The Origins of Art in the Park

Art in the Park grew out of a much longer history of disability arts advocacy in Texas led by Michael Ann Lord. In the late 1970s, Michael Ann helped bring the Very Special Arts movement to Texas, organizing arts festivals and creative opportunities for people with disabilities through Austin Parks and Recreation and the Texas Recreation and Park Society.

Over the following decades, she expanded adaptive recreation programs in Austin and helped create spaces where people with disabilities could participate fully in community arts and recreation. Her work at Danny G. McBeth Recreation Center and within Austin Parks and Recreation laid the foundation for many of the inclusive arts programs that followed.

Around 1996, those efforts evolved into Art in the Park, an annual festival that brings together students with disabilities, artists, educators, and community members together for a day of hands-on art making, performances, and celebration. What began as a local gathering has grown into one of Central Texas' longest-running inclusive arts festivals.

As Art in the Park celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026, it continues to reflect Michael Ann Lord's enduring vision: that the arts should be accessible to everyone and that creativity has the power to build community, connection, and belonging.