Arts & Ability Roundtable (Video Recording), Muckenthaler Cultural Center, Artist in Residency Program

Hello everyone,

Last weekend, as part of the artist-in-residency program through The Muckenthaler Cultural Center, we hosted an Arts & Ability Roundtable. This virtual event brought together 5 unique artists/designers, each with incredible creative practices, and each experience vision loss and/or related disabilities.

Arts & Ability Roundtable: Presentations, Discussions, and Q&A

Our all-star group of panelists, artists, and presenters included:

(1) Kurt Weston, professional artist and photographer,

(2) Marleena Barber, vocalist, educator, and disability advocate,

(3) Mishelle Link, interior designer, entrepreneur, and CEO of Michelle Link Interior Design,

(4) Valerie Alcaraz, award-winning visual artist and international arts and language educator,

and…

(5) Michael J. Dougherty, writer, screenwriter, and co-founder of ReelAbilitiesLA!

Check out the full video replay here.

Much gratitude and many congratulations to the participants!

Very best wishes,

Erin

Artist in Residence 2021, Muckenthaler Cultural Center

While we’ve now reached the final quarter of 2021, and life continues to be disrupted for many (myself included) due to the pandemic, 2021 has had its silver linings.

One of the brightest silver linings involves The Muckenthaler Cultural Center; this year, I was named The Muck’s Artist in Residence for the 2021 cycle. I’m proud to be a part of this organization, the AiR program, and the incredible contributions The Muck regularly makes to the arts in Southern California.

As part of this residency, I’m actively working with blind, visually impaired, and disability communities to bridge the gaps between accessibility, visual arts (in both arts education and art museum/gallery settings), as well as teaching about and making multi sensory art and art curricula.

For more information, please visit this news article.

Once again, I offer a big thank you to The Muck for making this opportunity possible, as well as prioritizing accessibility for wider audiences!

2021 Artist in Residence: Erin Schalk, Muckenthaler Cultural Center