Open Door Gallery

Shades of Inclusion

August 10 - November 13, 2015

Living Room Performance: 9/17/15, 6:00-8:00pm

Artist Talk and Reception: 10/2/15, 6:00-10:00pm

#ArtBar: 11/5/15, 5:00-7:00pm

Artist Leaders from Arts Connect International unpack what inclusion means to each of them through their respective work. The show beckons the viewer to interact with the nebulous term of inclusion, asking each of us to examine our own inclusionary bias, opening the term for critique, investigation and building. Above all, the exhibit is a celebration of the diversity found in our local and international communities, utilizing art as a catalyst for multi-dimensional conversations on inclusion.

Arts Connect International is building the preeminent model for arts entrepreneurship; cultivating and connecting leaders in the ﬁeld committed to cultural and social inclusion. Shades of Inclusion showcases the work of seven Artist Leaders who focus on multiple art forms, geographical locations and aspects of inclusion.

ACI Artist Leaders

Stephen Hamilton - Mural painting
"Inclusion means equal access to the tools necessary for self-betterment, self-fulﬁllment, self-determination and self-actualization. Inclusion is arming all individuals with the power to access fundamental human rights and necessities as well as the ability to sustain oneself and one's way of life."

Basil Kincaid - Recycled and found materials
"To me, inclusion means equal opportunity to have active voice in the creative dialogues that shape our localized and global consciousness. True Inclusion requires the dismantling of privilege and oppression with action and reﬂection guided towards mutual liberation of all humans. For true inclusion to take place we must embark on journeys of healing. Healing the root of the –isms that plague society will naturally lead to ever greater inclusion."

Miho Tsujii - Multi-disciplinary performance
"It is important that we become inclusive of the stories of women who have been silenced, soldiers who survive trauma, and generational impacts of war, which in total impact almost everyone in the world, but are still silenced."

Andre Mestre - Composer
"Ultimately, for me, inclusion means both access and agency—being a mere 'consumer' (and ever a performer) of art is not enough. Inclusion means having a voice, joining the dialogue, sharing the stage, listening and writing about what you’ve heard—responding to what's around you; inclusion means being an 'actor' in the truest sense of the word—one that acts of his or her own judgment and impetus (a 'doer'). Inclusion means understanding that we’re stronger together, that difference is powerful thing."

Bes Young - Photography
"Ageism makes no sense: it is the only form of prejudice in which the prejudicial party eventually becomes the other they discriminate against. Inclusion, to me, represents equitable treatment and care within society for all, and I believe that this ageism paradox must be addressed on an individual and institutional level in order to achieve social equity for our world’s elders. Through art, I advocate for and hope to empower a population to which we will all inevitably, and hopefully, belong."

Alia Ali - Images
"Throughout life we are presented with endless examples in which individuals and groups have been excluded from communities based on appearances, beliefs and actions. When this happens, there must always be two, those who impose standards, the decision makers, the 'included', and those they exclude. Communication can be used to both connect and divide, evolve and regress, educate and destroy. Inclusion is, therefore, engaging someone in a dialogue, but not necessarily a verbal one."

Cathleen Mooses - Print maker
"Inclusion is inevitably linked to exclusion - they are opposite sides of each other. By deﬁning what is included versus excluded, one simultaneously performs the act of both. Inclusion in a trans-national context, relies heavily on dominant normative cultures embracing and giving voice to what is new, different, from elsewhere or has been deemed subaltern. Does culture come with a set of rules that one must conform to?"

All artwork is available for sale.

The Open Door Gallery promotes the work of artists with disabilities and shifts our community's perceptions of ability while enjoying quality art.