This Fall, the Artists Archives is proud to present W/O Limits, an exhibition which exclusively features the work of artists experiencing chronic illness and/or disability. Curated by Megan Alves and Mindy Tousley, the remarkable show emphasizes accessibility and raises awareness while inspiring visitors with the art that people with chronic illnesses and disabilities create.
W/O Limits: Art, Chronic Illness, & Disability showcases nine evocative Northeast Ohio artists, including Sarah Brown, Kristi Copez, Chappelle Letman Jr., MANDEM, Meg Matko, Arabella Proffer, Nate Puppets, Andrew Reach, and Kate Snow, and features a wide array of dynamic creations from paintings to video performances, touchable sculptures, and interactive digital installations.
W/O Limits shares the moving stories of artists who are also survivors. Though their situations vary, they are united by their ability to explore, share, and rise above their physical limitations using the power of visual art.
A highlight of the exhibition is the posthumous display of the work of Chappelle Letman Jr., a successful painter and printmaker until the age of 41 when he “woke up blind”, losing his sight to glaucoma just days after his mother’s death. Rather than give up his life as an artist, Letman turned to carving stone. Letman came to discover “I was not a ‘blind artist,’ I was an artist who was blind. Making art puts me in a state of mind where my disability is not an issue...I’ve always been an artist since day one. I didn’t let a disability interfere with my life’s calling.”
Thanks in part to the support of a grant by the Cuyahoga Board of Developmental Disabilities, W/O Limits also features a variety of accessibility measures including braille text, a wheelchair friendly layout, and a selection of touchable sculptures for those with sensory sensitivities and visual impairments.
W/O Limits: Art, Chronic Illness, & Disability will open with a free public reception on Thursday, September 22nd from 5:30 – 8:00pm, and will be on view until November 12th.
Featured Image: Chappelle Letman Jr., Photo credit: Don Snyder