Art exhibit features photography by young woman on the spectrum
by Beth
Today is the opening of An exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute featuring 15 emerging artists (Ages 16-25) with disabilities. A story in the Washington Post explains:
The artists were selected in a juried competition organized by VSA, an affiliate of the Kennedy Center. VSA was formerly known as Very Special Arts. It was founded by Jean Kennedy Smith, the last living sibling of President John F. Kennedy.
When I gave the folks at VSA a call to learn more about the exhibit, they told me that Caitlin Miller, one of the chosen artists, has Asperger Syndrome. From her bio on the Kennedy Center web site:
Miller says that “Because I often struggle to express with words, photojournalism has given me the opportunity to tell a story through a series of photographs.” With a focus on disability studies, Miller’s recent works have included photographic stories about children and adults on the autism spectrum. This series documents the challenges, both internal (biology) and external (cultural and societal forces) of living with a disability.
The exhibition is titled Momentum and will be at the Smithsonian until January 22, 2012. Pretty darn cool.