Girl Envisioned Anew Photo courtesy of The Arc |
Her gaze sees every nuance in our souls. Her earring reminds
us that her value as an individual is beyond compare. But there is a fantastic
twist to Johannes Vermeer’s oil painting, Girl With a Pearl Earring. This work
of art, along with other iconic images of artists, has been recreated using people
with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as professionals in
the disability field. This formed the basis of the 2016 calendar, Portraits and
Masterpieces by The Arc of the Pikes Peak Region.
I recently met the calendar’s artistic creator, Craig
Severa, during a local art expo. His inspiration for the calendar in his words is that “everyone has something interesting or beautiful about them.” For the Arc and Severa, they want to celebrate diversity by focusing on “what
people can do and not what they can’t do.”
This is apparent when you look at the models that are stand
ins for the likes of Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, and Jim Morrison. While we know
these famous artists had challenges, we don’t define them based on their
limitations. We look at them for their tremendous contributions. This is the way we
should see all people and the calendar is a beautiful metaphor for that.
Model Kevin Van Ness channels a Rock Icon Photo courtesy of The Arc |
My meeting Mr. Severa was rather fortuitous. My last project involved refining labels, in
this case masculinity, through photography and poetry. My next project will
involve redefining disability through a sci-fi novel. It seems that “disability”
is largely defined by the context in which the person finds themselves in. For example, ADHD is largely regarded as a
disability in a school setting, but we now know that it is a strength in other environments.
The same can be said of autism and a whole host of other labels that define
people by their difficulties. In light
of this, it may be fair to say that the truly disabled are people that can’t
see beyond a person’s challenges. They are blind because they chose not to see
the individual for who they are. Do we recognize others for their contribution
or their disability?
Photo courtesy of The Arc |
Per their mission statement, “The Arc of the Pikes Peak
Region works to create a community where all individuals with intellectual and
developmental disabilities are embraced and respected.” For more information about their services or
obtaining a copy of their calendar, visit www.thearcppr.og
or call (719) 471-4800.
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