Dominic Killiany is a 20-year-old man living with autism. This interpretation of the world reflects his knowledge of order, balance, and symmetry with a touch of abstract expressionism in a symphony of color. Dominic has exhibited at the Watertown Public Library in April 2014, 2016, and 2018. His first solo show of 24 artworks was October, 2017 in Landau Gallery, Belmont Hill School, Belmont, MA.
What I See is on view through July 30, 2018 at the Open Door Gallery in the Higgins Education Wing of the Worcester Art Museum. You don't want to miss this stunning exploration of color, shape, and perception!
Worcester Art Museum hours are: Wednesday through Sunday, 10am - 4pm and the third Thursday of the month until 8pm.
"Thigh-high Boots, a Scooter, and a Stage", a play about the life of 2017 Boston Foundation LAB (Live Arts Boston) Grant recipient Donna Folan, premieres June 1, 2018 at Wheelock Family Theatre.
This new play is about the life of Boston actress and VSA teaching artist Donna Folan. She is founder of Access to Theatre, the award-winning, inclusive theatre program with Partners for Youth with Disabilities, and her belief in creative expression and passion for inclusive theater practices also imbues her company, Until Tomorrow Productions.
Written and directed by Susan Kosoff, "Thigh-high Boots, a Scooter, and a Stage" presents a bias-breaking, assumption-kicking story of a woman driven by the practice of theater. The play is performed by Folan and interpreted in American Sign Language by Jody Steiner.
"Donna is that charismatic, slightly deranged storyteller you should probably report to the PC police, if you could only stop laughing." – John Bay; actor, director, educator, colleague and fan.
"A feisty bad a** truth teller" – Jeremy Alliger; Executive Director, Alliger Arts.
Fashion is political. Fashion is powerful. Fashion allows us to express the autonomy we have over our bodies and our identities to the world. However, the many barriers that exist in the fashion industry and its historical marginalization of the disability community have often left people with disabilities out of the conversation.
To flip this script, Epicenter Community (now Transformative Culture Project), in collaboration with Arts Emerson, convened many partners, including VSA Massachusetts, to launch the Fashion Accessibility Project (FAP) : a celebration of disability, beauty and humanity through fashion.
FAP convened people with disabilities and fashion designers to create custom-made outfits that were showcased in a fashion show at the Paramount Black Box Theater on June 24, 2017. The show created a platform for community to get dressed up, feel beautiful and celebrate our common humanity, but more importantly, it gave visibility and urgency to this conversation.
This exhibit is a visual retrospective of the FAP process and show, and allows us to continue the conversation, highlight the great work that’s happening around adaptive fashion, and create a call for continued change.
Reception May 31, 2018 6-9pm, Panel Discussion 6:30pm with:
● Nicole Agois, Moderator, VSA MA Managing Director
● Heather Watkins, Activist and blogger
● Keith Jones, Activist, advocate and performer, President of SoulTouchin' Experiences
● Jay Calderin, Fashion designer, and Director of Boston Fashion Week
● Arielle Gray, Writer, and Social Media and #AssembleBOS Coordinator, TCP
● Nicole Olusanya, Special Initiatives Manager, ArtsEmerson
