To honor the 10th Anniversary of JSDD’s WAE Center, I am so pleased to announce that we have a large scale collaborative art project underway called Chairs of Inclusion.
We commissioned ten professional artists to create a piece about INCLUSION.The artists employedvarious mediums to show their interpretation as a full-scale chair. Each artist brought an idea of what they wanted to produce and worked with the WAE Center member-artists to realize that vision.
That’s when amazing things started to happen:Creating these bright, beautiful, joyful chairs was as transformative for the professional artists as it was for the contributing member-artists.
These chairs are wonderful examples of how people with disabilities can make meaningful contributions in every aspect of life, and in doing so, enrich the lives of us all. Everyone involved in creating the chairs was challenged to rethink what they were capable of, and what it means to be “able”. People who view the chairs contemplate these same questions: how do we define ability? What does it mean to be inclusive?
We all like to be included, no matter who we are. This is why Chairs of Inclusion touches everyone’s heart. We invite you to become involved in this joyful, transformative project.
Over the next few months, we will be talking more about what the Chairs of Inclusion project means to Center member-artists and the artists who worked with them, as well as to the wider community. I invite you to follow and participate in our discussions on Facebook and Twitter. You’ll also want to check out our YouTube videos; we’ll soon be posting artist profiles, and insider views of the chairs being created.
I’d also like to invite you to visit the Center to see these wonderful creations. I promise you they will make your day! Contact me at lpress@jsddmetrowest.orgor (973) 272-7141 to arrange your visit.
We will also be hosting the Chairs of Inclusion Gala on November 2 and a Meet the Artists reception on November 9. These will be wonderful opportunities for you to come and meet the artists and see these amazing chairs up close. Stay tuned!
