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An Opening for Artists with Disabilities

August 21, 2009


Assembly Member Kellner with artist, Octavia Lanford.

On a beautiful August Thursday, I had the honor of serving as Master of Ceremonies at a ground-breaking art opening at the Roosevelt Island Visual Art Association Gallery (RIVAA), as over 80 stunning works of art created by artists with cerebral palsy went on display. The dozens of artists were joined by family members, friends, and supporters. As someone with cerebral palsy myself, this was an especially proud occasion for me.

I am proud to have helped make this exhibition a reality. For the last year, thanks to the Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State, I have been privileged to display in my office works by three of the artists who are now represented at RIVAA (as I reported in a post last August). Earlier this year, I suggested that the RIVAA Gallery would be the ideal place to stage a broader exhibition featuring pieces by artists with disabilities. Roosevelt Island is a community designed to be inclusive of people with disabilities, and RIVAA is one of the island’s prime cultural treasures — so the show and the location were a natural fit.

Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State Metro Services, United Cerebral Palsy of New York City, and Queens Centers for Progress worked together to produce the exhibition, which features a diverse and colorful collection of paintings, photographs, and sculptures on subjects including nature, life in New York City, and the artists themselves.

Thanks are due to CP of NYS, UCP, and QCP, as well as to RIVAA, for bringing us this wonderful show. The exhibition runs until September 7, and I strongly encourage you to stop by and check it out, whether or not you live on Roosevelt Island. The gallery is at 527 Main Street.

Below, is a poster produced by CP of NYS that is a collage of images from the opening night.

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Written by Micah · Filed Under Blogroll, Community, Events, Roosevelt Island 

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One Response to “An Opening for Artists with Disabilities”

  1. From the Blogroll XX: Crrrrrrrritics! Conversation, Too. « Clyde Fitch Report on August 25th, 2009 8:32 pm

    […] New York Assembly Member Micah Kellner’s blog, Micah Kellner writes about serving as master of ceremonies for an art opening at the Roosevelt […]

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