Call for Papers: “Embodied Identities: Race, Disability, and Social Justice in the Arts”

Portland, Oregon’s Disability Art and Culture Project (DACP) is presenting a panel discussion on the intersections of race, disability, embodiment, and social justice in the arts on October 26, 2013 on the campus of Reed College. This call for papers seeks local, national, and international academics, artists, and activists who wish to present a paper on this topic to submit proposals by August 20, 2013 to the DACP Visual Arts Coordinator, Stefanie Snider (). Presenters will be notified by September 1, 2013 of their application status. A reception will take place in conjunction with the panel.

The arts can be powerful articulations of experiences with both oppression and empowerment in contemporary society. Analysis of positive, negative, and neutral artistic representations from a social justice perspective can help to increase our cultural awareness of just how prevalent and important the arts are to the issues we face in our everyday lives. This panel seeks to explore the wide variety of ways in which multiple forms of art have helped to give voice to and affirm embodied notions of race and disability as tools of social justice on local, national, and international levels. Individuals from all disciplines working on issues of race, disability, embodiment, and the arts are encouraged to submit a proposal.

The Disability Art and Culture Project’s mission is to further the artistic expression of people with both apparent and non-apparent disabilities. DACP views disability as a natural and valuable variation of the human form. DACP believes that affirmative disability identity is intertwined with racial, gender, social, and economic justice. With this mission in mind, the Disability Art and Culture Project is interested in cultivating discussion about the intersections of racialized and disabled identities across the arts, including, but not limited to: theatre, dance, performance art, music, conventional fine arts (painting, sculpture, printmaking, etc.), and multi-media visual and performing arts. Presentation submissions do not need to be restricted to a particular historical time period or culture, but please be culturally- and historically-specific in your analysis.

To submit a proposal for consideration, please send a 250-500 word abstract of your paper, a current CV or resume, and a brief (100-250 words) biography to Stefanie Snider at by August 20, 2013. Completed presentations should be 15-20 minutes long and may make use of visual, auditory, and other accompaniments to make them more easily accessible to a diverse audience. Final drafts of presentations will be due by October 20, 2013 in order to be made available to the audience in large print. ASL interpretation will be provided. While we would love to be able to include presenters from a wide variety of locations and backgrounds, please keep in mind that DACP is unable to provide funding for travel to the panel.

“Embodied Identities: Race, Disability, and Social Justice in the Arts” is co-sponsored by Disability Art and Culture Project, the Multicultural Resource Center at Reed College, and the Office for Institutional Diversity at Reed College. Learn more about the Disability Art and Culture Project at its website, https://dacphome.org/. If you have any questions or concerns about this call for papers, please do not hesitate to contact Stefanie Snider at . We appreciate your input in helping to make this a successful event!

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