Disability and the Arts—A Discussion | October 27, 6 p.m.

How is disability represented through the arts?

On October 27 at 6 p.m., prominent disability arts leaders Simi Linton and Alice Sheppard will be joining Marymount Manhattan College’s Rudin Lecture for a discussion on disability in arts and culture. Linton and Sheppard, who are both disabled artists, will cover an array of topics from aesthetics to justice. The virtual event will be moderated by Therí A. Pickens, a renowned scholar in the fields of Blackness and Disability.

In their pioneering work, Linton and Sheppard have shaped and advanced disability in the arts through writing, filmmaking, choreography, design, technology and art.

Among many personal and professional achievements, Linton is the President of Disability/Arts Consultancy while Sheppard is the Artistic Director of Kinetic Light.

RSVP for the Rudin Lecture here

ASL interpretation and live CART captioning will be available for this event. Questions regarding access to the event can be noted under the special instructions area of the RSVP.

The Rudin Lecture

The Rudin Lecture, established in 2000 through a grant from The Rudin Foundation, Inc., underscores the College’s commitment to academic excellence and its distinctive undergraduate programs in the liberal arts.

Speakers

Alice Sheppard, a multi-racial Black woman with coffee- coloured skin, blonde, copper, and red st... Alice Sheppard

Alice Sheppard, Ph.D., is the Artistic Director of Kinetic Light, a project-based ensemble working at the intersections of disability, dance, design, identity, and technology to create transformative art and advance the intersectional disability arts movement. A USA Artist, Creative Capital grantee, and Bessie Award winner, Alice creates movement that engages intersectional disability arts, culture, and history, challenging conventional understandings of disabled, and dancing bodies.

Learn more about Dr. Sheppard at kineticlight.org.


Simi Linton, a white woman, with reddish hair and black cats eye glasses, is seated in a power wh... Simi Linton

Simi Linton, Ph.D., is an author, filmmaker, and arts consultant. Her writings include Claiming Disability: Knowledge and Identity, My Body Politic, and “Cultural Territories of Disability” published by Dance/NYC. Linton’s organization, Disability/Arts Consultancy, serves cultural institutions throughout New York City and works to shape the presentation of disability in the arts.

Learn more about Dr. Linton at similinton.com.


Moderator

Photo of Dr. Theri Pickens Therí A. Pickens

Therí A. Pickens, Ph.D., a professor of English at Bates College, earned her doctorate in Comparative Literature from UCLA (2010). Her research focuses on Arab American and African American literatures and cultures, Disability Studies, philosophy, and literary theory. She is the author of two books: New Body Politics and Black Madness: : Mad Blackness.

Learn more about Dr. Pickens at tpickens.org.

Published: October 13, 2021