The Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (OUMA) has announced its latest exhibit, “The Gaze,” a series highlighting artists living with disability.
“The Gaze” is a deeply personal exhibition exploring how mind and body shape how we interact with society and how society interacts with us. The exhibit features photos and videos from artists living with and without disability and illustrates themes of ableism, advocacy and inclusion. With a variety of artists on display, the exhibit offers the opportunity for viewers to take in many unique perspectives on disability.
Award-winning artist, curator, and disability advocate Aleatha Lindsay is the curator of “The Gaze.” Deaf from the age of two, Linsday understands well the high barriers that disability can create. She also understands how artistic expression can help artists and viewers overcome them.
Photographer, Anna Shvets
“I love photography’s ability to invite us to visualize a glimpse of the subject’s personal experience. I aim to present an ideal utopia where diversity, inclusion and accessibility is as natural a response as breathing,” says Lindsay.
She is also the founder of “The Ikouii Creative,” an organization that helps cultural institutions design experiences with accessibility in mind and provides support for artists living with disabilities worldwide. “The Gaze” marks the second collaboration between Ikouii and OUMA. In 2022, the museum hosted its first celebration of Deaf and disabled artists with Ikouii, which featured live performances from disabled performers.
“The Gaze” marks the beginning of a year-long celebration of Deaf and disabled artists at Oglethorpe’s museum. Two more exhibitions platforming such artists will headline, including another collaboration with Ikouii, “Feel the Music: Deaf Creatives in OUMA” in September and “Fragile Genius: The Art of Anna Catherine Wiley and Buford Delaney” in January 2025.
“OUMA’s exhibitions and programs are particularly focused this season on physical and mental health and wellbeing,” says museum director Elizabeth Peterson Jennings. “Our focus on ‘Art for All’ through these exhibitions will give us a chance to try to break down barriers to access, strengthen regional connections, and support the wellbeing of the individuals in the community.”
“The Gaze” is on view at the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art beginning July 12 and runs through December 1, 2024.
