Sue Austin and Disability as Art Jan16

Sue Austin and Disability as Art

Have you ever heard of “disability art”? Neither had I. Sue Austin is an artist, a performance artist, to be precise. And she is disabled, confined to a wheel chair. Except that she won’t allow it be confining. Actually, that’s not quite right. It’s not so much that the goal of her art is to transcend her wheelchair, but to repurpose it. To actually make use of it to see – and help us to see – the world differently. It’s a striking idea. That while one can certainly approach challenge, hardship, suffering, and disability as things to be resisted, overcome, and transcended, those aren’t the only options. Another valid...