Disability Culture Watch
by Simi Linton
A disability-focused commentary on the arts
"I am on the watch:
* reporting on what disabled artists of all stripes are doing;
* calling attention to the all-too-common misrepresentations of disability;
* lauding the smart depictions and revealing characterizations that are beginning to pop up - even in mainstream media.
Disabled artists are at work in every medium - in film, theater, TV, dance, music, multimedia and the fine arts. When those artists have the desire and artistic freedom to explore disability in creative and far-reaching ways, Disability Culture Watch will chronicle their work.
There is an emerging cadre of dancers, actors, writers, performance artists, and painters who are actively engaging with both the fact and idea of disability. The most exciting work explores what disability provides the artist, rather than what feats someone can perform despite disability. When disabled artists use their unique bodies and voices, something innovative happens. My job is to follow these turns and twists on the cultural map, selectively reporting and critiquing this vital phenomena."
