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Are you interested in providing exciting and dynamic VSA programs at your cultural institution? Access/VSA Program Sites Are you interested in providing exciting and dynamic Access/VSA programs in your community? Requests for Contract Proposals If you have experience, knowledge, and expertise working with students with disabilities pre-kindergarten through grade 12, y ou could become an Access/VSA Program Site! The Kennedy Center Office of Accessibility and VSA seeks arts, education, and cultural organizations to provide accessible, arts-based education experiences to students with disabilities. Organizations are invited to submit proposals to implement the following Access/VSA Programs: Access/VSA Arts Connect All — Workshop/Residency Program Access/VSA Media Arts Discovery Program Access/VSA Theater Discovery Program Access/VSA Visual Arts Discovery Program Access/VSA Museum Access for Kids Program Access/VSA Performing Arts Access for Kids Program Access/VSA EZ Program These are Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Programs. Proposal Submission Deadline: June 5, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EDT Notification: Selected contract recipients will be notified by September 11, 2026 Contract Term: October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027 Learn more about these Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Programs at kennedy-center.org/education/vsa/become-a-vsa-program-site/ . Eligible and qualified organizations are required to sub mit contract proposals online by the deadline to be considered for a program site. Eligible organization may submit proposals to a maximum of 2 (two) different 2026-2027 Access/VSA Requests of Contract Proposals, but the Kennedy Center will issue a contract offer for no more than 1 (one) proposal per eligible organization.

The Kennedy Center Office of VSA & Accessibility hosts multiple Creative Careers programs throughout the year, open to young and emerging artists! Access/VSA Creative Careers Programs In addition to the opportunities below, you can discover calls for art, auditions, residency applications, plus promote your organization's opportunity to a global audience in our members-only forum. Access/VSA Creative Careers Programs The Access/VSA International Network is proud to support young emerging artists with disabilities. Musicians, playwrights, and visual artists may apply to annual competitions. Multiple winners receive monetary awards and get the chance to be mentored by industry professionals, participate in professional development activities provided by the Kennedy Center, and showcase their work at a national level. Past Access/VSA program recipients have gone on to successful careers in music, theater, and the visual arts. We hope you, your students, and/or mentees will take advantage of these fabulous opportunities. Access/VSA Emerging Young Artists Program Artists with disabilities are invited to submit artwork that demonstrates excellence and their individual perspectives from the experience of disability. Artists must be ages 16-25 and reside in the United States. Applications for the 2026 program are now closed. Learn More Access/VSA International Young Musicians Program Calling all musicians with disabilities ages 14-25! The Access/VSA International Young Musicians program is open to U.S. and international soloists and ensembles of any genre or instrument, including voice. Applications for the 2026 program are due by Wednesday, January 7, 2026 . Learn More Apply Now Access/VSA Playwright Discovery Program Young writers with disabilities (generally, ages 14-22) enrolled in high school or high school equivalency are invited to submit a 'ten-minute script' on any topic. A panel of theater professionals selects division winners. Applications for the 2026 program are due by Wednesday, January 7, 2026 . Learn More Apply Now

Professional development opportunities focused on access to the cultural arts Upcoming Events Access/VSA Network members are invited to take part in numerous online and in-person events directly related to their field. View Our Events Calendar Upcoming Events Ongoing The Theory and Practice of Anti-Ableist Arts Education Asynchronous 15-module online course April Afternoon Tea: Supporting People with Intellectual Disabilities in Programming & Employment Thursday, April 2 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET FREE for everyone Webinar: Complying with the New ADA Title II Rule on Web Accessibility Tuesday, April 21 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET FREE for members, $15 for non-members Webinar: Lessons in Motion Wednesday, April 22 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET FREE for members, $15 for non-members Employer Community of Practice Meeting Thursday, April 30 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET FREE for everyone May Afternoon Tea: Strategies for Welcoming People Who Are Neurodivergent Thursday, May 7 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET FREE, for members only Webinar: Tips for Writing an Access/VSA Program Site Contract Proposal 2026-2027 Thursday, May 14 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET FREE for everyone Lightning Talk: Demystifying the Accommodation Process, Part 1: Employees Thursday, May 22 from 2:00-2:30 p.m. ET FREE for everyone Employer Community of Practice Meeting Thursday, May 28 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET FREE for everyone June Afternoon at the Movies with Reel Abilities: The Employment Edition Wednesday, June 10 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET FREE for everyone

Access to the virtual sessions from the Kennedy Center 2023 LEAD Conference. 2023 LEAD Conference Hybrid Sessions Stay tuned for the 2024 LEAD Hybrid Series recordings. We are diligently working on getting them edits and captioned! Recorded August 29-31, 2023 as part of the Kennedy Center's 2023 Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) conference. For more information about LEAD, visit kennedy-center.org/lead . Access to the 2023 LEAD Hybrid Session is an exclusive benefit of the Access/VSA Network. Membership starts at just $30 a year and includes access to professional development webinars, conference discount, networking opportunities, and more! Learn about becoming a member today. Member Log In for FREE access to recordings LEAD 2023 Awards Everyone can view the 2023 LEAD Awards ceremonies by visiting the following links: Wednesday, August 30 Ceremony: Award for Emerging Leaders: Gustavo Padrino and Cultural Voice of North Carolina, Inc. Community Asset Awards: Fred Beam and Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Thursday, August 31 Ceremony: Award for Emerging Leaders: Ross Edelstein and Francisco echo Eraso Community Asset Awards: Dan Ellison and Britt Sutton LEAD 2023 Hybrid Sessions Welcome to LEAD 2023 & Keynote with Kerry M. Thompson Kerry M. Thompson is the Executive Director for Silent Rhythms, Inc., which she founded in 2008 with the mission to creating inclusion in the arts for people of all abilities. She is a renowned dance instructor and has performed worldwide including in Paris and Havana. In addition, she is a global human rights activist driven by her own struggles as a person with Deafblindness. She co-created Text4Deaf, a communication tool to bridge the communication gap between the Deaf and Hearing communities in healthcare. Since 2008, she has worked to advance human rights in the Global South as part of her work with the Disability Rights Fund setting up best practices in grantmaking, communications, programs, operations, and analytics. She completed a master’s degree in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University with a focus on international law and human rights. Why Can't I Say That? On Semantics, Circumstance, and Disability Justice Language matters and has a direct impact on welcoming and centering disabled people. People First Language or Identity First? Who can use “crip”? Join a group of disabled cultural access workers to discuss and share best practices on how to consider and understand the ever shifting landscape of language, so that our personal and organizational choices demonstrate awareness and respect. Presenters: Rachel Arfa, Commissioner, City of Chicago Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities Robin Marquis, Cultural Access and Inclusion Specialist, Prime Access Consulting Ayla Dumont Funding at the Intersection of the Arts and Accessibility What are key considerations related to accessibility in arts funding? Join Michael Bobbitt, Executive Director of the Mass Cultural Council, Michael Greer, President and CEO of ArtsFund, and Kerry Thompson, Senior Advisor, Inclusion & Accessibility for Disability Rights Fund, and the Executive Director of Silent Rhythms. The panel will share information and perspectives to prompt discussion and questions. Presenters: Michael Bobbitt, Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council Michael Greer, President & CEO, ArtsFund Kerry Thompson, Executive Director, Silent Rhythms, Inc. Accessible Social Media This session covers the core concepts of accessibility on social media platforms. Presenters will cover key information, terminology, and demonstrations, and provide a dynamic environment to cover practical applications. Presenters: Brian Charlson  Austin Dunn, Social Media Coordinator, Wexner Center for the Arts  Jay McKay, Assistive Technology Specialist, Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services  Onsite or Online: Cultivating Multisensory and Meaningful Group Programs For school and community groups with disabilities, museums and cultural organizations offer tremendous opportunities for multisensory and meaningful engagement both in person and online. Explore how to make the most of both settings and how and why to adapt programs from one to the other. Presenters: Charlotte Martin, Director of Access Initiatives, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Alejandra Rodriguez, Senior Educator, K-12 Student Experiences, Art Institute of Chicago Good Architecture Includes Everyone Too often building design adheres to the narrowest reading of the ADA and building code, missing nuance and the over-arching goal of equal access for people with disabilities. What would happen if architects approached every building opportunity as a chance to design around the full range of human experience and ability? This session brings panelists together to discuss just that – through the lens of experience and commitment to accessibility and human-centered design.  Presenters: Aaron Wong, Architectural Designer, SmithGroup  Valerie Fletcher, Executive Director, Institute for Human Centered Design Alexa Vaugn, Landscape Designer, Accessibility Specialist, & Consultant, UCLA Architecture + Urban Design Historic Sites and Accessibility There are many misconceptions about historic sites and accessibility, both what is required and what is possible. Don't underestimate the potential historic sites have to connect and be innovative. In this session three panelists describe some of the key challenges found at three historic houses and share creative and practical methods used to approach those challenges. This session will also include an opportunity for participants to exercise problem solving skills together.   Leave with a customized tool you can put into immediate action back at your historic site. Presenters:  Kristin Peszka, Interpretation & Visitor Services Director, Paul Revere Memorial Association  Aaron Rawley, Outreach Specialist, Partners for Youth with Disabilities  Wanessa Tillman, Director of Visitor Services, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Working with Advisors and Building Community There are many ways to center people with disabilities in the Access and Inclusion work at your institution or program. Engage with the presenters in the sharing of models and approaches that have respect, authenticity, and creativity at their core. Attendees will have ample opportunity to ask questions, and consider how they might try something new or enhance what they are already doing. Presenters: Maria Cabrera, Co-Director, Families Creating Together Susan Glass, Poet Lisa Eriksen, Principal, Lisa Eriksen Consulting

Biographies and artist statements for the Access/VSA Emerging Young Artists 2025 Winners. 2025 Emerging Young Artists Catalyst is the 21st exhibition presented by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of the Access/VSA Emerging Young Artists Program, a Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Program. This national art career development program and exhibition features fifteen artists with disabilities, ages 16-25. Each artist’s unique talent, mode of expression, and view of the world is highlighted and valued. With this exhibition, we aim to amplify the work of artists with disabilities throughout the United States, positioning them to broaden our understanding of disability and the arts. This year’s theme, Catalyst , invites artists to explore how the intersection of their art and their disability identity sparks something new. As you view the work and learn more about these incredible young artists, we hope it ignites new perspectives for you. ABOUT ACCESS/VSA EMERGING YOUNG ARTISTS PROGRAM Our programs for artists with disabilities shape the future of the arts. The Access/VSA Emerging Young Artists Program amplifies the voices of emerging visual artists through career development and professional empowerment. This national juried exhibition seeks artwork that demonstrates the excellence and important perspectives of artists with disabilities, ages 16-25, residing in the United States. Fifteen artists each receive a $3,000 award, engage in professional development activities at the Kennedy Center, and have their submitted work featured in an exhibition. Learn more at kennedy-center.org/emergingyoungartists The contents of this program and its exhibition were developed under grant H421F240164 from the U.S. Department of Education (Department). The Department does not mandate or prescribe practices, models, or other activities described or discussed in this document. The contents of this exhibition may contain examples of, adaptations of, and links to resources created and maintained by another public or private organization. The Department does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. The content of this exhibition does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department. This publication is not intended to represent the views or policy of or be an endorsement of any views expressed or materials provided by any Federal agency. See the Exhibition The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 2700 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. Jun 20, 2025 through Jul 27, 2025 2025 Winners: Amy Jacques Angelica Jones Austen Maybee Cathleen Luo CJ Hutchings Delia Preston Ellery Thompson Joseph Roach Kendrell Daniels Luke Cooper Madi Snow-Gould Nana-Tawi Bey Rebecca Panos Schuyler Dragoo Sophia Pineda Amy Jacques Kissimmee, FL · Age 17 Biography - Amy Jacques is a 17-year-old artist who was born with sickle cell disease, her condition has shaped her perspective on life and art. As a kid her peers had misconceptions about her disease, assuming it was contagious, they avoided her, leaving her alone in isolation. So, at an early age drawing became her way to cure her loneliness and communicate feelings too complex for words. Her chronic illness makes her body unpredictable, and art was the way she regained control and embodied her life. The process of creating is therapeutic for her, and she hopes to transform her pain and resilience into something that others will be able to relate to. In college, she hopes to study art history, and intends to use her degree to help others find their own voices through creative expression. Statement - My artwork is deeply personal and influenced by living with sickle cell disease and the complexities of having a chronic illness. It allows me to convey things that are not easily expressed in words. Much of my work revolves around themes such as pain, strength, and identity and captures both the adversity and resilience that exist within them. I tend to work with charcoal and colored pencils because their immediacy and texture allow me to channel emotion directly onto the page, capturing both the weight and nuance of what I am trying to express. My artwork is not just something that I do, it’s an integral part of who I am, art is how I cope with pain, emotion, and experiences too much to bear. Through sharing my story, I want to start discussions around disability, chronic illness, and how art can help connect those that may not share the same experiences. If my work can make one person hesitate, consider, or feel something differently, then I know I am doing what I am meant to do. Headshot photo by Amy Jacques Angelica Jones Baltimore, MD/High Point, NC · Age 21 Biography - Angelica Jones is a multidisciplinary portraiture-based artist currently based in Baltimore, Maryland. Her approach to portraits is inspired by drag, Black Southern aesthetics, and the process of finding queer connections in digital spaces. She grew up in High Point, North Carolina surrounded by a tight-knit community emphasizing ancestry and spirituality. Her work has often served as an open archive where she documents feelings and experiences of her community on and off-line. Her work has been featured in shows across Night Owl Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland, the United States Capitol Building, and most recently, a solo show in Fred Lazarus IV Center in Baltimore, Maryland. She is currently studying at Maryland Institute College of Art in pursuit of a BFA in Painting and, while not in school, is an educator with Summer Arts for Learning and a Gallery Assistant at Make Studio. Statement - Through the use of textured surfaces and vibrant mediums, I create images that call into question the conventions of representation and beauty. I collect tender, vulnerable, and visceral moments from my communities’ lives and magnify them through an exaggerated lens inspired by Club-Kids, Afro-Futurism, and my own Southern upbringing. My work places relaxed and authentic Black figures onto objects like scrap wood and found fabric. I paint on “found objects” that carry with them deep histories, experiences, and energies. The haze of chalk pastels, the vibrancy of acrylic, the grit of oil pastel all come together within my work to aid in creating complex narratives around interpersonal dynamics, marginalization, and poverty. My work is an open archive, capturing images of nightlife, domestic scenes, and family photos. Used in conjunction with neon glazes to highlight the way nostalgia, escapism, and trauma can distort experiences/memory. This divergence from reality is meant to act as a consistent reminder to myself and viewers to envision a world beyond these struggles. Headshot photo by Jordan Carter Austen Maybee Boulder, CO · Age 17 Biography - Austen Maybee works in both digital and traditional forms, including illustration, painting, and design. In their digital art, they freely experiment with the canvas, playing with placement and scale. For example, Doodle Diaries is a series of densely-placed monochromatic drawings, reminiscent of a coloring book, where viewers can zoom into the detailed elements. Austen’s traditional work showcases the organic and singular nature of illustration and painting. For example, in their painting: Kitten Dreams , soft shading and layers of colorful oil paint evoke the warm fuzzy sensation of holding a kitten. Austen finds physical work particularly rewarding because there is only one copy. Austen is a high school senior in Boulder, Colorado, and spends their time fostering kittens and going on walks when they’re not drawing. Austen plans to make art into their full time career after attending art college. Statement - My piece Kitten Dreams was one of my first oil paintings. I was inspired by my foster kittens and how I watched them become more adept at socializing and less fearful of humans. It depicts a version of me with two of my favorite foster kittens, ‘Mikey’ and ‘Sugarplum.’ My artistic process was to apply my digital rendering techniques using oil painting. As I worked on the piece, it took a lot of experimentation and revisions to render the image I had envisioned. Headshot photo by Jenny Maybee Cathleen Luo New York, NY · Age 24 Biography - Cathleen “Cat” Luo (they/them) graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor’s in Visual Arts and Creative Writing and is a Museum Educator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They have exhibited in group shows at Field Projects, The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s staff show, Bethany Arts Community, and FABnyc. Luo was awarded the Asian American Arts Alliance’s What Can We Do grant to carry out community art programming in Manhattan’s Chinatown during Asian American Heritage Month as a way to share their practice and serve the public. They have also received The Color Network’s Studio Grant, CERF+’s Get Ready Grant, SICK Magazine’s Microgrant for Disabled Sculptors in 2023, and is currently in the Powerhouse Artist Subsidy Program. They have been interviewed for Ratrock Magazine and featured in publications including The Columbia Review and SICK Magazine. Statement - As a sculptor and educator, I explore themes of modern spirituality. I reappropriate surrealist techniques to reclaim the term “queer” by distorting my figures beyond anatomical accuracy to question how a body is a container for complicated histories and contemplation. Drawing on Chinese Buddhist iconography, my meditative pieces unite my communities through their installation presence in my curated people-centered performances. My work delves into the term “alien” which is legally defined as individuals who are not citizens: foreign(ed) bodies. Beyond a personal exploration of my experiences of alienation from society and self, my work validates marginalized experiences and works toward collective healing. By embracing the aesthetic of the uncanny/unheimlich, my art creates a space that honors Otherness. Clay empowers me to work with my hands as a person with a visual disability. My sculptures are experienced through touch, and I often host touch tours of my pieces, inspired by my work as an educator for The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Access Programs where I teach Seeing Through Drawing. My art process aims to represent a psychological truth for people like myself; my figures are in process, balancing precariously, deeply human, yet aware of their eternal performance in stillness. Headshot photo by Rommel Nunez CJ Hutchings Birmingham, AL · Age 17 Biography - Catherine “CJ” Hutchings is a mixed media visual artist dedicated to promoting neurodiversity awareness through their energetic, cartoonish rabbit characters. The experience of living with ASD, ADHD, and GAD has fueled CJ’s passion to make autobiographical portrayals of their own struggles for over five years. As they graduate from the Visual Arts program at the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, AL, CJ aspires to continue their current work whilst pursuing further education in neurological differences to simultaneously support their community and develop a deeper self-understanding. Statement - There is no way I can describe my perspective without my neurodivergence. Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder are fundamental and permanent parts of my identity. I struggle to communicate my true perspective to others, which has led me to use “rabbit-like” characters to represent my complex experience. Through layered, life-size cardboard illustrations adapted from quick, fervent doodles enhanced with vibrant painted colors and sketchy detailing, I confront misconceptions of neurodivergent people and inspire others like me to reflect on their own challenges. Headshot photo by Celeste Pfau Delia Preston Madison, NJ · Age 21 Biography - Delia Preston (she/they) is an interdisciplinary artist with a focus in painting and photography. Her work is heavily influenced by her Deaf experiences and education in disability theory and history. Having grown up in a primarily hearing world with little representation, her pieces prioritize and center D/deaf and disabled subjects. By doing so, she hopes to engage audiences in conversation about D/deafness and disability. Delia is currently completing a BA in Studio Art at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. When not there, she is home with her family and two dogs in Madison, New Jersey. Statement - Legacy of A.G. Bell confronts the impact of eugenics on the Deaf community, especially how this history led to the development of hearing devices intended to “cure” deafness. I photograph my friend, Amé, another Deaf person, and center her agency in determining how deafness and hearing devices are perceived. Overlaying her face is a projection of Alexander Graham Bell’s “Upon the Formation of a Deaf Variety of the Human Race,” a text detailing the threats of deafness to humanity and how to eliminate deafness. Despite these threats, D/deaf people still thrive in a world that prefers to erase deafness. Headshot photo by Delia Preston Ellery Thompson Lousiville, KY · Age 25 Biography - Ellery Tye Thompson is a painter born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. Her work examines questions of uncertainty and the fluidity of absence and presence. In 2021, she received a degree in Art and Art History with a minor in Interdisciplinary Writing from Occidental College. In 2024, she graduated with a Master’s in painting from the LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting at Maryland Institute College of Art. Her work has been exhibited in Baltimore, Maryland; Louisville, kentucky; and Los Angeles, California. In November of 2024, she attended a residency at Vermont Studio Center. Her work has been published in New American Painting’s MFA issue 171 and Friend of the Artist volume 19. She currently lives and works in Louisville, Kentucky. www.ellerythompson.com Statement - Chronic disease and disability create a flickering state of being. I want to use this state, like John Keats’ concept of Negative Capability, to dwell fully within uncertainty. Within all my paintings, ambiguity and fragility are situated within the figures and the world surrounding them. My figures exist like nosebleeds or tears, exiting their bodies and pushing into and out of their environment in ways they shouldn’t. Figurines, dolls, and toys become objects for meaning and narrative to be placed on. Sickness creates a need for fiction, a need to explore other worlds during the time when it’s impossible to be fully present in the everyday world. These objects waver between their dime-store cheapness and the sentimental attachment and meaning that can be projected onto them. The figurines hesitate between motion and stillness; they feel moveable but not necessarily mobile. Animation of the inanimate questions formation, the process of something coming into being, and the ability for something to be altered or tainted before it’s fully formed. Within these spaces, toys and animals intermix with themes of athletics and exercise. I’m exploring how motion and stillness disrupt and transcend our perception of time, how athletes need to care for their bodies, mimicking the relationship sick people have to theirs, and the role observation and stillness have in watching sports. The way we use our bodies in daily life, the way our bodies allow themselves to be used, alters our experience of time and motion. Headshot photo by Adam Brennan Joseph Roach Manheim, PA · Age 24 Biography - Joseph Roach is a self-taught abstract artist from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Known for bold pen and ink pieces where every line is precise, purposeful, and inspired by nature, he sees the world in vivid shapes and colors. Diagnosed with autism at a young age, Joseph was a bright spark in a system that couldn’t see his light. Art tells his story. Joseph has exhibited at the Pennsylvania Capitol, raised funds for the Eagles Autism Foundation and other charities, and built a résumé that reflects both grit and grace. Now, as he writes his memoir, “Finding Joseph’s Many Colors,” he continues proving his disability is his ability. Follow Joseph Roach on Facebook. Statement - My colorful, precise, and detailed pen-on-paper art is a testament to a journey that has never been easy. From the moment I was overlooked in school—my potential ignored, my needs unmet—I was placed in the background. But every piece of my art tells a different story. It reflects the resilience, strength, and power I always had within me, despite the lack of support to help me fully evolve into who I am today. Through my award-winning art, I refuse to let past rejection or low expectations define me. I’ve learned this: it’s not enough to just look back. I refuse to stay stuck in the past. Instead, I’ve chosen to create beauty from my pain, to turn that struggle into purpose. That’s what sets a life of mediocrity apart from a life of meaning. I don’t just choose a life with purpose—I create it. One pen stroke, one story, one dream at a time. I am Significantly Joe. I am Joseph James Roach. I am different, and I embrace that difference. I move in a world of shapes and colors. I see things through a unique lens—and that is my gift. To those who feel overlooked, to parents and caregivers of children with special needs: walk this journey with me. Let’s refuse to let a lack of understanding silence us. Together, we can be the beautiful, powerful individuals we were always meant to be. Headshot photo by Mary Ellen Wright Kendrell Daniels Starkville, MS · Age 25 Biography - Kendrell Daniels is a multidisciplinary artist who explores identity, resilience, and accessibility through photography, video, and painting. He combines technical innovation with emotional depth, creating self-portraits, documentary images, and expressive visual narratives that challenge societal perceptions and invite more inclusive ways of seeing. Daniels photographs using a custom-mounted camera on his wheelchair and paints using his feet, integrating his physical perspective into both his process and vision. His subject matter ranges from intimate, personal work to broader social themes and sports photography. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Mississippi State University, with minors in Film Studies and Art History, and is based in Starkville, Mississippi. Statement - My work is rooted in storytelling—emotional, honest, and deeply felt. Whether through photography, video, or painting, I create images that reflect healing, resilience, and identity. I am drawn to moments carrying emotional weight—quiet expressions, physical tension, spiritual symbols- and I use my work to create space for those feelings to be seen. Born without arms, I photograph using a camera mounted to my wheelchair and paint with my feet, developing methods that give me full control over my creative process. These adaptations help form my independence, which allows me to create on my terms. I believe art is a way to reflect what’s often unspoken and to make space for truth, both mine and others. I’m not interested in perfection or performance. I’m interested in honesty. Through my exploration, I hope to open a window into deeper emotional landscapes and invite viewers to slow down, reflect, and feel. Headshot photo by Kendrell Daniels Luke Cooper Blacklick, OH · Age 19 Biography - Luke’s work has been featured in several prominent exhibitions including the Cincinnati Museum of Art, Massillon Art Museum, Springfield Art Museum, and Franklin Park Conservatory Art Gallery. With a mature colour palette, Luke’s painting style is versatile and sophisticated, rendered with a calm resolve, and an ease that belies his busy life as both artist and college student. “Art has become my sanctuary and means of self-expression, enabling me to communicate complex emotions that are sometimes difficult to articulate. The ability to hyperfocus while creating has been invaluable in capturing the intricate details within my work.” Statement - My creative inspiration is drawn from a variety of sources, including humor, moments of epiphany, self-reflection, architecture, and nature. Whenever something captivates my attention, I capture it through photography and later reinterpret it on canvas. Painting is often accompanied by listening to informative podcasts, which further fuels my creative process. I am particularly influenced by Impressionism, a movement that encourages viewers to appreciate both the overall composition and intricate details. This influence is evident in my “Garden” series, where finger-tapped textures and blended colors create vibrant, organic landscapes. I am naturally drawn to shapes, curves, and fluid forms, which also manifest in my self-portraits. Headshot photo by Kent Smith Photography Madi Snow-Gould Waco, TX · Age 25 Biography - Madi Snow-Gould (she/her) is a fiber artist living in Waco, Texas. Disabled by several chronic illnesses, Madi picked up weaving six years ago to pass her time in bed and found a deep love for the medium. She studied social work at Baylor University and is self-taught in her artistic practice. Her work is characterized by bright color, maximalist texture, thoughtfully sourced materials, and aesthetic abundance. Snow-Gould is a proud disabled woman, and the transformative liberation of her experiences in community with other disabled people is the engine of her life and art. When she’s not getting weird with yarn, Madi works part-time doing research for the Baylor Collaborative on Faith and Disability. You can view her work on Instagram @confetti.weaves, or online at confettiweaves.com. Statement - My artistic tastes have been primarily shaped by my experience with chronic pain. I think absurd goodness brings balance against the absurdity of unresolvable pain, and I pursue that in color, texture, and material choice. Many people have only learned to conceptualize disability as a kind of flat tragedy, when of course it is so much more. I know the landscape of disability to be lush with resilience, joy, community, and possibility. With that in mind, I engage dimension and bright color to explore a complex, countercultural vision of disability. My work is an invitation to disabled people to celebrate their particularity, and a challenge to nondisabled people to reimagine what they believe about different bodies. Headshot photo by Madi Snow-Gould Nana-Tawi Bey Bowie, MD · Age 22 Biography - Nana-Tawi (he/she) is a 22-year-old, disabled, Black lesbian. Their art practice primarily consists of digital animation and illustration, as those are the mediums more accessible to them. Their endeavors feature a creative entrepreneurial fellowship at Maryland Institute College of Art, an officer of Student Animators for Inclusion, and exhibition of their artworks in “Unmasked,” a disabled art showcase. They also have in previous years had their work showcased in the District of Columbia Public Library’s, “Know Your Power,” social justice focused art contest. Statement - Maryland based animator, illustrator, and sequential artist Nana-Tawi, is heavily inspired by the magical realism that we lose sight of as adults. Their work is heavily influenced by classic emotionally driven narrative animations such as The Lion King, they also draw inspiration from the warm, textured colors, magic that mists the air, and wonder provided by older animation like Kipper the Dog. They create because it allows them to romanticize the little things in life, and channel their perspective of disability into something that resonates with others, so they can feel a little less alone. Nana-Tawi believes there’s magic everywhere, animation just makes it easier to see! Rebecca Panos Chicago, IL · Age 23 Biography - Rebecca Panos is an artist based in Chicago, Illinois. Her meticulously crafted pieces serve as reflections of the contemporary discord within her fragmented queer identity, bridging tradition with the contemporary. Panos was recently named a Fulbright Semi-Finalist for open research in Greece (2025-26). Recent exhibitions include: Landscapes of Ornamentation , Curated by Marie Catalano, Broadway Windows at NYU, NYC (2024); Hos-pes , Curated by Lila Nazemian, Commons & Rosenberg Gallery, NYC (2024); Traces: Archive as Practice , Curated by NYU VAA, Commons Gallery, NYC; Queer Knowing Curated by Blair Simmons at All Street Gallery, NYC (2023); To Darken, Lightly , Curated by Audra Lambert at LIC-A Art Space, Long Island City, New York (2023); Transversal: Where We Come From and Where We Are Going 80WSE Gallery, NYC (2023). Statement - In my practice, I delve into the rich tapestry of narrative—unraveling threads of ancestry, identity, and the stories woven between individuals. Rooted in the historically significant materials and mediums tied to domesticity and matrilineality, I merge the practical and the artistic. Weaving, sewing, and crocheting, skills passed down through my Greek lineage, serve as both mediums of creation and vessels for narratives. The concept of “home” reverberates throughout my work, whether anchored in a site or network, connecting the tangible with the intangible moments that shape an individual’s life. Whether exploring the complexities of emotional labor, translating people’s experiences into tangible artifacts, or delving into the nuances of personal and shared histories, my work aims to make every moment equally impactful. In my practice, duration is not merely a measure of time, but a reflective process. Through oral histories and fragmented self-narratives, I strive to capture life as a series of attempts—the intricacies, vulnerabilities, and the threads that bind us all together. My work becomes a diary of sorts, a first-person narrative that speaks to the labor of relationships present and passed down, echoes and imprints. Headshot photo by Rebecca Panos Schuyler Dragoo Brookline, MA · Age 23 Biography - Schuyler Dragoo is a Boston-based interdisciplinary artist working in experimental new media. Her research-driven practice explores how understanding is shaped through attempts at connection—especially across species boundaries, digital systems, and the edges of human perception. She composes original fiddle music and works across painting, sculpture, performance, and digital media to stage layered encounters with the unfamiliar. Her neurodivergent perspective shapes a practice attuned to complexity, care, and connection—inviting speculative empathy and new ways of relating across difference. She hopes her practice cultivates a way of being and witnessing with others—human and more-than-human—that begins in curiosity and leads not to answers, but to deeper forms of care and relation. Schuyler holds an MFA from the School of Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University and is pursuing an MA in Psychology at CCSU. She can be reached at schuylerdragoo.com. Statement - My work begins in the space between recognition and misrecognition—between gesture and meaning, movement and memory. I am drawn to the moment where something starts to take shape but resists full comprehension. Mimicry becomes a way of staying with that resistance—not to master it, but to be changed by proximity. I treat mimicry as a speculative practice: a method of relation rather than replication. It allows me to move alongside unfamiliar rhythms—those of geese, machines, bodies, or objects—not to become the same, but to become with. Co-presence becomes a form of relational research. As a neurodivergent artist, I move through systems that weren’t built for how I sense or make meaning. I linger in ambiguity and prioritize curiosity over clarity. My mimicry becomes a way of asking: What if this is something I haven’t learned how to see yet? I believe in forms of care that arise from slowness, from not-knowing, from sustained attention. To witness is already to be in relation. And sometimes, a gesture—imprecise, absurd, unfinished—is enough to begin. Headshot photo by Darcey Stone Sophia Pineda Fredericksburg, VA · Age 21 Biography - Sophia Pineda is a 21-year-old woman with Down syndrome who lives life out loud and in vibrant color. She has studied Chinese brushstroke and Sumi-e watercolor painting for several years. More recently, she’s begun to explore acrylic painting, pottery, and collages—as well as helping to create murals in her community. Sophia’s paintings have been displayed at the Chinese American Museum D.C. and the Artists4ERA campaign. She’s been the featured solo artist for shows at Capitol One headquarters, Children’s National Medical Center, the Pozez Jewish Community Center, the Fredericksburg Area Museum, and a forthcoming exhibit at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Statement - When asked to discuss her art, Sophia says, “Art makes me happy. I like feeling professional, proud, strong, and confident when I make art.” She sees the world as “full of wonderful and happy surprises.” In her view, “Art can show people how to be strong and how to treat others. Art can show you how to love.” She wants people to make friends with her art. Sophia takes pride in showing the greater world that people with an intellectual disability contribute a lot to their communities and can do great things when they have no limits and more opportunities. Headshot photo by Andre Pineda

Biographies and artist statements for the Access/VSA Emerging Young Artists 2024-2025 Winners. 2024-2025 Emerging Young Artists Inte rchange is the 20th exhibition presented by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of the Access/VSA Emerging Young Artists Program, a Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Program. The result of an over 20-year collaboration with Volkswagen Group of America, this national art program and exhibition features fifteen artists with disabilities, ages 16-25, displaying their work in venues across the country where each artist’s individual talent, mode of expression, and view of the world is highlighted and valued. With this traveling exhibition, the program amplifies the work of artists with disabilities throughout the United States, positioning them to broaden our understanding of disability and the arts. This year’s theme, Interchange , invites artists to explore the intersection of their disabili ty and artistic identities in a way that engages others in conversation. Director of Accessibility and VSA Betty Siegel notes “Interchange is not just a word or title for this exhibition, it is an expression of the way in which these young artists weave and intermingle the realities of their individual lived disability experiences with their bold artistic expression. Whether they paint, weld, draw or photograph these artists push the interchange of societies ideas and perspectives on disability.” How does their art interact with their disability identity and the world? How are they initiating dialogue with others? What conversations does their art inspire for the viewer? What new connections and pathways will the viewer explore as a result of their interchange with the artwork? ABOUT ACCESS/VSA EMERGING YOUNG ARTISTS PROGRAM Since 2002, the Kennedy Center and Volkswagen Group of America have teamed up for the Access/VSA Emerging Young Artists Program, a Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Program, to recognize and showcase the work of emerging young artists living with disabilities in the United States. This collaboration creates opportunities for these artists at a critical time when many are making the life-defining choice to pursue arts-based careers. The Kennedy Center and Volkswagen are committed to investing in the future of young artists living with disabilities. Every year, hundreds of emerging young artists living with disabilities compete to be included in a curated exhibition formed around a unique theme. After a rigorous adjudication process, 15 artists are selected to participate in the program. Each artist receives a $5,000 award, participates in professional development and networking activities, and has their work featured in a national exhibition. Exhibition Tour The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.) Jun 20, 2024 through Jul 28, 2024 (to be confirmed) Art Access Gallery (Raleigh, NC) Aug 9, 2024 through Sep 21, 2024 The Collective (Lafayette, CO) Nov 6, 2024 through Jan 5, 2025 2024-2025 Winners: Melina Ahmad Grace Benjamin Ruby Cromer Grace Fisher Al Gatta Sophia Gibbins John Groves Pins Leese Santiago López Nicole Mattick Camari Michael Jess Schwarz Sarah Simmons Celeste Tooth Maris Van Vlack MELINA AHMAD Brooklyn, New York · Age 17 Biography - As a young, queer, disabled artist, Melina Ahmad strives to communicate their story through art. They were unable to create art for a year after developing a chronic illness, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, which rendered them bedbound. However, over time, they regained enough strength to pursue visual art, beginning with small works until they had recovered enough to create ambitious works of watercolor, sculpture, and mixed media. Now, Melina studies neuroscience and visual art at Bryn Mawr College, inspired by their chronic illness. They plan to attend graduate school for neuroscience research, while continuing to explore and celebrate disability through art and science alike. Statement - Melina Ahmad’s work is an ode to the human figure, in all forms of ability. Through multimedia works centering their own disabled body, they demonstrate the practice of finding beauty within disability. Their work emphasizes the naturalness of the human form with deep greens, blues, and reds to add depth to their watercolors and three-dimensional shapes to make the physical presence of their subjects known. In Fragmented Self Portrait, Melina fractures a painting of themselves, depicting the struggle of self-perception in a world that alienates and degrades disabled people. By separating pieces of the portrait with layers of fragile plexiglass, they communicate the delicate connection between the body and mind of a disabled person. GRACE BENJAMIN Woodbridge, Virginia · Age 23 Biography - Grace Benjamin is an artist and designer hailing from the Northern Virginia/Washington D.C metro area. Her works pull from a diverse range of mediums, showcasing an affinity for storytelling deeply influenced by her background as a child of refugees. With elements of illustration, graphic design, weaving, and figurative painting in her repertoire, Grace constructs art that explores and reflects human connections. Inspired by her parents’ journey from South Sudan, the memories of their past, and their dreams for her future, she uses her pieces as a bridge that binds their story, finding balance in human emotions and tradition. Statement - My artistic narrative is a dance between the ephemeral and the eternal – a reflection on the mutability of the human experience. I tread the line between traditional and digital realms, blurring the boundaries of these disparate domains. The digital form allows for reproducibility and accessibility while the physical, confronts us with its inevitable decay. This duality underscores my creative process. A fascination with collage art and its historical feminist implications further informs my artistic journey. The female figures in my work, steeped in symbolism from Nilotic mythology, echo powerful stories from the Nile River inhabitants, handed down through generations, including from my mother to me. However, my work is also shaped by personal challenges. While themes in my work may delve into serious or even somber territories, my creative process, ignited by my attention deficit disorder, infuses a playful and experimental dimension that challenges and complements these themes. My art becomes a dialogue between introspection and outward expression, resilience and vulnerability, past and present, ultimately interpreting my multidimensional human experience. RUBY CROMER Minneapolis, Minnesota · Age 25 Biography - Ruby Cromer is a photographer from Minneapolis making still lifes and self-portraits that ruminate on illness and investigate the power dynamics of patient care. Forced to abandon painting because of a changing hand disability, she moved to photography and received her BFA from the University of Minnesota. Recent group exhibitions include DESTROY THE GAP at Bowling Green State University, the bed beside me at Fresh Eye Gallery, and Booting Up at Chronically Online Gallery. Cromer’s work has also been published in WMN and Sinister Wisdom. RubyCromer.com Statement - As a “medical impersonator” experimenting with gendered tropes of medical providers in my self-portraiture, I aim to disrupt the power dynamics between photographer and subject and reveal the parallel dynamics in the American medical system that harm both medical workers and patients. I have a particular interest in using self-portraiture to critique the expectation of self-surveillance placed on disabled people and to investigate the elements of performance both in how I navigate an ableist medical system and in the system itself. My work engages with the double-edged privilege of passing or masking—as straight and gender conforming, GRACE FISHER Santa Barbara, California · Age 25 Biography - Grace Fisher was raised in Santa Barbara, California where she embraced music at a young age. At age 17, she developed a rare neurological disease, Acute Flaccid Myelitis, leaving her paralyzed from the neck down. Following Grace’s diagnosis, she discovered mouth painting and music composition and graduated from UCSB with a BA in music composition. She now is an award-winning composer and artist passionate about bringing the arts to other individuals with disabilities. Her physical limitations demand a different approach, but she has embraced a new mantra: “My only limitation will be my imagination.” Statement - My artform is painting and music composition. I like to combine the two when possible because I think the two artforms can be transformative and expressive in a deeply emotional construct. My painting process is usually a scene in nature or landscape that inspires me with color and beauty. I enjoy revealing textures and colors to give the artwork life. I often imagine it in movement, even though I am capturing an instant or a moment of reflection. Sometimes I hear music when I experience my painting and have composed music and given some of my painting animation to tell a larger story or communicate a profound experience. Most of my paintings are inspired by things that are around me, celebrating and connecting with the world in my own experience. AL GATTA Flushing, New York · Age 21 Biography - Al Gatta is a visual artist and painter born and raised in New York City. Motivated by their experiences living with a chronic neuropsychiatric illness, they primarily make work that attends to notions of bodily autonomy in the contemporary age and the evolving relationship between tech and humanity. Al has exhibited work at the CUE Art Foundation and more recently at the Westbeth Gallery in NYC. They are currently working towards a BFA in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. When not in school they live and work in NYC. Statement - The experience of my limbs moving on their own, my back arching when I want it to be straight, hearing my vocal cords make whimpers and cries in an otherwise quiet room and my own resulting discomfort forces me to consider the point of view of others watching me twitch and writhe. Despite the pain these movements cause, much of the difficulty I face is in information space. The disabled body is in a constant state of surveillance, not by CCTV but by every person who encounters it. I take up more metaphysical space, I inhabit a larger sphere of influence because I cannot be discreet. My brain, which often gets separated from the force that is me and from the body we inhabit, won’t process information correctly and so that information gets expressed as a movement. It leaves the realm of electric signals for a brief moment before being re-coded into someone’s memory, or if they’re so inclined, the internet. My work deals with this transfer of information and seeks to externalize the experience of lost control. Building off of the electric aspect of this experience, I utilize abstraction and imagery associated with science fiction as modes through which I can scrutinize codes of conduct, and what it means for someone’s existence to subvert them. Within my work sweeping forms reminiscent of plants or ancient life-forms are combined with computational and medical equipment to draw connections between the body, digital technology, and the records both leave behind. SOPHIA GIBBINS New York, New York · Age 18 Biography - Currently in her freshman year of college, Sophia Gibbins is a multicultural born and raised New Yorker. At 16 she was hospitalized for extreme stomach pain and diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called Crohn’s Disease. While accepting the idea of a lifelong illness posed challenges, facing the lack of awareness around chronic illness in her community was its own unique hurdle. People often reacted with discomfort, tiptoeing around her illness which led her to stop bringing it up in conversation. She saw the opportunity of using her art to encourage conversation and at six feet tall her artwork is impossible to ignore. Her artwork facilitates a dialogue that not only helps her share her experience but connects her with others going through similar struggles bringing to life a community in which she feels a sense of belonging. Statement - My artistic process is steeped in experimentation, an ever-changing hunt for the perfect materials to tell my story. I was taught only to use paper and canvas as the foundation for my art. When I relinquished that idea, I saw potential for art all around me. Suddenly wood, old books, mirrors, glass, fabric and even paper plates became inspiration for me to create. Unconventional materials help me better tell my story by providing a richer canvas. Instead of working on a blank surface, I seek out materials that already have character in texture or pattern. I examine how I can transform the natural associations we have with these materials into themes for my work. By connecting my artwork to the material’s origin, I intertwine various themes to create a cohesive work. JOHN GROVES Woodbine, New Jersey · Age 24 Biography - John Groves (they/she/he) is a 24-year-old lens-based artist. They are a recent graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography and related media. Their current practice revolves around the relationship glitch media has with chronic illness and ableism within society. As a chronically ill artist themselves, they question where and how the body exists within society. Through sculpture, installation, and lens-based work they create pieces that make the viewer reflect on the body and how it exists within medical spaces. They currently work a day job as a barista to support their art practice and create work on their days off. Statement - My current body of work centers around exploring the chronically ill experience through glitch art and multimedia pieces. Using lens-based mediums, I aim to examine the implications of owning a body and the resulting societal/institutional consequences, particularly through glitch art. The process itself allows space to challenge conventional notions of “brokenness” and embrace existence in all its forms. Through glitch art, I create space to question how society perceives and interacts with chronically ill/injured bodies, while also exploring my personal experiences. My goal is to prompt viewers to question how they examine their own bodies and to encourage them to consider why medical institutions exist as they do. Through my work, I aim to spark introspection and critical thinking about how a body is examined and the societal implications of medical institutions. PINS LEESE Lorton, Virginia · Age 20 Biography - Benjamin “Pins” Leese is a comic book artist and illustrator, graduating from Bowling Green State University this spring. His dedication to ink illustration has garnered widespread recognition and a devoted fan base of over 70,000 online followers. With a passion for storytelling that transcends the boundaries of traditional comic art, Pins has carved out a unique niche in the world of sequential art. His work is a testament to his unwavering commitment to the craft, as he deftly weaves narratives and visual aesthetics into captivating and thought-provoking illustrations. Pins is an active participant in the art community, recently working an internship at Gallery Underground in Arlington. He serves as a gallery artist, collaborating with Uniting US Arts to curate and present exhibitions in the vibrant arts scene of Washington, D.C. Statement - I am an illustrator specializing in comic book art and narrative design with a focus on ink and marker materials. My work serves as a commentary on modern socialization through metaphors of anthropomorphic animals. These animals contextualize interactions through mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism which mirrors the relationships individuals have as they encounter more people. My art explores themes of sonder, confronting mortality, and nostalgic inspirations. The works of artists like Art Spiegelman and Will Eisner have significantly inspired my character design, shading techniques, and overall layout. My artistic goal is to tell stories through my art that move people on a personal level, showcasing the epitome of what it means to be human through the means of cartoon animals. SANTIAGO LÓPEZ San Diego, California · Age 21 Biography - Growing up in San Diego and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, art became López’s way of speaking up and finding purpose. An illustrator and storyteller he works to start conversations around the intersections of his Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Latinx identity. His art sheds light on social justice themes to spark dialogue about our shared humanity. López just completed his Associates Degree in Studio Art at San Diego City College with plans to continue his art education. His work has been featured in publications, won awards and exhibited at places like the California Center for the Arts, Centro Cultural de la Raza and the Nickelodeon Gallery. Statement - Art is storytelling and I use visual metaphors and symbols to communicate ideas. To spark a shift and flip the script, my work searches for hidden narratives that whisper beneath the surface. Mindful that every angle brings depth and meaning to the story, I’m driven to explore diverse perspectives. Fusing traditional tools with digital media, I blend imagery with textures crafted by hand or photographed like peeling paint or windswept sand. My work is a dialogue about what makes us human, the shared struggles and dreams that define our lives. Starting conversations around the intersections of my ASD and Latinx identity, my art is both a reflection and invitation to an inclusive world. NICOLE MATTICK St. Petersburg, Florida · Age 25 Biography - As a senior Graphic Design student at USF, I am passionate about creating meaningful art that makes an impact. Though I was born with cerebral palsy and faced physical challenges, I never let it stop me from pursuing my dreams and living life to the fullest. Alongside my studies, spending time with my friends and family is also an important part of my life. Whether it’s our late-night dinner debates about music or exploring local art shows for inspiration, I cherish these moments as they help me grow both personally and creatively. Through my work, I strive to create designs that not only look beautiful but also carry a strong message that inspires and connects with people on a deeper level. Statement - As an artist, I believe that creativity is a powerful tool for expressing emotions, ideas, and messages. My work reflects my personal experiences, memories, and observations of the world around me living as disabled person. I am constantly inspired by nature, music, and the people I meet on my travels. My goal is to create art that captures the essence of these experiences and evokes an emotional response in the viewer. I work primarily with digital graphics and physical mixed media, such as acrylic paint, experimenting with texture and color to create depth and dimension in my pieces. I am drawn to bright, bold colors and contrasting elements that create a sense of movement and energy. My work often features abstract shapes and patterns, layered with imagery and text that convey a deeper meaning. As an artist, I am committed to pushing myself outside of my comfort zone and exploring new techniques and styles. I believe that art has the power to inspire change and I hope that my work can make a positive impact on the world. CAMARI MICHAEL Jackson, Mississippi · Age 23 Biography - I am a 23-year-old designer and multidisciplinary artist with albinism. I grew up in the small southern city of Jackson, Mississippi. Over the years, I garnered many skills within the realm of performance art. I learned sound design, stage management, dramaturgy, costume design, and set design. The culmination of these experiences helped me to figure out what path to eventually take as a career. After exploring these disciplines, I began my secondary education at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where I would branch out and further my creative expertise while building the foundation to start my own jewelry business, Biting Bat Collection. Statement - Biting Bat Collection is a jewelry project that seeks to reimagine accessories and promote radical self-acceptance through wearable art. I create extravagantly elegant and complex art pieces with the love and boundless creativity that has existed within me since childhood. The way I make jewelry is akin to how I choose to live my everyday life- slow and with intent. I love to make everything I wear and share it with others. I find most value and beauty in items that have been crafted by hand, rather than mass-produced and rushed, which is why I continue to create my pieces. JESS SCHWARZ Lawrenceburg, Indiana · Age 22 Biography - Jess Schwarz, a 22-year-old LGBTQ+ interdisciplinary artist, now calls Pittsburgh home. A recent graduate, they are a glass studio technician apprentice at the Pittsburgh Glass Center, blending artistic passion with hands-on expertise. Hailing from the Appalachian foothills, their journey of self-discovery began when they left home at 15. Pursuing a BFA in Art History at the Columbus College of Art & Design, Jess’s academic excellence allowed them to connect their love for art with scholarly inquiry, offering catharsis and a medium to share their unique experience. As an artist with autism and physical disabilities, their work sparks dialogues challenging misconceptions and fostering unity and understanding among differing perspectives. Jess aspires to become a practicing artist and technician, advocating for inclusion and embracing differences. Statement - My artistic process seamlessly intertwines my life experiences as an Appalachian LGBTQ+ individual with disabilities. It’s a deliberate exploration of the unconventional, blurring the boundary between humor and contemplation while shedding light on often overlooked voices. As an autistic person, navigating the complexities of communication, I wield language as both a tool and symbol, abstracting it to mirror daily barriers. My unorthodox journey bridges diverse worlds, using silicone, latex, and plastic to symbolize the alienation I’ve encountered in conformist society, inviting dialogue and guiding viewers toward uncharted terrain, fostering reflection. Beyond my personal journey, I ignite societal discussions, conveying my story through visual language, prompting contemplation of the elusive boundaries surrounding disability. In both academia and art, my unconventional path serves as a bridge, celebrating perseverance and adaptability. SARAH SIMMONS Laurinburg, North Carolina · Age 22 Biography - Sarah Simmons, a North Carolina lens-based artist, draws inspiration from the natural world and her lived experiences. Through the manipulation of imagery, she creates art about living with neuromuscular disease and the barriers that accompany advocating for equal access in all facets of life. A summa cum laude graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in photography, Simmons is currently pursuing an MFA in Photography at SCAD with hopes of becoming a professor. Her desire to teach at the college level grew out of her wonderful learning experiences there where she fell in love with the art of critique and the philosophy of aesthetics, where the power of a good education was realized after experiencing education-based discrimination throughout high school. Simmons also aspires to work with nonprofit organizations for artists with disabilities, giving back to the community that has embraced her, helping others find their light and voices through art as she has found hers. Statement - As a lens-based artist, I draw inspiration from the natural world’s cycle of life and death. Through multiple exposures layered with medical imaging, medical aids, and patterns from nature, the work highlights invisible symptoms and alludes to genetic information only attainable on a microscopic or cellular level. The domestic objects in the works reflect the isolation of the everyday, and mirror the feelings I experience living with neuromuscular disease and advocating for equal rights. By relating back to a simpler way of living, depictions demonstrate the external effects of physical disability, the need for therapies from infancy to prosper, the cost of medical care, and the financial impact it has on families. Most of all, I create to push forward the depiction of disability in art to redefine what it means to be disabled, promote inclusion and awareness through visual communication, and educate viewers who would otherwise be uninformed. CELESTE TOOTH Baltimore, Maryland · Age 23 Biography - Celeste Tooth (they/them) is a 23-year-old non-binary lesbian. Their fine art practice centers primarily on their Disabled identity and the disability community. Upcoming shows include Opulent Mobility and their first solo show The Body Out of Motion which opens in April 2024. Recent publications include Beloved Zine and Look Deeper Zine. Their work in Drawn Poorly is archived at the Wellcome Collection Museum in London. Tooth is also engaged in disability justice advocacy work in various contexts including being selected as a France-Merrick Fellow working with artists at Make Studio Baltimore, a Transform Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellow, a Covid Safe Campus Ambassador, and a Diversity Coordinator at Maryland Institute College of Art’s Office of Culture and Identity. They are currently working as head curator on their third exhibition centering Disabled artists in Baltimore. Their commentary on ableism has been featured in magazines such as Hyperallergic, Xtra Magazine, and The Art Newspaper. They are a senior at Maryland Institute College of Art in the BFA Interdisciplinary Sculpture Program with a humanistic studies minor in Gender Studies and an arts minor in Illustration. Statement - My work chronicles my lived experience with disability and queerness through semi-abstract references to systems within the body. I utilize metal fabrication, wood working, mold making\casting, and digital fabrication to bring those ideas into the 3D world. I heavily reference –and in turn become part of– the longstanding tradition of utilizing art as a means of protest within disability culture. Much of my work revolves around subversion in reverencing the discarded abject body. Often referencing the “Ugly Laws” —a historical discriminatory ableist practice in the US— and their lingering impact today, my sculptures are a discussion of the right to belong. MARIS VAN VLACK Mansfield, Massachusetts · Age 21 Biography - Maris Van Vlackgrew up in Massachusetts surrounded by the historical textiles practices in the Boston area and the quiet beauty of the New England forested habitats. Her time studying at the Rhode Island School of Design in the Textile Department’s BFA program with a Drawing minor has taught her to intertwine ways of making and think critically about what inspires her textiles work. She is primarily a fiber artist, constructing surfaces using weaving techniques that are then layered with drawn marks and coats of pigment. Her work centers around deep and spatial compositions imitating the landscape that comes through the layering processes. Statement - Maris Van Vlack is an interdisciplinary artist whose work bridges fiber art and painting practices. Using traditional textile techniques, she constructs tactile images that reference landscapes from the past. She builds up surfaces by handweaving panels of fabric thread by thread, slowly constructing surfaces that trap memory and history in the sedimentary process. She then layers drawn, painted, and stitched marks on the woven surface to simultaneously reveal and obscure atmospheric imagery that depict spaces and architecture from her family’s history that have been lost with time. Her work is a window through which to see layers of time and memory, depicting the space that exists between the past and the present.

Become a member of the Access/VSA International Network. Contact We would love to chat with you more about joining the Access/VSA International Network, how to make the most of your membership, or answer any questions your have! How to get in touch EMAIL Send us an email at vsainfo@kennedy-center.org . PHONE Call us Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET at 202-416-8898 . 1:1 VIDEO CHAT Email us at vsainfo@kennedy-center.org to schedule a one-on-one video chat with a member of our Access/VSA Network team. Let us know what you would like assistance with (technical support, membership schedules, how to get involved, etc.) and we will set up a time for you to meet with us!

Online courses with the Kennedy Center Office of Accessibility and VSA The Theory and Practice of Anti-Ableist Arts Education The Theory and Practice of Anti-Ableist Arts Education is an asynchronous collection of modules that invites arts educators and administrators to consider what changes when our students’ disabilities are not just learning needs to design for but are also cultural identities to value in our classrooms. Throughout the course, we engage with historical work and thought-provoking readings (theory) that challenge our assumptions about disability and access. We also review concrete resources (practice) that suggest easy-to-implement strategies for meeting students’ needs in the classroom. Both are essential in anti-ableist teaching, which goes beyond integrating resources like accessibility checklists or adaptive tools—though these are useful starting points. This collection of modules provides educators, teaching artists, program administrators, and others with support in both efforts—unpacking concepts like ableism and anti-ableism, introducing ways to understand and design for disability in the classroom, exploring the history and work of disability justice, and providing concrete strategies and suggested arts exemplars for each of the major disciplines. This online course is comprised of 15 Modules that may be purchased individually for $75.00 each, or in discounted bundles. Purchase the complete bundle and receive a $100 discount. Modules 1, 2, and 15 are our gift to you and are FREE with the purchase of any single module or bundle (a value of $225). Pick the bundle that best suits your needs and register at kec.memberclicks.net/antiableistcourse Module 1: Setting the Stage for Anti-Ableist Arts Learning Module 2: Foundations of Anti-Ableist Arts Education This module defines and unpacks ableism as an oppressive system that impacts people with and without disabilities. We explore how ableism often shows up in schools, arts organizations, nonprofits, and society writ large. It also introduces a framework for anti-ableist arts pedagogy. Module 3: The History and Practice of Disability Justice This module introduces and unpacks the concept of disability justice. We go over the history of the first and second waves of the disability rights movement and differentiate between disability rights and disability justice as frameworks. Drawing on the work of disabled activists and artists, this module invites arts educators to consider the work of accessibility as a practice of love and solidarity with their disabled students. Module 4: Models of Disability and Their Impact on Instruction This module establishes disability as both an embodied experience and an identity. It challenges the idea that we can arrive at one, essential definition of disability as well as creating a single definition should be a goal. We unpack common definitions and ways of thinking about disability while exploring what each approach might mean for arts teaching. Module 5: U.S. Special Education Law: What Arts Educators Need to Know This module provides an introduction to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, unpacks the six core tenets of the law, and addresses what school- and community-based arts educators need to know about how the law affects their work. It also provides overviews of other laws that affect the arts learning of students with disabilities. We explore how these laws support disabled students and also where they fall short in efforts to enact disability justice. Module 6: Disability Art This module introduces the Disability Art Movement and the concept of “disability aesthetics.” We explore the difference between Disability Art and art by artists with disabilities and discuss the importance of highlighting Disability Art in the classroom. Module 7: Teaching in Anti-Ableist Classrooms: Differentiated Instruction This module explores the framework of differentiated instruction in relationship to anti-ableist practice. It suggests strategies for planning arts learning activities using Differentiated Instruction within an anti-ableist framework for instruction. Module 8: Teaching in Anti-Ableist Classrooms: Universal Design for Learning This module explores the framework of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in relationship to anti-ableist practice. It suggests strategies for planning learning activities using UDL within an anti-ableist framework for instruction. Module 9: Teaching in Anti-Ableist Classrooms: Adaptation, Accommodations, and Modifications This module unpacks the definitions of adaptations, accommodations, and modifications to ensure that students with disabilities are appropriately supported in inclusive and separate classrooms. We contextualize adaptations within an anti-ableist framework to challenge the idea that accessibility “checklists” can fully meet students’ needs. This module provides instructional examples that span the arts disciplines. Module 10: Visual Art: Exemplars and Strategies This module explores disability aesthetics in the visual arts and provides suggestions for integrating disability art into the anti-ableist visual art classroom. We deeply explore the work of Deaf artist Patti Durr in addition to discussing several other disabled visual artists whose work can enrich instruction. The module also provides participants with specific instructional strategies for supporting students with disabilities in visual arts education. Featured Artist Interview: Patti Durr Featured Educator Interview: Kristin Mohan Module 11: Drama: Exemplars and Strategies This module explores disability aesthetics in drama and provides suggestions for integrating disability art into the anti-ableist theater classroom. We deeply explore the work of theatremaker Terri Lynne Hudson in addition to discussing several other disabled theater artists whose work can enrich instruction. The module also provides participants with specific instructional strategies for supporting students with disabilities in theater education. Featured Artist Interview: Terri Lynne Hudson Featured Educator Interview: Sofiya Cheyenne Module 12: Dance: Exemplars and Strategies This module explores disability aesthetics in dance and provides suggestions for integrating disability art into the anti-ableist dance classroom. We deeply explore the work of dancer Alice Sheppard in addition to discussing several other disabled dancers and choreographers whose work can enrich instruction. The module also provides participants with specific instructional strategies for supporting students with disabilities in dance education. Featured Artist Interview: Alice Sheppard Featured Educator Interview: Elizabeth Staal Module 13: Music: Exemplars and Strategies This module explores disability aesthetics in music and provides suggestions for integrating disability art into the anti-ableist music classroom. We deeply explore the work of musician Lachi in addition to discussing several other disabled musicians whose work can enrich instruction. The module also provides participants with specific instructional strategies for supporting students with disabilities in music education. Featured Artist Interview: Lachi Featured Educator Interview: Emma Gibbins Module 14: Anti-Ableism in Arts Education Leadership This module explores considerations for anti-ableist program design, including administrative commitments as well as approaches for training teachers and teaching artists throughout their careers. Featured Panel Interview: Lachi, Erin Hoppe, Lauren Stichter, Hannah Wong Module 15: Conclusion: Toward a More Just Arts Education

Engage with your Access/VSA Network members through community forums, e-lists, and more! Community Events Let's get together! Join your colleagues for topical, informal chats about arts and culture, accessibility, and more. Our monthly Afternoon Teas and After-Work Happy Hours are virtual spaces where you can connect with others who share your passion for arts and culture, and your desire to make the world more inclusive. Attend one or attend both – you’ll be sure to come away energized, and with new ideas! Afternoon Teas and Happy Hours are an exclusive benefit of Access/VSA Network membership. You must be signed in to register for in these events. Register for Community Events View Full Events Calendar View a List of Upcoming Events

Are you interested in providing exciting and dynamic VSA programs at your cultural institution? Access/VSA Creative Career Internship Program Ready to make a difference? Join us in offering Access/VSA internships in creative careers, empowering individuals with disabilities in your community. Request for Contract Proposals The Office of Accessibility and VSA seeks contractors to provide Access/VSA Creative Career Internship Program career development opportunities in creative industries, arts management or administration, design, production, or technical theatre for individuals with disabilities, ages 21-30. The program provides community-based internships that are designed to have immediate competitive integrated employment outcomes and lead to ongoing employment in a creative career. Program participants receive instruction and hands-on employment in which they develop critical 21st century business skills and knowledge needed for success in the creative career workforce, acquire real world experience working with actual employers, and have the opportunity to interact with peers and professionals in an employment setting. Organizations and companies are invited to submit proposals to implement the Access/VSA Creative Career Program. Please review the following Request for Contract Proposals to apply: RFP Access/VSA Creative Career Internship Program Proposal Submission Deadline: November 7, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET Notification: Selected recipients will be notified by December 8, 2025 Program Implementation Period: January 1 - August 31, 2026 Eligible and qualified organizations and companies are required to sub mit contract proposals online by the deadline to be considered for this program. A Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Program. The content of this program was developed under grant H421F240164 from the U.S. Department of Education (Department). The Department does not mandate or prescribe practices, models, or other activities described or discussed in this program. The content of this program may contain examples of, adaptations of, and links to resources created and maintained by another public or private organization. The Department does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. The content of this program does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department. This program is not intended to represent the views or policy of or be an endorsement of any views expressed or materials provided by any Federal agency (EDGAR 75.620).

The Kennedy Center Office of VSA & Accessibility hosts multiple Creative Careers programs throughout the year, open to young and emerging artists! Access/VSA Employer Community of Practice (ECoP) A dynamic network advancing employment in creative careers for people with disabilities. Join the Access/VSA Employer Community of Practice! Designed for cultural leaders like you, this free online community supports the development of equitable practices that strengthen the creative economy. As a member, you can: Exchange information and share resources regarding hiring, retention, and workplace accessibility within arts and culture organizations. Contribute to best practices that foster competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities in creative fields. Share success stories that demonstrate the value of employees with disabilities across the cultural sector. Explore apprenticeships, internships, and workforce development strategies that cultivate emerging talent in the creative economy. Connect with a national network of like-minded arts employers committed to fostering the diverse talents of employees with disabilities. The group is supported by an E-list, newsletter, virtual gatherings, and professional development opportunities. Because we want to expand the accessible arts-and-culture world, we’ve made this Network Group FREE to all. Please tell your colleagues about it. Let’s transform our future. Register for FREE today! Membership in the Access/VSA Employer of Community is FREE, but a membership to the entire Access/VSA International Network offers you more news and resources, and provides more opportunities for learning and connecting with colleagues. Membership starts at just $30/year. Check out all the benefits here . If you have any questions about the Employer Community of Practice, or about the Access/VSA International Network, please don't hesitate to contact us at vsainfo@kennedy-center.org . The contents of this Access/VSA Creative Career webpage were developed under grant H421F240164 from the U.S. Department of Education (Department). The Department does not mandate or prescribe practices, models, or other activities described or discussed in this document. The contents of this webpage may contain examples of, adaptations of, and links to resources created and maintained by another public or private organization. The Department does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. The content of this webpage does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department. This webpage is not intended to represent the views or policy of or be an endorsement of any views expressed or materials provided by any Federal agency (EDGAR 75.620).

Biographies and artist statements for the Access/VSA Emerging Young Artists 2026 Winners. 2026 Emerging Young Artists We Hold These Truths is the 22nd exhibit presented as part of the Access/VSA Emerging Young Artists Program, a Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Program. This national art career development program and exhibition features fifteen artists with disabilities, ages 16-25. Each artist’s unique individual talent, mode of expression, and view of the world is highlighted and valued. With this exhibition, we aim to amplify the work of artists with disabilities throughout the United States, positioning them to broaden our understanding of disability and the arts. This year’s theme, We Hold These Truths , invites artists to explore how the truths that they hold dear engage with their disability and artistic identities. We hope that as you view the work and learn more about these incredible young artists you are inspired to consider what personal truths ring most true to you in this historic moment marking the United States’ 250th anniversary. ABOUT ACCESS/VSA EMERGING YOUNG ARTISTS PROGRAM Our programs for artists with disabilities shape the future of the arts. The Access/VSA Emerging Young Artists Program amplifies the voices of emerging visual artists through career development and professional empowerment. This national juried exhibition seeks artwork that demonstrates the excellence and important perspectives of artists with disabilities, ages 16-25, residing in the United States. Fifteen artists each receive a $3,000 financial stipend, engage in professional development activities, and have their submitted work featured in an exhibition. Learn more at kennedy-center.org/emergingyoungartists The content of this program was developed under grant H421F240164 from the U.S. Department of Education (Department). The Department does not mandate or prescribe practices, models, or other activities described or discussed in this program. The content of this program may contain examples of, adaptations of, and links to resources created and maintained by another public or private organization. The Department does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. The content of this program does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department. This program is not intended to represent the views or policy of or be an endorsement of any views expressed or materials provided by any Federal agency (EDGAR 75.620). See the Exhibition Hall of Nations | 2700 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. March 13 - April 26, 2026 10:00am - 11:00pm FREE | Open to the public 2026 Winners: Anika Brown Catie Cook Cora Feist Emerson Buffalow Erin Grimshaw Giusiana Prosser Isaac Stern Juliana Scheopner Katherine Gilchrist Kilaine Shelley Kit Davenport Preston Lowe Sarah Hawkins Saya Amend Sophia Apold Anika Brown Utah · Age 25 Biography : Anika Brown addresses disability and pain in her oil paintings and mixed media installations. She draws from her experience with chronic illness and her recovery following a brain surgery in 2019. In her work Benign, Anika has used EEG wires to contrast against fragile, semi- transparent portraits. Reminiscent of pinned butterflies, over 100 nails are shoved through the faces. In this way, she studies the contrast between internal and external experiences in the body. She hopes that her work can create a sense of community and understanding. Anika has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from Brigham Young University. She is currently based in Utah. Artist Statement : I am a painter who explores the vulnerability, grief, and hope associated with chronic pain. Disability is isolating. For those who experience this pain, I hope they see my art and feel seen in return. But even those without debilitating conditions will experience pain. All of us will feel grief as our bodies age and change. In this way, I hope everyone can recognize themselves in my art. Headshot photo by Anika Brown Benign (2023) graphite, EEG wires, nails 24" x 42" x .25" Artwork Image Description : Anika Brown’s piece Benign from 2023 is made up of three nearly square sheets of translucent/tracing** paper that overlap to create a diagonal that moves to the right and down. Three faces are drawn on the sheets with smoky, ghostly shading. All three have their lips parted and their left hands, to our right, folded in loose fists by those cheeks. They all also look off to our right. The leftmost cuts their eyes sharply to one side as they lift their chin. The central person tips their head to our right as they look off in that direction, and the third looks down with eyes hooded or perhaps closed. Blue and red wires ending in thin connectors dance on and around the contours of the figures’ faces. The other end of the wires, the tiny electrodes, are concentrated along the top of all three heads. Dozens of nails pin the wires and papers in place. Touches of bright gold line the lips of the first and third figures, the eyebrows of all three, the eye sockets of the middle figure, and the contours of the leftmost neck. The space encompassed by all three sheets and the wires measures 2 feet high by more than 3 and a half feet across, the size of a small windshield. Catie Cook Missouri · Age 24 Biography : Catie Cook is a figurative oil painter raised in Gainesville, GA. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The University of Georgia with an emphasis in painting, art history, and museum studies, and a Master of Fine Arts from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts in St. Louis, Missouri. Cook's work has been exhibited across the east coast and the midwest including at Future Fair in New York City, The Kemper Art Museum in Saint Louis, and The New York Academy of Art, in New York City. Professionally, Cook is a Part-time Lecturer in the Painting Department at WashU’s Sam Fox School. She has worked as a mural painter for Color The World Bright and as a member of the Director's Advisory Committee for The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. Notably, Cook’s master copy of Van Gogh’s Stairway at Auvers, created for programing for visually impaired museum guests, is a part of the Education Department’s collection at The Saint Louis Art Museum. She is a Recipient of the The Laura and William Jens Scholarship at Washington University in St. Louis, and was awarded the 2025 Graduate Thesis Production Grant. Artist Statement : Inspired by my upbringing in the American South, surrounded by the pageantry of the church, debutante culture, and beauty pageants, my paintings harness the symbol of the stage as a metaphor for the performativity of gender. In my theatrical oil paintings, alluring imagery of lush curtains and white fur beckon the viewer into an uncanny narrative. The Dalmatian, a recurring character in my paintings, explores the parallel performances of beauty between show dogs and southern women. As my dogs snarl, pose, and leap across staged scenes reminiscent of the theatre, I weave uncanny narratives wrought with themes of control, beauty, and artifice, questioning the ways in which our patriarchal society demands performance and perfection. As the daughter of a scenic designer, I am drawn to the language of theatre —idealized imagery and carefully constructed scenes that, though imitating reality, often feel eerie and artificial. Through the strangeness of a drape of fabric or illusion of stage lighting, there is a lingering reminder that my characters are performing for your gaze — a feeling emblematic of the female experience. Ultimately my work examines the antithetical nature of girlhood and asks the viewer to consider whether there can be room for both celebration and critique of femininity. Headshot photo by Caitlin Custer Bred To Be Beautiful (2024) oil on canvas 64" x 54" x 1.5" Artwork Image Description : Catie Cook’s painting Bred To Be Beautiful from 2024 measures 64 inches high (so almost 5 and a half feet) by 4 and a half feet across. Two dogs, both Dalmatians, leap across the bottom half of the composition in front of an emerald-green curtain. The left side curtain is tied partially back with a pine-green cord. The right curtain curves down into view only in the top right corner, and the space between is filled with another curtain of the same color. Light gleams off the fabric, creating the impression of a sheen. Both dogs are mostly white with blot-like black spots, and their ears flap loosely in mid-motion. Their long-muzzled faces turn toward us as their bodies move to our left. The Dalmatian to the left rounds its back with head low as it jumps with its back paws on the stage and the front legs arced over and off the stage into the lower left corner of the painting. The dog on the right tucks the front elbows in by its body as it lifts the torso high on its back legs. Cora Feist Minnesota · Age 21 Biography : Cora Feist has always had a keen eye for capturing the soul of her subjects. Currently based in Minneapolis and studying for her BFA degree, she has a fixation on color and acrylic painting. She typically starts her pieces with a vivid base color and works in layers to slowly develop the image. With this approach, every brush stroke contributes to the depth and complexity of the final painting. The semi-transparent quality of each layer allows the previous ones to shine through, often leaving hints of the base color peeking out as well. The glow this process creates contributes heavily to the near dream-like quality of Cora’s work. With her studies, she hopes to refine this technique and hone her artistic voice until it speaks all on its own. Artist Statement : I live, breathe, and love art, more than anything. I’ve been drawing longer than I can remember and, since my youth, my mind has been teeming with possibilities. This constant flow of ideas always felt like an endless well of inspiration, until it seemed more so like another sign of ADHD. I’ve learned to accept the persistence of my thoughts as being both a blessing and inhibition at the same time. I often find myself moving from project to project faster than I can complete them. For personal work, this never bothered me much, as I know my best ideas are always the ones that I’ll come back to. However, when working on commissioned work, it makes the process quite disheartening. Without much spare time left for me to create in a day, I often end up feeling depressed when I’m obligated to create things that are intended to generate profit for businesses. The Sign Painter was my way of processing these conflicting feelings that arise when having to balance both your passion and profession together as one. These incredibly heavy and complex emotions that stem from life under capitalism, and all those other feelings that are too nuanced for simple discussion, are what I am most driven to capture within my work. Headshot photo by Morgan Converse, Converse Candids Photography The Sign Painter (2025) acrylic on paper 20" x 16" Artwork Image Description : A person looks over their left shoulder at us while holding a marker up to a piece of paper in this acrylic painting on paper. The Sign Painter was created in 2025 by Cora Feist, and it measures 20 x 16 inches, so just over 1 and a half feet by almost 2 feet. The person has light-toned skin with chin-length, curly brown hair and bangs sweeping across the forehead. Dark eyes cut back to look at us. The far hand holds a blue marker up to a sign decorated in red, black, and blue that reads, “3 topping New York only $10.99.” The person finishes coloring the 0 of the ten. Below the price are close-ups of pizza slices being pulled apart. A blue placard with a white wheelchair symbol hangs between the sign and a red door with a metal handle, to our right. The sheet hangs from two binder clips along the top edge, and the paper is signed “Cora Feist ‘25” in the lower right corner. Emerson Buffalow Pennsylvania · Age 23 Biography : Emerson Buffalow is a multidisciplinary artist whose work centers around the hidden infrastructures of the fashion industry. Her work develops from interdisciplinary experiences during her time at Franklin & Marshall College. A bachelor's degree in psychology, environmental studies, and studio art combined to shape a critical practice grounded in human behavior, ecological systems, and material experimentation. Her work has been selected and featured in Franklin & Marshall College’s 2023 and 2024 Winter72 Art Show and in Franklin & Marshall College’s 2024 Senior Capstone Exhibition, beyond the frame. Artist Statement : I use discarded clothing and accessories in my work to question the sustainability of the fashion industry. My work is an examination of humans' rejected items and how to give them new life. Doing so goes against the typical dynamic of our disposable society. Addressing sustainability conceptually and physically, my work retains items’ original construction to engage viewers with familiar objects or deconstructs them to question production, fashion, and consumerism. My ideas often originate from lived experience and pop culture, including sayings, books, and music, which I use to draw viewers in before adding underlying meaning through form and material. While my projects begin with intention, the process frequently becomes improvisational as materials respond dynamically. In American Dream, I used a discarded pair of U.S. Polo Association jeans to juxtapose the brand’s American identity and their outsourcing of garment production. Headshot photo by Joe Kelly American Dream (2024) silkscreen print and embroidery on denim 23.5" x 35" x 0.25" Artwork Image Description : One leg of a pair of dark-wash denim jeans is splayed open and printed with an American flag in American Dream , a piece made in 2024 by Emerson Buffalow. The work measures 2 feet high by almost 3 feet across. The artist took the left leg of the pants and split the inner seam so the side pocket and dark outline where the back pocket had been flank the side seam. The piece is affixed to the wall so the waist is to our left, and the bottom hem is to our right. The edges are frayed, and four silver-headed fasteners, perhaps nail heads, are spaced along the top edge. The leather tag for U.S. Polo Association is stitched to the waistband, and a second tag bearing the same name is stitched near the crotch of the jeans near the bottom left. The American flag reaches from the bottom of the back pocket almost to the bottom hem of the pant leg, and it is printed so the color of the jeans create the blue behind the stars. The removed pocket, also with the U.S. Polo Association logo, has been restitched onto the piece near the bottom of the leg, in what is now the top right corner of the piece. Words in white text reading “Made in Mauritius” in all capital letters are screenprinted under the flag near the lower right corner. Erin Grimshaw Utah · Age 18 Biography : Erin Grimshaw is a visual artist who primarily works in colored pencil, with occasional use of other mediums. Her work often reflects personal experiences and focuses on themes of identity, growth, and resilience.Diagnosed with a learning disability at a young age, Erin grew up navigating academic challenges that were not always visible to others. Art became a space where she felt capable and in control. What started as doodling during class became a meaningful way to express herself without the pressure of grades or performance. Erin plans to pursue a career in art therapy and hopes to work in a children’s hospital, helping young patients use creativity as a way to process and express their emotions. Artist Statement : My piece is a watercolor painting of my eye as a young child, layered with the repeated words “She’ll be fine.” This phrase represents what my mom was told when I was diagnosed with a learning disability. It was meant to be reassuring, but it also carried uncertainty about what that would actually mean for me. Growing up with an invisible disability shaped my experience in school. Many of my challenges were not obvious, but they affected my confidence and how I saw myself academically. Art became a place where I did not feel defined by what I struggled with. It was something I could do freely and confidently. Although I primarily work in colored pencil, I chose watercolor for this piece because of how it layers and blends. The softness of the medium allowed the text and image to interact in a way that feels subtle but intentional. Headshot photo by Camille Grimshaw She’ll Be Fine (2025) watercolor 11" x 14" x 1" Artwork Image Description : The eye and part of a person’s cheek fill this watercolor painting, which measures 11 by 14 inches. The work is titled She’ll be Fine and was created by Erin Grimshaw in 2025. This is a close-up view of the person’s left eye, which is rimmed with long, dark brown lashes. The iris is mostly brown with touches of jade green on the right half and golden umber on the left. Two white catch lights gleam over the dark pupil. The skin is painted with peach tones above the eye, which fade to white over the cheekbone before edging to pink along the bottom of the page. To our right, dark hair painted with tones of coffee brown and plum purple near the eye transitions to jewel-toned blue in the lower right corner. Cursive text written in gray watercolor repats across the cheek and over the temple, reading “She’ll be fine.” Giusiana Prosser Washington · Age 22 Biography : Giusiana Prosser explores the depth of the reality of life-altering illness with her work. As a multimedia artist working primarily in acrylic, each brushstroke is intentional. She uses deep blues and gray hues, translating fatigue, resilience, and loss into a visual form. Her work articulates physical grief and persistent pain into composed, immersive pieces that invite contemplation. Alongside her art, she is active in the medical advocacy community, where she combines storytelling, visual work, and public outreach to support patients, reform care, and advocate for ongoing patient-centered policy change efforts. Giusiana’s commitment to advocacy heavily bleeds into her art. She aims to use her paintings as another outreach, with her work acting as a visual voice for those whose struggles remain invisible. Giusiana Prosser is an internationally collected artist with collectors in over eight countries and an award-winning rare disease advocate. Her future goals include growing her organization, Rare Living Foundation, dedicated to public awareness and patient resources, and to never stop advocating for the voiceless and invisible in her art and community. Artist Statement : My work is influenced by my lived experiences navigating a world that was not made to accommodate bodies like mine. It reflects the tension of inhabiting spaces and systems that systematically overlook people who don’t fit in the narrow space of what is “normal.” I employ contemporary abstract elements and deep, cool colors in expressive figures to portray this tension. Painting, for me, is a way of creating a visual form for experiences that are otherwise invisible; the fragility of life, the heaviness of loss. My pieces are often portraits of the female figure, capturing experiences that words often fail to capture. The reality of disease is often an uncomfortable topic and my pieces reflect that discomfort. My work asks the viewer to confront what it means to live with pain, sometimes without hope of relief. It features tortured bodies and medical equipment playing the role of instruments of pain rather than healing. Headshot photo by Starla Shaulis Photography Pressure (2023) acrylic paint on stretched canvas 20" x 16" x 1" Artwork Image Description : A person’s head and shoulders face our left in profile in this acrylic painting on canvas titled Pressure . It was made by Giusiana Prosser in 2023 and measures 20 x 16 inches. The person’s chin tips up, and the mouth and eyes are closed. The profile, neck, and the front of the chest are outlined in black, and the rest of the skin is painted with visible strokes of white shaded with icy blue and smoky gray. Just beyond the hairline, brushstrokes explode away from the head. Here, white, black, gray, and electric blue cut into each other. Most of the strokes around the temple and forehead are straight diagonals reaching from the head, while the back of the head is mostly dense squiggles and dashes. Gray and blue paint drips down the canvas, and the background behind the person is streaked with slate blue and charcoal gray. Isaac Stern Wisconsin · Age 25 Biography : Isaac Stern is a metalsmith and interdisciplinary artist who explores how medical imaging and biomaterials craft the experience of the disabled body through installation. He translates scientific data into sculptural objects that challenge the medical gaze by re-embodying experiences that are often abstract or invisible. He is currently pursuing his MFA at the Maine College of Art & Design after earning a BFA in Metalsmithing & Jewelry from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, under the mentorship of Teresa Faris. Artist Statement : My practice investigates how crafted forms within an installation can collapse the distinction between the observer and observee. Grounded in the scientific literature on CFZ(S), Carey-Fineman-Ziter Syndrome, my work acknowledges the precision of molecular diagnosis while refusing its distance from embodiment. Through material, I translate genetic mutations into macro forms that resist fixity. Influenced by Ian Hodder’s theory of entanglement, I treat diagnostic technologies as forces that actively shape the narrative of identity. In response, craft becomes a critical methodology in what Glenn Adamson terms “material thinking,” where slow, iterative handwork disrupts the medicalized demand for productivity and resolution. Rather than reproducing the medical body from data imaging, I invite a sense of self that the processes of diagnostics often exclude. By reframing the visual language of dimly lit displays, my installations confront institutional authority; creating a space where the specimen and the viewer may reflect on one another. In alignment with Amanda Cachia and Azia Lafleur, my work insists that disabled bodies are not merely objects of study, but producers of knowledge; simultaneously interested in authoring their own visibility, capable of re-embodiment, following the aftermath of becoming the specimen. Headshot photo by Benjamin Storbakken CFZ(S) Spine Sample (2025) agar agar, copper, wood, acrylic 3' x 1.5' x 8" Artwork Image Description : This installation piece is made up of five pieces hanging on a wall and two round objects on the floor immediately in front of it. CFZ(S) Spine Sample was made by Isaac Stern in 2025. Overall it measures 3 feet by 1 and a half feet and is 8 inches deep. Two black square panels hang one over the other separated by a narrow gap on the wall. Each panel has a recessed, glossy circle. Two smaller blocks hang above and below the squares. From the top block hangs a garland of thin, ruffled gold objects like dried flower petals spaced slightly apart. The objects become smaller as they descend, and the shapes are reflected in the inset circles. The two black circles are set one behind each other near the wall where the rest of the piece hangs, and they appear to be textured. Juliana Scheopner Nebraska · Age 23 Biography : Juliana Scheopner is a printmaker, curator, advocate, scientist, and lover of nuance. Her work addresses lived experiences with dynamic disability, documenting moments of joy, frustration, and absurdity. She is drawn to the nuance inherent to these disability experiences. Through artwork and conversation, she dreams of a more understanding, empathetic, and accessible world. Her work crosses disciplines as she seeks to understand how people process and respond to complex ideas. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, curated exhibitions, taught workshops, and advocated for access and inclusion. She is based in Omaha, NE, pursuing dual degrees at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art, a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and a minor in Art History. She finds great satisfaction in the intersection of art, science, and the relentless pursuit of hope. Artist Statement : My hand-produced prints focus on my experiences as a dynamically disabled woman. The experience of disability is often misunderstood or perceived as one-dimensional, but reality is complex: the positive, negative, and neutral aspects of disability are all worthy of inclusion. Borrowing the idea of embodiment from disability studies, my creative practice relies on the connection between somatic experiences, environment, process, and rhythm. At every stage, I manipulate materials with my hands to create a connection with the viewer. The physicality of interacting with materials is what draws me to the process of printmaking. My artwork is a way of documenting and sharing memories of growing up disabled, interactions with people, and emotions. I explore ableism — structural, attitudinal, and internalized — while imagining and creating a world where inclusivity is prioritized. I frequently combine handwritten text and visual imagery, often collecting quotes from people who encounter my disability. Using these direct reactions to disability allows me to point out the frustration, absurdity, and humor of daily life with dynamic disability. My artwork and community-engaged practice leans into the tension between the world as I see it now and my hopes for a more accessible future. I am deeply inspired by disability rights activists and printmakers throughout history who used the tools at their disposal to advocate for the world that they wanted. I am both an artist and an advocate. Because I am an artist, my advocacy can speak to people I will never meet, and because I am an advocate, my art has something to say. Headshot photo by Luis Angel Bustamante Salgado Psychosomatic Triptych: Grief, Anxiety, Stress (2024) watercolor 10" x 24" Artwork Image Description : This watercolor painting, Psychosomatic Triptych: Grief, Anxiety, Stress, is divided vertically into three sections. Painted by Juliana Schoepner in 2024, it measures 10 by 24 inches. The leftmost panel shows a human heart painted in shades of blood and brick red. The arteries and veins are cut off as in an anatomical drawing, and the entire surface of the heart appears crackled like an old oil painting. The heart is painted against a background of mottled parchment white and pale yellow. The center section shows a disembodied, pale pink stomach wound tightly with dark brown tendrils or vines. The pink matter bulges between the binding, which curls off the top and bottom of the organ against a background mottled with pale tan, golden brown, and specks of coral orange. The third section isolates the small intestines coiled around each other within a thicker colon. The latter is lined with a dark blue cord or vein, and strands like cobwebs are more dense between the bulbous sections of the organ. This section has a background painted with mellower brown, some linen white, and specks of muted pink. Katherine Gilchrist Pennsylvania · Age 17 Biography : Katherine Gilchrist is a 17-year-old fashion designer from the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania. Katherine’s experiences with early onset juvenile scoliosis and ADHD shape her designs. Since age seven, scoliosis required her to wear a rigid, corset-like brace for 23 hours per day, designed to control the S-curve of her spine. In response, Katherine’s designs focus on balancing freedom with strength. Her works incorporate her ongoing research on textiles at Lehigh University by experimenting with flow and structure. Katherine received a National Gold Medal from the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards and her work was featured at the Scholastic Art National Exhibit in NYC. She is currently a high school senior planning to continue arts and disability advocacy into college. Artist Statement : I am mesmerized by the effortless movement of draped fabric, its ability to express everything I feel internally but cannot physically embody. Over the years, each time I outgrew a brace, it felt like shedding a skin. These “shedded skins,” alongside hundreds of old sketches (products of my ADHD), mark the stages of my artistic and personal metamorphosis. They show how each limitation pushed me to develop a stronger creative voice. Ab Aqua Libertas translated means “from water comes freedom.” Rather than hiding my scoliosis brace, the dress is designed to showcase my secret. This was the first time I designed an outfit for my brace, not designed in spite of my brace. Headshot photo by Lisa Tan Ab Aqua Libertas (From Water Comes Freedom) (2025) fabric, scoliosis brace 50" x 16" x 16" Artwork Image Description : A sleeveless dress is made with layers of light and vivid blue fabric ruffling out above and below a brace that spans the chest to hips. The brace is painted with swirls of royal blue, sky blue, and snow white. Sapphire-blue ruffles create an asymmetrical neckline over the chest, and the skirt drops from knee length to our right to the ankle on our left. The skirt is made up of layers of shimmering, opalescent blue fabric. Kilaine Shelley Florida · Age 24 Biography : Kilaine Shelley is a queer, disabled painter and draftsman based in Orlando, Florida. Their introspective work positions the body within intimate spaces to address their relationship with care, pain, and illness. They graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Studio Art, specializing in drawing and painting. Their work has been shown at the UCF Gallery, The Chained Gallery, and Surfing Florida Museum. Artist Statement : My work contrasts unforgiving ink washes with fragile, memory-like charcoal to communicate my experience with chronic illness and traumatic stress. The drawings and paintings reconcile my past and present to address dissonant relationships with the body and mind, inviting the viewer into private everyday scenes related to my disability that may not otherwise seem medical. Through fragmented layers of charcoal, I explore the anger, grief, and surprising tenderness that can come alongside being sick. In response, I ask the viewer to question and engage with their own relationship with care, illness, power, and pain. Headshot photo by Kalei DelaCruz Double Crossed (Symptoms no. 6) (2024) charcoal and ink wash on paper 9" x 6.5" Artwork Image Description : Delicate black charcoal lines flit restlessly across gray fields of different intensities in this vertically oriented drawing and ink wash on paper. The piece, Double Crossed (Symptoms no. 6) , was created by Kilaine Shelley in 2024 and measures 9 x 6 and a half inches. Eventually we recognize a foot and a sock in the lower right corner, which leads to an ankle and lower leg crossed over a bent knee. Following the body up, we find a sleeveless shirt tucked in and perhaps the dark nipple on a rounded breast. The arm reaches to our left and off the sheet, and the top right corner of the paper slices across the person’s collarbone. A pillow, cloth, pet, or another object appears tucked in beside the hip, and the background is darker at the center and lighter at the corners. Kit Davenport Maryland · Age 22 Biography : Kit Davenport, a multidisciplinary artist located in Baltimore, Maryland, explores the spiritual connection between the human body and the Earth. Her work develops from an intrinsic fascination with symbiotic relationships as seen in the human ecosystem. In Breathe, the figure emerges resting against gentle hands, surrounded by a cascade of flowing plants, conveying a serene calm evocative of nature’s beauty. Her work portrays the grandiosity of our simple existence. She hopes that her work helps others recognize their humanity through universal symbols. Kit is currently finishing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in General Fine Arts and Master of Arts in Teaching at Maryland Institute College of Art, and plans to become an exhibiting artist and educator. Artist Statement : In my work, I explore the relationship between the human body and the Earth — exploring the spiritual connection through universal themes of life and death. Portraiture captures the feeling of grandiosity when standing next to the Earth’s infinite attributes. Using the figure is an intentional choice that allows the rest of the composition to flow with gentle abstraction. This allows me to create a balance of slow curves and sharp edges, that contrast beautifully against the raw umber of the clay. I have always had an intrinsic fascination with human connection that leads me to my creative practice beyond the studio and into the world. While my work is of our material existence, ultimately, I am creating a space to reflect on our humanity. In doing so, I hope to bring forth a conversation about where that connection lies — and with whom. Headshot photo by Kit Davenport Breathe (2024) ceramics 10" x 10" x 1" Artwork Image Description : Kit Davenport’s Breathe is made up of four square, ceramic tiles mounted against a square, black board. It was made in 2024 and overall measures 10 by 10 inches. The tiles are mostly identical with some subtle variation in the brown shading. Each tile is dominated by a face from just below the hairline. Leaf-like shapes or the blade edges of the palms cradle the chin and extend up the cheeks. The eyes are closed, and leafy vines are incised into the clay to each side of each face. The tiles are earthy brown on the face and a darker shade of brown around the vines. Sarah Hawkins Virginia · Age 25 Biography : As an artist, I began making work as an outlet for my own emotions, as well as a way to communicate with the world. Thus, my work has always been heavily based on my subconscious. Themes that I focus on are how it feels to live inside of a body, the sensation of being covered in skin, having an external form, innocence, residual feelings from alienation and abuse, as well as living with chronic health issues and a disability. I received my BFA in Kinetic Imaging from VCUarts in 2022, and am set to receive my MFA in Experimental Animation from CalArts in 2026. Through animation, video, three-dimensional objects and textiles, and still imagery, I focus on texture and detail in order to create an immersive message. Despite the medium, all of my pieces are primarily analogue or hand made. I fully believe in the healing nature of art and its ability to connect one to the self. Continuing to use tactile media acts as an extension of my body and mind, and grounds me to the physical world during a digital age. This surpasses words, and creates a level of empathy and understanding for each others’ perspectives. Artist Statement : The Underneath is a video piece that follows atypical bodies floating aimlessly in a small pool of water. The forms are drawn with graphite, and display bodies that reflect internal feelings of tension. Dongchen Zhu’s accompanying soundtrack enhances the atmosphere and creates a feeling of unease surrounding the work. As someone that lives life with Ehlers-Danlos, I experience being in a body much differently than many other people. This video piece reflects my experience of discomfort and the feeling of “waiting.” This piece captures the feeling that one is in limbo while trying to participate in everyday life; the feeling of being suspended in liquid. The subject is trapped in a cycle that they both desperately want to be excused from, yet have the urge to fit into. This piece exhibits the emotions and discomfort that are constantly bubbling beneath the surface. Headshot photo by Sude Öz Watch the video here. The Underneath (2024) digital Artwork Video Description : Underneath is a digital video made in 2024. It runs for 2 minutes and 46 seconds and is by Sarah Hawkins. Throughout the video, our view is filled with drawings of faces, organs, and body parts drawn and shaded in silvery gray on white, perhaps paper. Features are often exaggerated, so eyes may be large or bodies formed in unusual ways. The drawings are cut out along their contours, and many curl slightly up on the sides as they rock to the bottom of a tank of water. Sometimes the sheets flip over or turn around. White fabric or other material is on the far side of the tank, creating a bleached, ethereal background. Tonal and atonal sounds accompany the video. Preston Lowe Arkansas · Age 18 Biography : Preston Lowe is a painter and mixed-media artist whose work explores perception, identity, and the less visible ways people come to understand themselves, others, and their environments. Working across painting, mixed media, and textile-based approaches, his pieces often blend techniques and materials in unconventional ways, encouraging viewers to sit closely with the work. Reflecting his lived experience as a neurodivergent artist, he seeks to discover how his materials guide the making of his work. For him, creating is a way to immerse himself in the world’s intimate details through textures and process, while drawing connections between them. From Arkansas, Lowe plans to pursue a BFA in Visual Art. Artist Statement : Noticing how small differences in what appears the same can allow individuality to emerge.In Flip Side I explored the ways attention can gather around what becomes visible and what remains hidden. Fascinated by an image I came across online, I made my own interpretation of two men wearing suits with their backs turned. This representation reflects how formal clothing influences how a person might seem to others, while also showing how clothing styled for fashion can subvert the expectations it carries. These insights highlight the unexpected roles everyday objects hold in influencing how people see — and are seen by — one another. Headshot photo by Amber Lowe Flip Side (2025) acrylic on canvas 40.50" x 30.87" x 2" Artwork Image Description : Two people wearing golden-yellow suits stand against a nickel-gray background in Flip Side , an acrylic painting on canvas measuring 40 x 30 inches. The piece was painted by Preston Lowe in 2025. At first glance, it appears to be two men facing away from us, but then we notice that the clothing faces us, as if shown from the front. Both wear white dress shirts. The person on the left wears a brown tie, and to the right, the second man wears a blue-and-white striped tie. The lapels face us on the buttoned suit jackets. Both heads are turned away from us, though, so we look onto thick rows of black braids against dark-toned skin. Both men hold modest bouquets of blue and white flowers in both hands, and their hands are oriented as if clasped behind their backs. Saya Amend Ohio · Age 23 Biography : Saya Amend is a multimedia artist who focuses on exploring insecurities and illness derived from personal physiology. She paints her feelings and sculpts her experiences as a way of communicating when words fail her. She likes to distort the body in uncomfortable ways as a reflection of how uncomfortable her body makes others feel. After Saya graduated from the University of Cincinnati with her BFA, she grew her position in a ceramic studio and took on a teaching position for the Cincinnati Adaptive Arts and Music Camp, which focuses on adapting instruments and artist tools for kids with disabilities. Her stance is that all people, no matter their ability, should have the right to decide if they enjoy pottery or not. Much of her work stems from her love of architecture and music. She explores gothic architecture and themes as a way to showcase technical ability. Her adoptive parents have encouraged the arts within her and her siblings and have been major influences on both her artistic and professional career. Artist Statement : In my work, I explore insecurities derived from my personal physiology. I’m interested in breaking down the body into a man-made object — a piece of production that if it fails, it’s rejected — to reflect what we as a society deem as invaluable. To achieve this, I focus on the medical disruption of the body and how it affects our perception of beauty. I use contrasting textures and materials to get my point across, such as imperfections being represented with recyclable objects that are then adorned with store bought jewels. I make my anthropomorphous sculptures life size or enlarged to confront the audience of their judgement towards the unremarkable body. The need to be accepted and beautiful has plagued my life since I was conscious about my differences. When you believe with your chest that you are a monster, you will do whatever it takes to fit inside the box. Headshot photo by Saya Amend My Skin Doesn’t Fit (2025) clay, ribbon, beads 13" x 12" x 11" Artwork Image Description : A columnar form molded with tan-colored clay slumps forward like a person sleeping uncomfortably in a chair. The piece measures 13 inches tall by 12 wide and 11 deep, so almost a foot square. It was made in 2025 by Saya Amend and is titled My Skin Doesn’t Fit. The bottom third swells out slightly like a vase before curving inward as it tips over the hollowed belly. The top third of the form is shallowly striated with horizontal lines, and a knob-shaped form extends off one side. Black ribbon is laced like a corset across a blade-like spine through holes punched through two flaps that extend from the main body. The ribbon is tied loosely at the bottom, and a strand of black beads hangs from the end. Sophia Apold Minnesota · Age 19 Biography : Sophia Apold is a 20-year-old neurodivergent artist on the Autism spectrum with a communicative (expressive, receptive) and a cognitive disability. While her communication skills are limited, she loves creating art, mainly abstract painting. Sophia's artwork explores her identity and sparks new inspiration as a creative artist. Sophia's art reflects a deep connection between emotion and material, creating a unique and authentic voice. As an artist with autism, her process beautifully embodies the interplay between sensory feedback and self-expression. Sophia's artwork has received recognition within her community and from the Scholastic Art and Writing Foundation both in her state of Minnesota as well as nationally. Sophia plans to continue to create and share her artwork, raising awareness around diversity and inclusion. Artist Statement : As a neurodiverse artist, I take a mood driven approach to selecting colors and materials to demonstrate how art can be a form of self-expression and self-regulation. My art offers insight into how creative practices can help individuals connect with their emotions and navigate their experiences. I choose a medium and materials based on how I am feeling. My adaptive approach demonstrates a profound sensitivity to texture, movement, and the tactile feedback each medium offers. My attentiveness to how colors, shapes, and materials interact reveals a thoughtful and intentional process taken with each piece I create. Headshot photo by Zahler Photography Guest at a Party (2024) acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" x 2" Artwork Image Description : Dashes, slashes, and scribbles in black, pale pink, flame orange, crimson, and brick red create an all-over pattern like chunky static across this vertically oriented painting, which is titled Guest at a Party . It measures 4 by 3 feet and was made by Sophia Apold in 2024. The black strokes mostly seem closest to us as they slice across areas layered with the shades of muted red.