Duluth Mayor, Area Artists Announce Disability Mural Project Exhibit - First of Its Kind in Midwest
What: The Arrowhead Alliance of Artists With Disabilities (AAAWD) will stage a press conference to announce the upcoming October 19 exhibit at the DECC of the Disability Mural Project Duluth in celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. AAAWD's project partners, including Duluth Mayor Don Ness, will share a brief overview of this local initiative and how it's raising awareness of our community's increasing need for universal design in order to draw upon the strengths and abilities of all its citizens. Mayor Ness will deliver a proclamation for Disability Employment Awareness Month.
When: Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011 - 11:00 a.m. press conference
Where: Mayor's Conference Room (4th floor), City Hall, 411 W 1st St., Duluth - on-street metered parking
Who: Mayor Don Ness; Bridget Riversmith, Co-founder/Leader AAAWD and Coordinator Disability Mural Project Duluth; Roberta Cich, Director AccessNorth Center for Independent Living of Northeastern Minnesota; Sara Junge, Chairperson Duluth Commission on Disabilities; Bob Grytdahl, Human Rights Officer City of Duluth; and Xavier Bell, Director of Community Engagement Community Action Duluth.
Why: Duluth is the first city in the Midwest to participate in the international Disability Mural Project based in Berkeley, CA. We're also poised to become the first city to create our own permanent installation of the Disability Mural beyond Berkeley. Our Duluth project has not only produced over 320 - 12” square mural tiles, but also made visible as many personal stories of people with disabilities in our community. This sampling, though significant, is still quite small. For in the next decade, with returning veterans and nearly as many people in Minnesota turning age 65 as in the previous four decades combined, disability rates are expected to increase rapidly. This is why we must invest in universal design now, and the Disability Mural Project Duluth is a clarion call for this mutually beneficial innovation.
Opportunity to participate: If you created a tile for the Disability Mural Project, please RSVP if you'd like to participate in this press conference. Contact us at aaawdmail (at) gmail (dot) com by Monday, Oct. 3 to be included! Mural artists will be present holding their tiles in a silent tableau during the press conference, and, if they wish, can field questions from the media.
