook a water runway… and seaplanes landed throughout the day, bouncing through the wakes their pontoons kicked up. We had a lively conversation concerning best practices for interacting with patrons with diverse abilities, and then spent some quality time in the galleries talking about verbal description for some of the artworks.

In the lobby, For Those in Peril on the Sea by the London-based artist Hew Locke, 70 model boats are suspended from the ceiling. They are diverse in size and color, painted in strong reds, greens, and yellows; some are covered with plastic plants and artificial flowers. They include Chinese junks, Norwegian cruise ships, Indonesian fishing boats, cigarette boats and clipper ships.

For the second year in a row, my trip to Miami coincided with a Miami-based arts and disability conference that I was able to attend as well. This year, Forward Motion, a Physically Integrated Dance Festival and Conference, organized by Karen Paterson & Dancers, was my special treat. Although I wasn’t able to stay for the entire festival, I was able to see several of the Candoco dancers and Karen Peterson dancers perform an intriguing score incorporating voice, echo, translation, and space. It is based on a structure practiced by the British company, Dog Kennel Hill. It was adapted by the dancers working together at Forward Motion for this conference. In addition to Candoco (London) and KPD (Miami), AXIS Dance Company (Oakland) and REVolutions Dance (Tampa) were also performing at the Festival.

The conference consisted of several thought-provoking panel discussions concerning topics of representation in the arts and media, moving beyond inclusion, and intersecting disability, sexuality, race, religion, ethnicity, and gender. Whoa: three very diverse and incredibly important panels discussing some meaty topics!

Some quotes that have stayed with me include:

“Diverse doesn’t mean inclusive.” So true. Many people still struggle with the concept of inclusion; what it means in context of disability.

“I am not educating people… But maybe I am because I am being seen. I know I have the power to be seen.” I have always believed that if you live your life, and let other people experience you living your life, education can happen.

“Inclusion means, I’m included but you’re not. Inclusivity means our stories are included, therefore our bodies are included too.” This one made me think.

And finally, this one is attributed to Annie Segarra, (artist, activist, YouTuber): “Inclusion is being invited to a party that is not equipped to have me there. Access is being invited to a party where I can make my own decision. Maybe I don’t want to dance, but I have the choice.”

All the panelists were very engaged and could have talked longer given the opportunity.

I ended my time in Miami wandering the Wynwood Walls, a neighborhood of warehouses that have been transformed by muralists. I discovered a poet, Jess, (@poemshop-js) who writes poetry on his manual typewriter outside one of the coffee shops. When asked to write a poem about One Night in Miami, he obliged:

The summer air blazes into 

  October, pausing 

a moment 

   to let the sun hide.

   The cotton candy clouds of 

    technicolor sunset 

now drift in simple notes 

       of stray slate 

  and dove gray. 

   We can breathe, 

finally. There is 

     opening and room, 

where the sauna and 

  red glow made us melt 

  inward at noon, 

    now we can stroll 

calm in the open 

    beneath the waning moon.

           The music of evening 

    calls the convocation, 

cars with made-up faces pass, 

swirling the dust of the street. 

Another night before 

             the weekend, in this city 

    where the ocean 

         and Everglades meet.

Jess Allen and his typewriter sit at the edge of the sidewalk, observed by two passers-by.

Namaste, y'all!

Well Namaste to you, oh loyal followers of this temple of contemporary wisdom, whose scrolls are being unraveled to be feasted upon by the fellow valiant and worthy.

Okay, I will not pretend to know what that means. It just sounded funny in my head. *Crickets* Yeah, let’s move on.

I’m Snehi Jhul, and I’m a millennial bard. I’m a musician, actor, and author who’s going back to college for a degree in geography. So, I basically toggle between plotting things and plotting things. (Ha! See what I did there? Huh? Huh? Ahem.) I started working at VSA Texas just two weeks ago, and boy, am I loving it! More on that in a minute.

Here's a photo of me (in case you wanted to put a face to the name).

I’m told I was born in India, but I don’t remember it happening. Is that normal? Anyways, I moved halfway across the world when I was one. I feel I was born as the epitome of mankind’s intelligence, and every skill I now realize I don’t have, I blame it on early childhood jet lag. So it’s quite handy.

I slay new dragons in my mind every day, and their being invisible is the only reason I haven’t been knighted yet. Those sneaky beasts. I always come out with a good story though, and whether I act or sing or write or dance or paint or play each day depends on which story I want to tell myself.

This is when VSA hired me as a work-study, battle-worn but back. On my first day, I made posters. Yep. I was getting paid for this! Then I helped out with one of our Library Live concerts this September, and got to meet some devilishly talented artists. I even got an autograph. (Thanks, Devin!) These people didn’t let disability own them. They owned it back. Booyah! (Wait, do people even say that anymore? Am I getting old?)

Devin Gutierrez performing for the Library Live crowd. He's a talented singer and piano player!

It’s so refreshing to work here, and I get to help out with a bunch of different things. In the first week, I learned how audio descriptions work, how captioning works, and most importantly, what the WiFi password here is. *Grins*

Want to hear about some of this fascinating stuff? Oh yeah, sure, imagination is great, but we can add another dimension to enjoy. I learned that VSA Texas provides audio descriptions at live plays, with descriptive narrations of the actions taking place on stage. You get an uber-cool gadget you tune in on and with an earpiece that makes you a better-looking James Bond, you get to follow along like a boss. I got to try it on when testing the equipment, and man I looked good! Oh, yeah, bring it on!

On top of that, I learn a lot about the world in the process, from voices mainstream society might not think to listen to. Everyone here has a drive to do some good in the world. Help us help you help the world!

Me? I’m personally in it for the stories. :D

Notes from the Access Field

In early August, I had the pleasure to attend two back-to-back VSA and Kennedy Center conferences in steamy, downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The first conference, Intersections, concerned itself with topics focused on arts and special education, and was attended by educators and teaching artists from across the country. And we could not have asked for a better place to reflect on what Jenna Gabriel, conference organizer, asked us to consider; “the ways in which equitable access to high-quality arts learning for students with disabilities is indeed an issue of civil rights.” As I moved from session to session, and engaged in conversations with my colleagues, I was reminded time and again of how the smallest accommodation can still have a significant impact.

Spoken-word poet and advocate LeDerick Horne, set the tone for the two-day convening by sharing the story of his educational journey, and the teachers who recognized his gift and supported him along the way. Then, Sloan McLain and I were able to introduce over 45 interested administrators and teaching artists to the creative tenets that underscore and comprise the teaching strategies employed by Austin Independent School District and developed by MINDPOP.

It was a lively two days, and there is much more that can be said about the enriching conversations that were sparked, but I just advise you to mark your calendars to attend one of the several Intersection gatherings that are scheduled for 2018 and 2019. Find out the latest information about VSA's Intersections: Arts and Special Education Conference on the Kennedy Center's website.

Silva Laukkanen, Sloan McLain and I, smiling, celebrate the completion of the CLI workshops.

Then, it was onward to the LEAD Conference (Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability). Did I say that the conferences were held at the Atlanta Marquis Hotel, an architectural wonder all of its own? We were scattered across 46 floors, with a dizzying bank of elevators to get us to our respective rooms. I was tucked back in a corner on the 21st floor (which turned out to be a blessing when the Insight Global annual sales conference attendees arrived on Friday night)!

Elevators and floors viewed from the open mezzanine of the Atlanta Marquis Hotel

This conference brings together accessibility managers from the performing arts and museums from across the US and around the world to talk about, advocate for, and just make access happen! Our Call to Action was delivered by Mickey Rowe, the first autistic actor to play Christopher Boone in the Tony Award-winning play, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” From there, we were off and rolling and there were sessions for everyone, whether a novice or a seasoned pro. I was especially interested in the conversations addressing disability artistry as a catalyst for community engagement, and the influence of scents and memory to enhance the experience of museumgoers. I am still savoring the Access Equals Aesthetic conversation with dance pioneer Alice Sheppard about making dance more accessible to audience members who are blind through enhanced audio description experiences. Again, there is too much to report, so plan to come to Denver in 2019 and add your name to the thousands of accessibility assets working tirelessly to ensure all people can participate in, learn through, and enjoy the arts.

Access = Aesthetic is comprised of five elements: Limited Access to Verbal Description for Dance; Limits of Verbal Description; Access is Art; Art is Accessible; and, Access Creates Community.

At times, there was just too much and my brain wanted a timeout. But the opening reception at the Botanical Garden and Closing Award ceremony at the Aquarium helped soothe my troubled brow.

A whale shark and stingray swim in circles in small tanks that encircle the reception room at the Georgia Aquarium.

All in all, it was time well spent. And then, when I arrived back in Austin, I attended our Lion and Pirate Open Mic to hear Mel Finefrock read her poetry and I was reminded again why I do this work. Why we do this work. Why the world will never tire of us doing this work.

Mel Finefrock sits and reads her poetry in front of the wooden wall at Malvern Books.

Audio Description in St. Louis

This week I had the opportunity to hang out with over 200 of the hardest working animals in the country.  That’s right – guide dogs for people who are blind. I was at the annual convention for the American Council of the Blind (ACB) in St. Louis, attending the Audio Description (AD) track.

A view from downtown of the St. Louis Arch, which frames the dome of the State Capitol building

It was three days of knowledge-packed presentations and discussions, where the most talked about topic was the upcoming ACB initiative to develop a national certification process for describers. They have contracted with the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals to develop this process, and will be convening individuals to form a subject content committee to work with them by September of this year. It will be a lengthy process in order to develop the best certification standards and exam, so stay tuned as they are just getting started.

One aisle of the conference exhibiters, filled with customers and smiling dogs

The conference convened on July 1st, which coincidently was the day that audio description in the top nine broadcast areas in the country increased from 50 to 87.5 hours per week, although several broadcasters already exceed this number. Kudos to them! Representatives from Amazon and Comcast were there to talk about the latest developments in content delivery. With the new digital technology and hundreds of channels and content providers, in order to get AD on your TV, you have to turn it on at the source – antenna, satellite, and cable. You can learn more about ACB's Audio Description Project here. And if you want more description on TV, please contact the providers, and your congressmen, as it is critical that they hear from you!

We also learned about UniDescription, a project of the National Park Service (NPS) and University of Hawaii. The NPS has also been working on an app where people can access described brochures and maps of many of the National Parks with the plan to have all National Park brochures available through description on this app, both on Android and Apple. The brand-new gateway park and museum at the St. Louis Arch opened on July 4th, and they expected 40,000 people to attend the first day. The NPS worked with them on their interactive exhibits, so they were glad to be a part of the festivities. And I imagine some of those hard-working dogs got to enjoy it also!

A curly, red-haired Marilee Talkington shares some of her stories in front of a projection of her photo.

One of the highlights of the three days was hearing from Marilee Talkington, acclaimed actor, writer, and director. She talked about pursuing her chosen career in the arts as a legally blind individual. She started as a stage actor, but was recently a guest artist on the “Sight Unseen” episode on NCIS. One of the amazing but unsurprising stats she cited was that 9 out of 10,000 actors in Hollywood – TV and movies – have disabilities. Nine. Let that sink in for a moment. And we wonder why there is such an uproar when a disabled individual is played by an able-bodied actor. Listening to how Marilee fought to be auditioned and cast at all is a testament to her grit and determination! Thank you for fighting to not only blast open the door for you to enter, but also for the many who are standing right behind you.

I didn't see much of St. Louis, but that’s okay because it was hot and steamy outside. At the end of the day, my brain was full of all things audio description, and that’s just the way it was way meant to be.

A man indulges in a catnap in an ornate hotel lobby.

I Must Be Nutz

Originally written and posted November 13, 2017 by Debra Haas on her blog, Facets of Myself. Reposted with permission.

It’s 2018 and we are preparing to audio describe our first show of the New Year. Looking back at the highlights of our last season, training two describers from the seasoned volunteer corps at Ballet Austin to describe The Nutcracker ranks at the top! Deb and Betty took to description like they had been doing it all their lives, and their hard work paid off when they described several daytime shows for school kids during the holiday season. And Deb took on her first public performance, letting neither rain nor sleet nor snow (!) deter her from her task. Here is a reflection from Deb on her experience learning how to describe as we welcome her to our team! And thank you Ballet Austin for your commitment to equity and access!


I became a Nutcracker parent (and docent) in the fall of 2004. I continued in my role – working back stage, driving carpool, making sure we had the right colored ballet slippers – for the next 10 years, until my daughter graduated from high school and headed off to college.

Over the years, I created a charm bracelet for her with each of the roles she danced... and I acquired some Nutcracker jewelry of my own.

After I was done with the schlep, I continued to be a docent – both at our neighborhood elementary, and at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. When I go, I usually wear one of my Nutcracker pins (along with my Ballet Austin Docent name tag).

This year, I've taken on a new role – learning to do descriptive narration for blind and visually impaired ballet patrons. If you had told me even a couple of years ago that I would spend hours in front of the computer painstakingly taking notes about dancers, costumes, and sets so that I could write a script to describe them in excruciating detail... I am sure I would have scoffed at you. But that is exactly what I am doing.

 Taking notes at the computer
(Photo courtesy of Debra Haas)

While it does give me the warm fuzzies to learn this new set of skills – I am not motivated entirely by altruism...

My father was a world renowned theoretical physicist. He received numerous accolades and held a variety of senior positions at the US Department of Energy during his career – including serving as the Chief Scientist for the Superconducting Supercollider.

Yep – he was a bona fide genius. But at the end of his life, his razor sharp mind was dulled by dementia, and one of the things I learned in the process of helping to care for him – and coming to terms with his death – is that learning new things in middle age, and later in life, may prevent or at least delay the onset of dementia.

So – along with learning metalsmithing – I decided that becoming a descriptive narrator was something that I could do for my community and for myself.

Deb audio describing The Nutcracker

In 2013, Ballet Austin bought new sets and costumes for the production. We bought our daughter an ornament on the tree. On the back it has her name and says Cast Member 2004-2013 – so she could always be part of the production – my name is not there.

She, and the rest of my family think it's "cool" but also more than a little hilarious that after saying that I'd be done with the Nutcracker when my daughter was – that hasn't happened yet.

Selfie of Deb in the audio description booth at Ballet Austin
(Photo courtesy of Debra Haas)

Describing Art in Mandarin Chinese

Recently, I had the opportunity to go to Taiwan to train museum docents and other personnel in the art of audio description. I was working with the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts under the auspices of the Taiwan Ministry of Culture. They have launched an island-wide museum accessibility initiative, and audio description is the first item on their extensive list. There were 35+ people at the training in Taichung and an additional 50 at the workshop in Taipei. There is a great deal of excitement within the museum community about this initiative and there were several very promising describers in both groups. We worked hard for 5 days, but we also had a lot of fun. And a special shout out to Jennifer Shih Carson for her exemplary translating skills; Li Chuan Emily Wu for organizing the entire training; and, everyone who made sure my visit was comfortable and culturally satisfying. Tea, noodles, re-connecting with friends… everything a girl could wish for.

Celia with describers in training at Nat'l Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

On the culture front, I lived in Taiwan in 1989-90, so this was a homecoming of sorts as I have not been back in 27 years. I have to say that much has changed during that time, but also much has remained the same. The small street that bordered the university I taught at has become the largest night market in Taiwan! Gone was the smiling Buddha noodle shop and in its place was a neon, amplified seller of socks, electronic gadgets, handbags, you name it. Taichung has built many tall buildings and shopping centers, and the scooters have exponentially increased, still with entire families riding on one. But the bicycles are now in racks for the tourists (if you dare!) and cars vie with the scooters for road space.

Jennifer, the workshop translator, heads off into the night on a scooter with two of her children aboard.

Taoist Temples are still in every neighborhood, and they still bustle with people day and night. But there are rules now about burning incense because of the problems with air pollution, so there are only a few sticks in the burner at one time. The temples used to be dense with smoke so I am sure this must have been a hard rule for the Taiwanese to accept. Also, the food has changed. We ate simply in 1989 (I was a graduate student at the time), but we ate well. Most food was Taiwanese. KFC opened its first shop in Taipei in 1990, and it was a big deal. Now, it is easy to get just about any food you want, but I still went for a simple Taiwanese meal. And I think because I was eating breakfast at what would have been evening time if I were home in Austin, I ate several kinds of noodles, pickled bamboo, green salad, red peppers, steamed buns, radish sprouts, and peanuts every morning.

Entrepreneurial wheelchair user selling gift items in an outdoor market

But what has remained the same is the people. They are kind and generous and eager to learn. As a Lǎoshī (teacher), I was treated with respect by everyone, and people couldn’t thank me enough for sharing my expertise and knowledge with them. The year I lived there was one of the best years of my life, and that has not changed. Feeling appreciated and supported when you are 8,000 miles from home is significant. And for that I thank Emily, Jeannette, Catherine, Joy, Jennifer, Evelyn, Emily II, Allan, Marvin, and all the trainees. You made my heart full.

Theater Accessibility

Originally posted December 7, 2016 at http://www.txdisabilities.org/news-events/blog-theater-accessibility. Reposted with permission.

Nicole Cortichiato, VSA Texas
Renee Lopez, VSA Texas
Laura Perna, CTD

Last month, a group of us went to see Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical at ZACH Theater. We had a great time and appreciated that the theater was fully accessible. It got us thinking- what makes for a good experience at a movie, show, or concert as a person with a disability? Here are some of the things that came up:

Laura (LP): How was accessibility at ZACH Theater? Was there anything that needed improvement?

Nicole (NC): I am not a person that uses a wheelchair. However, my boyfriend does, and that makes me super aware of space when going to theaters or restaurants. I felt ZACH did a good job of keeping the lobby clear for wheelchair users. There were tables and chairs set up for patrons to sit and have drinks and there was room on each side of the tables for a wheelchair user to roll past.

Renee (RL): As a person in a wheelchair, I find the Zach Scott theater to be very accessible. However, there are only 4 wheelchair spaces available, 2 on the east and 2 in the west areas. Ordinarily, this works fine, however, if a group of people with disabilities were to attend with more than 4 people in wheelchairs, this could be a problem for the theater to accommodate.

The restroom is a disabled person’s dream. It is very accessible, as are the faucets and hand towel dispensers. I found the lowered water fountain for wheelchair access has very little water coming out of it; I had to stand up to drink from the higher water fountain, which has a good flow.

I also found accessible parking to be a problem. Within the circular parking lot, there are 2, maybe 3 spots. When those spaces are taken, the theater accommodates by allowing patrons to park along the sidewalk or on the side. The problem with this is when you have a van with a deployable ramp, you risk getting hit by a car. I also noticed the valet parked a car in front of a ramp. I informed the valet who then said they were told it was ok because there’s another ramp than can be used.

LP: Have you had negative experiences at other theaters? What do you wish theater managers or other theater patrons knew about access?

NC: I personally have not, but I have witnessed my boyfriend’s discomfort, which of course makes me uncomfortable. There have been inaccessible theaters where they have placed him in front of all the seating and essentially on stage. Other times the space for wheelchair seating has been so tight that a second wheelchair user wouldn’t have fit.

RL: I do find that in smaller theaters, such as one of the smaller theaters at Zach Scott, a person in a wheelchair has no choice but sit up front, practically onstage. This makes for an uncomfortable experience, for me, because I’m often worried the actors will back into me or trip over me.

Recently, I was at the Emma Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center for a play, and the theater managers had trouble finding a ‘good spot’ to put me. If they put me here, I would block the actors' entrance; if they put me there, I would block something else. Eventually, I was placed near a prop, which had me worried, again, that an actor would trip over me. The manager then said he would just let the actors know to be careful in the area where I was. They did and there was no incident but when I go to see a play, I go for just that, to see a play – not be part of the play. I would recommend theaters have a ‘cut-out section’ that a wheelchair user could back into.

LP: Priscilla had a ton of extravagant costumes (above, with Jennifer, Nicole, Laura, and Renee) and dance numbers! Is there a way a blind person could enjoy this show?

NC: There is. It’s called audio description and you can get trained to do audio description or have audio description provided by VSA Texas. You can learn more about that by speaking with Lynn Johnson at VSA Texas.

RL: VSA has an incredible audio description service.

LP: And what about deaf patrons – even if there were captions, could they still get the full experience without hearing the music?

RL: I believe so. Although this particular show did not have it, I’ve been to other shows, such as operas, that provide captions. Although I am not deaf (sometimes hard of hearing when my allergies are bad) I myself often appreciate the captions.

LP: The show we went to wasn't specifically "sensory friendly," but I've seen ones that are. What does that mean?

NC: If by sensory you mean no flashing lights for people with epilepsy or allowing talking for people like autism then I’ll have to say I’ve never been to a show like that but I’m sure it can be done.

LP: So it's the end of an amazing show (like Priscilla), time for the standing ovation. Is it rude to stand if you're sitting next to a wheelchair user?

NC: I would say yes. I hadn’t thought about it before but if you are sitting in front of a wheelchair user and know it or if you are sitting beside someone in a wheelchair you are blocking their view. Maybe there is even a different way to show a standing ovation so that everyone could be involved. Like handing out those small blow horns or some other musical instrument. That is something to think about for sure.

RL: No, I don’t think it’s rude at all. I have been with people/companions, who feel obligated to remain seated with me, however, I encourage them to stand up and enjoy the ovation, plus they can see and tell me what’s going on. I can usually tell when the main players come on stage by the loudness of the cheers. There have been a few times that patrons in front of a ‘wheelchair section’ realize they are blocking our view and will remain seated but then they can’t see. There have been many times that I just move over to the top of the stairs just to see but this could be dangerous. Plus, many patrons start exiting during the ovation and you have to move anyway to let them by. The solution I think, is to have the wheelchair accessible section on a small platform that would raise them a little higher than the row in front of them.


What are your thoughts about theater accessibility? What makes the theater accessible to you as a person with or without a disability? Tell us in the comments below!

Sight. Sound. Soul.

Hello friends, Celia here. I am in Boston getting ready for our Inclusion by Design performance at the Americans for the Arts Convention. In Austin, this performance is better known as Sight. Sound. Soul. In 2007, I had the pleasure to join my friend Charlie Washburn of VSA Massachusetts in Idaho to participate as an audio describer in my first fully inclusive concert that featured New Orleans based musician Henry Butler. It was a blast. And I was hooked. Since then, we have done concerts in Boston at the WGBH studios and as part of the annual LEAD conference, in Albuquerque at the Southwest Conference on Disability, and in Austin at the late, great La Zona Rosa and the Palm Door. This performance will be live streamed, a new feature for our merry band of inclusive by design performers, at https://www.youtube.com/user/americansforthearts/

These concerts feature musicians, painters, ASL interpreters, open captioning, and audio description. The audio description is written as the performance is happening and delivered at agreed upon times during the live performance. At some performances, audio description is also delivered via the traditional method, although it is still offered without a preview as there is no opportunity to preview a one-time performance. It is nerve-wracking because as a describer I have to write as I see and I don't have any time to review or edit. What occurs is more spoken word description that gives a sense of the environment of a live performance, which I hope brings the patron who is blind or visually impaired more completely into the experience.

This time, in Boston again, Henry, Nancy, and I will be together after several years, hoping to stir up the magic of the arts for a brand new audience of folks. I am not sure what we will create, but I can assure you that people will be talking about it for days and weeks to come.

Nancy poses beside a colorful mural of Henry Butler.

If I don't see you in Boston, maybe you will bring us to a theater near you to create the magic of inclusive performing arts in your community!

An Introduction to Audio Description Equipment

Hi blog readers, Lynn here to tell you a little bit about VSA Texas Audio Description Equipment. In an earlier blog, I talked about Audio Description and what it takes to be an Audio Describer (you can read that here), but I didn’t tell you about the equipment that makes this magic happen. Just a refresher, Audio Description is the verbal translation of visual information to make theater, television, films, museum exhibits, and outdoor events more enjoyable for people with low or no vision. That being said, in this video you will get a quick taste of what equipment is needed for the patron to hear the audio description without disrupting the patrons around him/her.

If you are interested in learning more about Audio Description and the equipment, VSA Texas has scheduled an Audio Description Taster Workshop on Wednesday, March 30th, from 10:00am-2:00pm, in the Kodosky Lounge at The Long Center for the Performing Arts. Please RSVP to lynn@vsatx.org or call 512-454-9912. This is a free event! Come join the fun!

The Blog-yssey

Hello folks. The last 6 weeks have been full of travel for me, so I thought I would share some of my adventures through photos. I started off in Corpus Christi at our annual Distinguished Artist Veterans' exhibit. The exceptional drawing of a cowboy is by Sharen Craddock. After the reception, we enjoyed dinner and drinks with another artist, Denise Knebel. We were out over the water, rocking on our dock!

The following weekend found me dancing with April Sullivan at the Houston Arts Partners conference. Can you tell who is who?

I returned to Houston the following weekend to teach the art of audio description to folks at The Hobby Center. Sorry folks, no photos here. We were working! “Seven women and one man sit around a long, rectangular wooden table, staring at a small television monitor to observe the set of The Gin Game.” But I did return to Austin in time to enjoy a performance by The Old Hats at our Lion and Pirate Open Mic!

Then, it was on to Miami, Florida to teach the teaching artists and docents at Perez Art Museum Miami the art of audio description. Miami has some crazy drivers! Sorry, no photos. I value my life too much. But my hotel suite was spacious and the spa was magnificent!

After a wonderful day and a half at the museum, I did what every disability arts professional does on their day off. I crashed the South Florida Inclusive Arts Silver Summit in celebration of the 25^th Anniversary of the ADA. Of course, you say. Why not? We had a visit from The Beam – way cool – and a little more dancing by participants of VSA Florida residencies with Karen Peterson and Dancers!

After Florida, it was back to Austin for, you guessed it, more dancing. This time, ECHO, a Body Shift site specific performance led by Silva Laukkanen. We christened the new courtyard at Creative Action and Sustainable Foods. Let’s hope this brings many years of joyful art-making to this wonderful spot in East Austin!

Finally, after a quick breather to keep the staff in line (smile) and keep up with those pesky grants and grant reporting, April and I were off to Albuquerque for the annual Southwest Conference on Disability. Balloons every morning over the highways. This year, we just watched from afar, so more balloon photos next year. We met the crew from “When Pigs Fly,” so maybe we will host a touch tour next year! Stay tuned for more on that.

But, prior to our three days of describing all the movies at the Film Festival as well as the Keynotes –are you noticing an audio description theme to my travels? – we spent a day exploring west New Mexico. Lava fields in El Malpais, natural stone arches, sandstone cliffs. Then off to Tinkertown where we had our fortunes told and learned about our true professions.

Following the conference we dropped in on our friends VSA New Mexico at their North 4th Art Center before heading out to our last NM meal for another year.

Finally, a last stop at the grower’s market in downtown ABQ for a visit with a wizard and his goose, and wonderful fresh veggies.

I hope you enjoyed my adventures almost as much as I did!

Until next time…