Arts residency invites applications by artists with disabilities

It will cater to the needs of audiences with disabilities and provide a universally designed space, without adopting an able-ist approach, the organisers said in a statement.MAAF is a grant scheme by the British Council supported by Arts Council of Wales to develop co-created projects between artists, arts organizations, and festivals in both India and Wales.The residency that will be held from September 28 to October 8 this year will include contemporary practices and lectures on various issues of relevance.

Putting access and inclusion at the forefront, an upcoming arts festival is inviting applications by artists with disabilities for a visual arts residency. The residency, "Manifesto for Accessible Festival" (MAAF), aims to put accessibility ''at the apex of planning an all-inclusive arts festival'' that celebrates artists and audiences with disabilities.

It will be organised by Mumbai-based arts accessibility consultancy 'Access for ALL', in collaboration with Welsh performance artist Jonny Cotsen, who himself suffers from a hearing impairment. "The aim of this project is to design a manifesto for an all-inclusive festival co-hosted between Wales and India. MAAF will be a structured toolkit that focuses on providing a global platform for artists with disabilities. ''It will cater to the needs of audiences with disabilities and provide a universally designed space, without adopting an 'able-ist' approach," the organisers said in a statement.

MAAF is a grant scheme by the British Council supported by Arts Council of Wales to develop co-created projects between artists, arts organizations, and festivals in both India and Wales.

The residency that will be held from September 28 to October 8 this year will include contemporary practices and lectures on various issues of relevance. The participants will respond to what they learn, and bring their own creative output to their findings.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project will take place as a virtual residency using digital media to connect six artists (three artists from India and Wales each) in an "intensive, collaborative workshop over the course of two weeks".

"It is time now that we start including various stakeholders, including those with disabilities, as decision makers and not keep them only as a recipient of services provided and thought of by an 'abled body or a group of people. Access needs to be a habit and not a virtue," said Siddhant Shah, Founder, Access for ALL. He added that the entire process of MAAF will be documented, with the objective of using it as a "resource toolkit to aid and assist art festivals, organizations and others to incorporate an accessible approach from conception." The final date to submit applications is August 15.

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