Over the last few years, Grand Rapids has been putting in a lot of effort to re-brand itself as an artistic, hip city. The most obvious (and popular) cultural incarnation of this attempt is clearly the annual event known as ArtPrize, but more and more interesting, art-related events are taking place in Grand Rapids (and West Michigan) every year. Some of the more artistically-inclined members of the West Michigan community have always been quick to point out that ArtPrize encourages only certain kinds of submissions (pop art or religious themed artworks are generally the most popular) from certain kinds of artists (those able to afford to produce large-scale pieces and travel to West Michigan to rep their art in person during ArtPrize).
If you haven't heard about it yet, the DisArt Festival is something that may interest those with artistic inclinations or those who have an appreciation for life in our communities as experienced by the disabled community. This year's event is themed “Year of Arts + Access” and focuses on making Grand Rapids as welcoming as possible to people of every level of ability. It has been endorsed by the city's mayor, George Heartwell. The focus is on not only visible but also invisible disabilities, which are often left out of the greater societal discussion about ableism and access.
This year's DisArt Festival began on Friday, April 10th, and events will run through the 25th of April, 2015. Some of the major exhibitions will be available and viewable after the end of the Festival at their biggest downtown venues, specifically, the exhibitions at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, the Grand Rapids Art Museum and Kendall College of Art and Design.
One of the most unique and powerful offerings of the DisArt Festival is the Challenge, wherein organizers ask able attendees to consider serious impediments that those with disabilities confront in Downtown Grand Rapids that many might never even notice. For example, the Challenge points out how“gaps too large in grates could cause serious problems for people with low vision using canes, these devices could get caught and cause dangerous falls” and highlights several places with this exact issue in downtown, along with many others, such as problematic light posts, massive cracks in the sidewalk, rough pavement, and signposts or garbage cans that block mobility devices on sidewalks. All of these can make traversing a particular stretch of the city nearly impossible for those with mobility issues, but he majority of local residents probably walk past these things every day without a second glance. The event really attempts to put people in the shoes of those living with disabilities.
Those who are interested in updates about daily events running through the 25th of this month can like the DisArts Festival on Facebook for regular updates. For those who wish to better understand life with disabilities, especially those with children who are curious about how this substantial subset of our population experiences our community, this event is eye-opening and sure to open the door to important conversations about access and design.