Tips & Tricks for Buying Art

Check out this great Etsy blog by Kate that has excellent tips and tricks for buying art you love: http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/eight-etsy-artists-you-should-know-12547/?ref=fp_blog_title

Conference on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the interdepartmental Government Conference on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It was designed to facilitate reflection upon strategies to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities throughout all government programmes and policies - a treaty that Canada ratified (with one reservation for Art. 12(4)) on March 11, 2010.

According to UN Enable - a web portal to information on the rights of persons with disabilities - the Convention:

"marks a 'paradigm shift' in attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities. It [shifts] from viewing persons with disabilities as 'objects' of charity, medical treatment and social protection towards viewing persons with disabilities as 'subjects' with rights, who are capable of claiming those rights and making decisions for their lives based on their free and informed consent as well as being active members of society... It clarifies and qualifies how all categories of rights apply to persons with disabilities and identifies areas where adaptations have to be made for persons with disabilities to effectively exercise their rights and areas where their rights have been violated, and where protection of rights must be reinforced" (emphasis mine, http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?navid=13&pid=150).

The full text of the Convention can be found at http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?navid=13&pid=150.

Throughout the course of the day, conference participants examined the Convention itself, community responses to the Convention, the application of the Convention to our work as public servants and best practices in accessibility in the Government of Canada.
From my perspective, highlights of the conference include:

• The resounding "Nothing about us, without us!" was heard frequently throughout the day. This refers to the call from the people whose lives will be most affected by policies and programmes that target clients with disabilities - they ask that we do not take action without client consultations (as provided for in Art. 4 of the Convention). This is because "able-bodied" people do not understand the complexity of a life lived with disability so therefore their programmes or policies may not account for all the diverse needs of people with disabilities. Moreover, acting without the input of people with disabilities reinforces traditional conceptions of disability where disability is understood in terms of dependence and infirmity.
• Disability does not discriminate - it is (and can be) experienced by people of all ages, races, genders, and socio-economic classes. In addition, able-bodiedness is not fixed or stable - any one of us can acquire disability in our lifetimes. Therefore, disability issues are not only relevant to those with impairments.
• Disability is not necessarily the result of physical impairments, but rather disabling social barriers. For example, someone who is visually impaired can navigate society and the workplace if information can be translated into text. Here, text-to-voice software like "Kurzweil 3000" which reads text found in pdf. format offer different, though no less effective, methods of engaging with language. "Jaws," another similar programme allows people with visual impairments to navigate Microsoft Office and web browsers by reading out loud the dialogue boxes and function keys on the screen.

These are just a few of the highlights and questions that I am considering after my attendance at the conference. If anyone wishes to discuss these, or any other issues, or would like to look at my materials from presenters, then I would be happy to do so.

Work in Progress...

And so it begins...

I lay out squares of partially felted wool upon a layer of un-spun roving...

The piece expands until it is...

...all laid out...

...and ready to go! So I cover the piece...

Add hot soapy water and agitate...

Until I peel back the screen to see the un-spun wool as cloth!

*Stay tuned for the COMPLETED project which will include sewing, beads and a frame!

New Master's Programme ~ The Business of Art & Design

Check out this new programme for those who wish to administrate the arts!

The Business of Art & Design (MPS)

The Master in Professional Studies (MPS) in the Business of Art and Design provides a comprehensive, highly concentrated education in business management specifically for artists, designers, and related professions. Fundamental to the work of these creative professionals is the production of creative goods and services - yet until now there has been no business degree specifically focused on their unique needs. This innovative Master's program meets this need with a curriculum that is designed to give students the knowledge and skills necessary to start, sustain, or grow an art or design related business, or to be a dynamic creative manager working with or within a business.

(http://www.mica.edu/Programs_of_Study/MPS_Degree_Programs/The_Business_Of_Art_And_Design_(MPS).html)