Arts and Culture

The field of Disability Art is rich with artistic practices and works that celebrate human differences and vulnerabilities. Each of the Changemakers listed below is known for outstanding contributions to the arts and for transforming outdated attitudes and limiting views of disabled people and their lives.

As disability arts and culture continue to expand and evolve, disabled artists are staking a claim to their own legitimate place in the public realm. As artist and writer Neil Marcus has said “Disability is an art. It’s an ingenious way to live”

Created with energetic marks from muted color pencils, a woman with long dark hair, wearing grass green pants smiles from her power wheelchair, and raises her left hand.
Patty Berne by Scott Kenney Color pencils, 9 x 12 inches, 2019
A white man with brown hair and big eyebrows wearing a blue t-shirt looks at us. Simple lines define bold facial features and a strong jaw.
Owen Bragg Self-Portrait, digital self-portrait, 2019
A seated man with short dark hair is drawn with bold outlines. He holds a book and behind him chunky words saying Colin Eldred shimmer in yellow and green.
Colin Eldred Cohen by Musa Syme Color pencils and felt pens, 11 x 14 inches, 2019
A woman with a pale face and bold yellow arms sits at an orange table, on a completely orange background. A black circle with a blue center hovers beside her.
Anne Finger by Erika Martinez, watercolor, 16 x 20 inches, 2019
Drawn with bold shapes, a woman with long brown hair, wearing a bright green dress and with bright red lips talks into a microphone, against a sky blue background.
Nina G. by Sandra Littlejohn, mixed media on canvas, 11 x 14 inches, 2019
A simple outline painting of a young woman with long hair, surrounded by white space.
Gabriela Hofmeyer by Mireya Betances, mixed media on canvas, 11 x 14 inches, 2019
A gentle colored pencil drawing of the head and shoulders of an African American man, with a full beard and a single dreadlock over his face. He signs with his right hand close to his face.
Antoine Hunter by Joseph Rux, color pencil, 20 x 16 inches, 2019
An African American man with white hair and large eyes wears bright clothes against an orange background. The pastel is applied with great energy and confidence.
Vincent Jackson Self-Portrait, color pencil, 20 x 16 inches, 2019
A black ink and grey wash drawing of a young woman wearing a fashionable jacket, and decorated top has her right hand confidently raised straight up.
Shana Jimenez by Donald Gruneisen, pen and ink wash 16 x 20 inches, 2019
A drawing with colored pencils on paper. Against a pale blue background a man in yellow pants riding a power wheelchair is surrounded on either side by a network of plants.
Neil Marcus by Joseph Rux, color pencil, 20 x 16 inches, 2019
A double portrait of two white men on a laptop screen created with shiny acrylic paint. One man holds a hand puppet. A toy zebra sits on the left of the keyboard and on the right is a toy rabbit.
Jonathan Murphy and James Sullivan by Yukari Sakura and Chris Rosales Acrylic paint on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2019
A bold painting of the head and shoulders of a smiling white woman with short brown hair, a pair of glasses on her head, a bright blue top, and a string of beads.
Corbett O’Toole by Ranjit Dhillon, acrylic paint on canvas board, 11 x 14 inches, 2019
A woman with long brown hair uses her elbow to massage a Labrador dog lying on a table. The portrait has fine detail to suggest texture and depth.
Maia Scott by Nancy Chisholm, acrylic paint on canvas, 11 x 14 inches, 2019
A woman with bright clothing and long hair contrasts with an abstract background of rectangles. Subtle highlights in glitter catch the light.
Judith Smith by Jackie Riley and Jade Saren, mixed media, 9 x 12 inches, 2019
An African American man with make-up wears glamorous, glittery stage clothes and stands on a pink stage with arms outstretched.
DeMian Williams (Serena Jackson) by Paul Pulizzano, mixed media, 9 x 12 inches, 2019