Joy, struggle and self-expression in work of artists with disabilities

Disability Pride Month started as a celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act--signed into law in July 1990. It marked a significant milestone for the civil rights of Americans with all kinds of disabilities. For people and advocates in the disabled community, Disability Pride month also means celebrating the full breadth of experience of those with disabilities. Make Studio in Baltimore City is hosting Disability Pride Arts Fest on July 15. Jill Scheibler, cofounder of Make Studio, joins the show. Also joining are two of the artists featured in the Disability Pride Arts Fest, Tyrone Weedon and Louis Middleton. Later in the show, we take a look at a new art exhibit featuring the work of Judith Scott. She is a celebrated artist whose work has been shown at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the Brooklyn Museum in New York City, and other prestigious museums. Scott started honing her craft only in her mid-40s. Scott was born with Down syndrome in 1943, then rendered deaf by an attack of Scarlet Fever in her infancy. But her deafness went undiagnosed for years, and was interpreted as low IQ. She was considered ineducable and spent the next 36 years institutionalized. Now the American Visionary Art Museum is featuring Scott’s work in a new solo exhibition, open through June 2024. The exhibit, “The Secret Within: the Art of Judith Scott,” includes the artist’s intricate sculptures, as well as personal perspectives on Scott’s life from some people close to her. Gage Branda, a Curatorial and Development Coordinator at AVAM, joins us to describe the exhibit he helped assemble.Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472