Open Door Arts

ODG@WAM shares our immense thanks to Amber Pearcy for the time, care, and expertise she shared with us. Amber is a consultant to arts organizations wishing to provide greater access for visitors and audiences who are blind/low vision. She provides staff and volunteer trainings to promote greater awareness and sensitivity of people with disabilities, as well as advises on issues including audio description, touch tours, and digital accessibility. She holds a Masters of Science in arts administration from Boston University, and she is certified in literary braille transcription and proofreading by the Library of Congress. Amber visited the gallery to test our access features and provide us with feedback to improve accessibility in our gallery for folks in the blind and low-vision community.?We have been?implementing her feedback into the gallery experience, including braille guides and audio tours for all our exhibitions. Thank you, Amber!

We would like to shine a spotlight on Visual Artist, Dominic Quagliozzi and his visit to South High School in December! During the visit, Dominic shared his experience living with a disability and as a working artist. He led students in an artmaking activity making butterflies and other objects out of T-shirts! Thank you Dominic for sharing your successes with the students at South High!

Our next Teaching Artist Spotlight features Silvina Mizrahi! Silvina is a multidisciplinary artist and art educator, currently teaching at CASH and Boston Green Academy. She believes that art has the power to transcend boundaries and foster meaningful connections. Passionate about teaching, she enjoys introducing students to various techniques and materials—not only to enhance their artistic skills but also to provide them with diverse ways to express themselves. "In my classroom, the students are the TEACHERS. I am grateful to them for guiding us in building a world filled with empathy, compassion, and creativity!"

ODA sends a huge thank you to United Dance Company for visiting our CareerCREATE classrooms! In February,? classrooms in Chelsea, Fenway, Brighton, New Mission, and Henderson Inclusion school were visited by Boris Richir and members of the United Dance Company Ensemble, exploring music and theatre through the lens of dance! The United Dance Company is an inclusive dance company featuring artists who identify as having a disability and artists who don't, united by their artistic excellence. Don’t miss their Spring production, From Boston to New York, March 8-9 at 3:00pm at BU Dance Theatre. More information can be found at https://lnkd.in/ecgpvTP3

This is the last week to experience Camilla Jerome's solo exhibit “Patient, Patient” in the Open Door Gallery at the?Worcester Art Museum?. Camilla's Bodies of Water series is featured in the exhibition.?The art is created with the cyanotype process. A light-sensitive chemical that turns blue through sun exposure. Camilla shares "Bodies of Water is a visualization and meditation on disability as a fluid state. The process creates space for moments of pure presence and reacting to nature’s elements, similar to the day-to-day management of disability and chronic illness. Through these works, I generate a new frame for defining the experience of disability and rethink the metrics by which disability has historically been defined.?" “Patient, Patient ” is on display in the Open Door Gallery at the?Worcester Art Museum?through March 9. Gallery hours: Wednesday through Sunday 10 am - 4 pm. Admission to Open Door Gallery is always Free. ACCESS: We are committed to creating an inclusive exhibition environment. In this exhibition, there are image descriptions of all the artworks and tactile representations of the art that can be experienced through touch, large print and braille guides, and an audio tour. For further access requests or feedback contact Megan at [email protected].

We are kicking off this year’s Teaching Artist Spotlights with Mehdi Raoufi! Mr. Mehdi is the Music teaching artist at New Mission High School’s ABA strand. He has been having so much fun learning what his students are interested in and writing our own songs. When he is not at New Mission, Mehdi is also the Director of School Programs here at Open Door Arts! Mehdi supports all our school programs at Boston Public Schools, Worcester, and Chelsea. He loves to sing, write songs and help his students discover how fun music making can be, as well as learn about different creative jobs and careers!

We are excited to announce?our group exhibition SHARED,?coming soon to the Open Door Gallery?@ WAM!! Shared (adjective) 1. Used, done, belonging to, or experienced by two or more individuals. 2. Accessible by more than one user or process. On display from 3/11-5/22, the?exhibition explores sharing through the artist's experiences, materials, and processes.?Through painting, fiber, sound, drawing, and performance the artists express community, grief, identity, ecologies, interdependence, and so much more. Featured Artists:? Alana Guarino, Chenda Cope, DaNice D. Marshall, Judith Klausner? Liz Doles, Mika Cook-Wright, ?m?lará Williams McAllister, and Sophie Pearson?

CALL FOR ART: The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC is seeking artists with disabilities ages 16-25 for the Access/VSA Emerging Young Artists Program! 15 winners will receive a $3,000 award, professional development workshops, and a trip to Washington, DC for the launch of the exhibit at the Kennedy Center. Learn more or apply by Feb. 28 at https://lnkd.in/gMQfpKZD!

Excited to share this podcast featuring Bill Henderson, former principal of the Henderson Inclusion School, and long-time friend and partner of Open Door Arts. The podcast highlights the "Importance of Collaborative Planning" and mentions the role our partnership (when our organization was called Very Special Arts of Massachusetts) played in supporting inclusive?teaching and learning at the school. https://lnkd.in/eCzK7qXw

Join us next Thursday for an opening reception of Camilla Jerome’s solo exhibit “Patient, Patient” at our Open Door Gallery at the Worcester Art Museum on Thursday, January 30 from 4:30-7:00 PM! Starting at 4:30 PM, there will be light refreshments and time to explore the exhibition. Starting around 5:30 PM Camilla will give short artist remarks about her ideas and process with time for a Q&A. From 6-7 PM, Camilla will lead an “Expressive Cyanotype Workshop.” About the workshop: Join exhibiting artist Camilla Jerome in a hands-on demonstration and workshop on creating expressive and experimental cyanotypes. The traditional 19th-century photographic process, cyanotype, is known for its accessibility, vibrant blues, and ability to capture intrinsic detail. Students will learn basic techniques, experimental methods, and materials to create different textures to express their vision and creativity. Please note: Workshop capacity is limited to 15 participants. Register at: bit.ly/Patient-Patient Learn more about Camilla’s exhibition at: https://lnkd.in/eXqa6ht2 Access: We are committed to creating an inclusive exhibition environment. For further access requests and feedback email [email protected].