No Boundaries 2009-2010: “Transcendence”
No Boundaries exhibits have been touring the NW region since 1991. The intent of this program is to create opportunities for artists with disabilities and to launch or expand careers in the arts. No Boundaries grew from a local event into a touring exhibition that has traveled to all five Northwest states where we send the call for art – Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana- and was a featured exhibit at the VSA arts International Festival in Los Angeles in 1992.
This exhibit not only serves its participants, it also provides an enriching art experience to its viewers. By doing this, the viewer is opened to a culture they may not have experienced before. People tend to take little interest in aspects of culture from which they feel excluded. For people with disabilities, there is often an assumption that the conditions of their lives keep them from participating in cultural activities or that the only place for the arts in their lives is as therapy. The cultural bias that frowns on the pursuit of art as a “serious” career is reflected in the scarcity of vocational rehabilitation programs that include the arts as potential professions.
No Boundaries art exhibition was designed to provide an antidote to these inhibiting factors on the creativity of people with disabilities. By highlighting the work of artists with disabilities, by showcasing the work of emerging as well as established artists, by keeping the quality of the exhibit high through the jury process, and by providing the artists with the opportunity to sell their work, No Boundaries is encouraging an appreciation and understanding of the arts among people with disabilities and an increase in participation in the arts by people with disabilities. Through the No Boundaries program, VSAAW hopes to break down the barriers of prejudice and inaccessibility that limit the participation of people with disabilities in the visual arts.
The 2009-2010 No Boundaries show will be titled “Transcendence”. The title represents not only the current efforts of the organization but also those we serve. “Transcendence” will contain approximately 30 pieces of artwork all created by different artists with disabilities in the five Northwest states. “Transcendence” works will focus on how the artists have overcome barriers. Creating art can provide us all with the ability to transcend any boundary.