(DIS) PLAYED: A MERICAN A BLE AND THE D ISPLAY OF C ONTEMPORARY D ISABILITY A RT B Y E LIZABETH M. S WEENEY S UPERVISOR: N ANCY V IVA D AVIS H ALIFAX A DVISOR: K AREN S TANWORTH A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE PROGRAM IN CRITICAL DISABILITY STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS, GRADUATE PROGRAM IN CRITICAL DISABILITY STUDIES YORK UNIVERSITY, TORONTO, ONTARIO, M3J 1P3 DATE OF SUBMISSION: JANUARY 29, 2012 A BSTRACT This major research paper provides preliminary contributions to a contemporary discourse on curating and displaying disability art. To do this it undertakes a case study and critical analysis of a contemporary disability art photo series, American Able (2009- 2010), and its public installation in the 2010 exhibit, Contacting Toronto: What’s the Hype? The case study raises a number of issues about the creative process, particularly between disabled and non-disabled artists, as well as the impact of artist statements on audiences and the media. Substantial concerns about the understanding of cultural appropriation as it relates to disability are raised, indicating the need for further research in this area. The public’s medical curiosity about the disabled model in American Able, signals the impact of the freak show on contemporary disability art which in turn signals to curators to find ways to acknowledge this curiosity without necessarily indulging it. Several exhibition examples from the United States, Britain and Canada highlight the importance of incorporating themes of disability and disability art into exhibitions, as well as demonstrate recent challenges, systematic barriers and successes. The paper concludes that diverse collaborative curatorial committees, with thorough understandings of disability art and the history of displaying disability, may be best suited to curate disability art exhibitions, and that arts professionals must consider the complexities of artistic process, cultural appropriation and public interpretations during exhibition development. Within the appendices, readers will find practical tools, including resources, strategies and reflective questions to support the development of curatorial practice for disability art exhibitions. 1 C ONTENTS List of Illustrations 3 Acknowledgments 4 INTRODUCTION 5 PART I A CASE STUDY OF AMERICAN ABLE 15 The Beginning 16 Description of the Exhibition and the Artwork 18 The Artist Statement 21 The Intention 22 The Creative Process 26 The Curator 28 The Media and the Audience 34 PART II HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND CONTEMPORARY DISCOURSE 40 The Freak Show 40 Contemporary Disability Art 43 Disability, sexuality and gender 45 Art, public space and activism 47 Exploration, Exploitation, Appropriation or all of the above? 49 PART III CURATORIAL CONSIDERATIONS 57 CONCLUSION 66 Appendix I Research methods 69 Appendix II Strategies and reflective questions for curators 70 Appendix III Resources 74 Bibliography 78 Online sources cited for comments 82 2 I LLUSTRATIONS 1. Meet Jes. (American Able series) by Holly Norris, 2009-2010, courtesy of the artist, page 15 2. Workout. (American Able series) by Holly Norris, 2009-2010, courtesy of the artist, page 19 3. Advertisement (Workout.), courtesy of American Apparel page 19 4. Tops and bottoms. (American Able series) By Holly Norris, 2009-2010, courtesy of the artist, page 19 5. Eat. (American Able series) by Holly Norris, 2009-2010, courtesy of the artist, page 20 6. Advertisement (In One Piece) courtesy of American Apparel page 21 7. Sexuali-tee. (American Able series) by Holly Norris, 2009-2010, courtesy of the artist, page 23 8. bODY rEMIX/ gOLDBERG variations, Choreography and photograph by Marie Chouinard, Dancers David Rancourt and Lucie Mongrain, 2005, image provided with permission from Marie Chouinard, page 51 3 A CKNOWLEDGMENTS As someone who finds reading and writing arduous, over-rated and shamefully over- valourized in western academia, I am so deeply grateful for all of the support I have had and for the enriching and meaningful moments I have had with my mentors, be it through lectures and presentations or better yet through long rambling conversations that wind into the night. I have been driven by the remarkable contributions of Catherine Frazee, be it scholarly, political, legal or poetic. I will forever cherish our friendship, our Nova Scotia sessions and our heartening time working together. I am thankful for the work and support of Richard Sandell and the significant contributions on the topic of representing disability made by the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries. Richard, I look forward to sharing that pint I still owe you. For your inspiration, mentorship and meaningful conversations I would like to thank my supervisor Nancy Viva Davis Halifax and advisor Karen Stanworth, as well as Alan Shain, Eli Claire, Syrus Ware, Karen Cocq, Jessica MacCormack, Loree Erickson, Liz Brockest, Eleanor Murphy and Sheila James. For your editing, transcribing and word-smithing genius, thank you Robyn Jefferies, Maryellen Mallett, Leslie Robertson and Mireille Eagan. Thank you Sean Zio, for your grammatical fine toothcomb. To my family - my parents Larry and Anne, my grandmother Madeline, and my dearest friends, Meghan Black and Denise MacDonald, your constant love and support has nurtured and strengthened me, thank you. Lastly, I would especially like to thank Anita Khanna, for her love, her endless joy and her everlasting encouragement. 4 I NTRODUCTION In 2010, emerging Canadian artist Holly Norris garnered widespread public attention for her photo series titled American Able, a site-specific public installation in the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. Norris’s photography was part of the group exhibition Contacting Toronto: What’s the Hype? which was featured on high definition large- screen television monitors in Toronto subway stations. Much of the attention was for the sexually provocative images of jes sachse1, an Ontario-based artist with visible physical disabilities2, in photographs mimicking advertisements for the popular clothing line American Apparel (AA). Print, radio and online news sources quickly picked up the story and there was widespread posting of Norris’ images on websites, blogs and social media sites. Throughout this major research paper, I will undertake a critical analysis of American Able in order to provide insight into issues surrounding the creation, interpretation, and display of contemporary disability art. In Part One I will present a case study that explores the artistic process behind American Able, the conceptual intent of the artists, presentation and display considerations and public perceptions of the work. The issues raised by this analysis will then be contextualized in Part Two, which will include specific references to historical and theoretical discourse on topics related to displaying disability, sexuality and disability art. Throughout this paper, I will also argue that 1 jes sachse prefers to use the lower case in the spelling of her name and so this convention is reflected throughout this paper. 2 There is tremendous diversity in how people indentify based on their lived experiences and embodiments, making defining disability extremely complex. For the purposes of this paper, one definition is presented on page 9 and is understood based on Oliver’s (1990) writing on the social model. Disability is generally understood as an ‘experience of exclusion or disadvantage’ based on a person’s impairments or perceived impairments. 5 disability art has distinct qualities, artistic processes and display considerations that are relevant to contemporary visual arts and curating. These considerations and related questions will be raised in Part Three, in order to better inform contemporary disability art criticism and provide context for curators working in disability art. Ultimately, I will illustrate that the American Able display and those like it may play an important role in shifting, disrupting and contributing to Canadian arts and culture - as contemporary disability art practice continues to evolve so must art criticism and curatorial practices. Why American Able? American Able makes for an insightful case study not just because it garnered public attention but because the work of these artists can also shed light on larger issues as they relate to disability politics, disability art and the creative process. The work provided an opportunity for audiences to question the lack of representation and misrepresentation of sexualized disabled women in popular culture and advertising while also mocking the ways audiences accept and perpetuate ableist values through their consumerism, possibly without even realizing it. The intent and artistic process behind American Able for both of the artists involved is also significant. While Holly Norris, a non-visibly disabled person is the only artist credited for the work, the series was created through a highly collaborative process between Norris and sachse. I argue that the working process between these two artists, are of critical importance in fully understanding disability art practices. A study of American Able raises important questions about collaborations between artists with 6 varying experiences with disability, and what role, if any, cultural appropriation can play in the creation of collaborative disability art. This display was also a rare example of disability art being included in a larger contemporary Canadian arts festival outside of the disability