Accessing Art With Amy

What comes to mind when you think about adaptable clothing or fashion? For Carol Taylor, of Queensland, Australia, she was tired of the utilitarian shapes, the placement of seams and zippers that can cause pressure sores and the bland colours that were offered. Carol is changing the narrative, designing, what she calls “Inclusive Fashion,” based on her lived experience of quadriplegia. She creates...

Christine Bruno has embraced the arts, and is a trained actor and director who has graced stages and screens alike! In the most transparent way, Christine shares her journey through an education system that was, at times, unwelcoming to someone with Cerebral Palsy. Barriers be damned! Christine’s brilliant career in the arts and her understanding of the “system” in place has spurred her to make ch...

Marilee Talkington is an accomplished actor and creator. Her professional training in the industry, her lived experiences as a person who is partially sighted, and her desire to see representation of disability on our stages, televisions and big screens spurred her passion to create a training program. The Access Acting Academy, which started as an in-person intensive for blind and partially sight...

At the age of 17, James Lake was diagnosed with bone cancer that resulted in many months of chemotherapy and the amputation of his right leg. It was also at this time that James developed his passion for art and chose to sculpt from a non-traditional sculptors material: cardboard! James believes in art for all; art beyond race, gender, age, ability and disability. His life-sized and beyond paper s...

Sir Daniel and Lady Linda Smith take us on a journey back through time on their property near Three Hills, Alberta. Experience an unforgettable, immersive experience of all things Renaissance made fully accessible, including glamping, banquet feasts, costumes, swordplay and arts and crafts. This husband and wife team bring their passion for the period directly to guests in a way that they won't so...

What is Stop Motion Animation – its more than just cartoons. It can be done with any medium. Joining is from her home in Toronto, Cristal Buemi shared her journey is discovering movement through different mediums, even salt! We explore this universe through Cristal’s "behind the scenes" lens www.cristalbuemi.com

Initially from Ghana, George Quarcoo discovered the art of the D.J. after moving to Canada. He became aware the available technology was relatively accessible for his low level of vision, and focused on the art of creating the sounds that excite him around a particular track and feeling the vibe of the crowd. Performing gigs in a variety of environments – weddings, night clubs, lounges, corporate...

Vancouver's Kristina Shelden is a singer-songwriter and performer who identifies with a disability and chronic pain. Kristina’s voice is packed with depth, power and vulnerability; she embodies a unique control over her voice and gracefully carries it from soft and delicate to an avalanche of sound. She is an integral part of the disability music scene and sits on the board of directors for Vancou...

Artist and actor David Roche was born with a vascular malformation on his face, neck, mouth and throat. Basically, "veins gone wild." The removal of the lower part of his mouth and heavy radiation caused this part of his face to stop growing and created purplish-coloured skin. David found his artistic talent later in life and has explored many art forms with interesting people. He recently starred...

Greg Labine started freestyle rapping in his teens, and today is one of the most accomplished artists living with a disability on the rap scene. Laying down beats and creating lyrics from scratch is core to the creation of his many albums, including the newly-released "Trust the Process."   Find his music on Spotify - 77 Spokes Watch and listen to the music video for his song No Data on Youtube  ...

Luca "Lazylegz" Patuelli is the founder of Ill-Abilities International Dance Group. Exploring the challenges of choreography (both solo and routines), the group discovers the power of adapting their movements together into a distinctive vocabulary, one that inspires limitless possibilities. Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli joins us from his home in Montreal and shares his history of dance, reality TV show...

Toronto-based Kirsten Kirsch is a lyricist, songwriter, theatre professional and so much more! After a nation-wide search, Kirsten was announced as the Playwrite-in-Residence for Realwheels Theatre. Kirsten, who has cerebral palsy, channels her lived experiences into a new musical called GIMPY, which follows the lead character on her journey to become a musical theatre performer. Song written and...

After nearly losing his life in an apartment fire, Prince Amponsah made a decision to return to the stage. Identifying as a black, disabled actor, performer and creator, Prince has a passion for acting and performing which serves to fulfill a larger goal of increasing representation of disability in the media. Being in the room is the first step to gain equality in representation –  so he kept aud...

At 3’3″, Tanyalee Davis is the Ferrari of comedy – low to the ground and kind of racy. Canadian born, Tanyalee is now based out of the UK and continues making the stage her home by touring all over the world bringing the funny! Performance footage was provided courtesy of Tanyalee Davis  www.tanyaleedavis.com @TanyaleeDavis

When Russell Boast began his career in casting, he discovered the platform could offer so much more! While Russell does not live with a disability, he has spent his career advocating for actors with lived experience. He continues to ask, “Why don’t the characters on TV and in film reflect the look of our actual population?” In his role as the President of the Casting Society of America, Russell wa...

Corina Duyn joins us all the way from Ireland! She is a writer, artist and puppet designer whose work is reflected by nature and her life with a chronic illness, myalgic encephalomyelitis. Corina shares the deeply personal journey of how she has transformed her pain through puppetry into poetry. Follow her on Instagram @corinaduyn www.corinaduyn.com

While Canadian sisters Tiffany and Inuk (Plqslq) don’t personally identify with disability, what they bring to the listener is an auditory sensation like no other, rooted in history and tradition and accessible to arts lovers with vision loss. Inuit throat singing, or katajjaq, is a form of musical performance uniquely found among Inuit peoples. Follow PIQSIQ on twitter @piqsiq Find their music at...

Welcome to the world of wheelchair dance! Harmanie Rose, a Vancouver local,  has a love for dance that you can hear in her voice. She shares with us her whirlwind journey and exploration of movement and chorography.  Find Harmanie on Instagram and Twitter @HarmanieRose

“Assonating Thompson” Performer and creator, Bruce Horak, lost over 90% of his sight to a childhood cancer called Bilateral Retinoblastoma. This talented human has toured across Canada, the USA and Europe. Often asked “How he sees the world”, Horak took up painting as an experiment to see if he could capture the essence of that question. “Assonating Thompson” is an exceptional creation that explor...

Amy Amantea speaks with artists from all genres, and learns about what inspires them, what adaptations they have developed, and the barriers they face in their medium’s industry.