Alt Text: Christelle sits on a dance floor with arms and head raised

Alt Text: Portrait of Anthony with a chicken resting on his shoulder

Alt Text: Portrait of Liz, with a large smile on her face.

1. The term Artist can evoke so many different images. How would you define yourself as an artist? What has been your evolution over time?

Artist is a critical role in society as a visionary communicating how one interprets the world reflectively for audiences to experience. I started as a child model in Thailand and got into theatre in middle school, explored experimental theatre at Austin Community College for a while before graduating with a BFA in theatre performance and production at Texas State University in 2010. I have been a writer since I won a UIL creative writing competition in 3rd grade. (see footnote for explanation of UIL). I also fell deeply in love with musical theatre experiencing Les Miserables at Bass Concert Hall.

All of my experiences built into my core love for supporting, developing and creating original works especially with a focus on theatre of the oppressed. I view my role as an artist to educate the audience about different points of view, hidden history/untold stories, and create a safe space for conversation and growth.

2. Tell me about a creative project that you are most proud of. What about a creative project that turned out quite differently than you envisioned?

Two recent ones stand out that I’m incredibly proud of and they both have to do with addressing accessibility in the theatre for people with disabilities. I am the executive director and co-founder of TUBU Fest – Theatre for Us By Us, an award winning disability short fringe play festival that premiered at the Ground Floor Theatre July 2024. Next year’s festival will be September 18-20, 2025.

The other project I’m immensely proud of is directing Waiting for the Bus by James Burnside that premiered at Ground Floor Theatre. This play was a labor of love for 4 years by Art Spark Texas. As Director, I approached the play from a disability-forward lens.

One unplanned thing that happened that was that a cast member got very ill during the run. Ms. Boye had spent 4 years on this project and performed 3 out of 6 performances. It became clear she couldn’t perform the second weekend and I didn’t have the bandwidth to try casting someone else as an understudy, so I performed the role. She passed the week after the show closed from pancreatic cancer. It has devastated and shocked the entire production team and communities that knew her.

Alt text: Portrait of Liz smiling outdoors, with wavy brown hair and wearing a blue-green top.

3. You had a radio show on KOOP Community Radio for many years. Why do you think radio is an important equalizer in society? Or is it?

Yes, I had a show called The Sex Ed Show on KOOP Radio 91.7 for almost 5 years. It’s incredible how time flies. I was also a board member for 6 years and helped guide the station through the pandemic to a place with a more active board. I finished my board membership this year to take a break and see what life presented to me. I also genuinely believe in giving other people an opportunity to have a seat on the board and see what they do with it. Rotation mixes up stagnation. I’ve met so many incredible people, developed relationships, and helped establish a clinic partnership with my school because of KOOP. It’s not just a radio station. It’s a place that gives back to the community constantly, a million times over.

There’s nothing like live radio. I recorded an episode where my friend who worked at an abortion clinic called in as they were packing up the clinic. I remember announcing Roe vs Wade being overturned and explaining what that meant. It was devastating. I have so many live interviews that wouldn’t be the same as podcasts or listening to them later. They are critical lives because of their social and political relevance to the moment in time. I knew my show was important, unique, and was unlikely to ever win awards. I did it because adults are highly under-educated about sex, have questions they are afraid to ask and don’t have enough time with doctors to get the information they need about things like STI’s. So, I’d talk about everything from menopause to erectile dysfunction, to queer sex and more. I also discussed how critically important it is for people with disabilities to receive comprehensive sex education.

Sex Education is something I’m incredibly passionate about, and it disturbs me how uncomfortable our society continues to be discussing something that is natural, and that science continues to prove that education leads to prevention of STI’s, unwanted or unplanned pregnancies, and more. Also, consent is a huge thing people don’t discuss enough or know how to fully discuss in society. We are horrible with boundaries and still figuring this out. People fear setting them and having conversations about consent. This has to change.

4. You just completed your studies in Traditional Chinese Medicine – Acupuncture and Herbology and are currently studying for your exams. What are the qualities of a healthy life that traditional medicine practices offer individuals?

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) teaches you to treat the whole person, not just one aspect of the body. Though people do specialize, it’s comprehensive integrative treatment. We work with patients’ other doctors, document their medications, and can prescribe herbal formulas. I am also licensed to do bodywork in Tuina and Shiatsu, additional therapies like cupping, guasha, and moxa. TCM can help people with pain, that’s the main reason people end up going to acupuncture in the first place. There are countless health issues we address on a regular basis such as gut health, mental health support, fertility, reproductive health, bell’s palsy, post stroke, post-concussion syndrome, and so much more.

The qualities of a healthy life from a TCM perspective are focused on preventive care, healthy home cooked meals, routine exercise, healthy routine dreamless sleep, drinking room temperature water (no ice), and daily hot teas. Qigong offers a good movement option for people of all ages to practice together and get daily exercise.

Alt Text: Liz standing in front of the Taj Mahal on her travel to India.

5. I know that you love to travel. Is there one place that stands out in your memory? Tell us about it.

India was incredible and very special to me. I went 1.5 years ago while I was still in Grad School. We went to New Delhi for Holi Festival and explored Old Delhi. Then we went to Agra where we saw the Taj Mahal. After that we went to Rishikesh where we stayed in an Ashram on the Mother Ganga and established a free acupuncture clinic for a week.

6. What do you see for yourself in the next 3-5 years? Any big projects on the horizon?

We will continue to grow TUBU Fest as an annual Festival. I am writing a Guide to Theatre Accessibility for Art Spark’s Waiting for the Bus project. I’m launching a health and wellness company with my friend from Grad School called Inclusive Herbs. Once I pass my boards, I’ll establish my own clinic where I’ll treat people. My partner and I plan to move to New Zealand in a year or so, where I’ll transition my practice to Aukland. We are doing an exploratory visit next year and going on a vacation to Rome this December.

I plan to spend more time writing, directing and producing. I would love to write/direct a musical or opera, especially an original work challenging many of the problematic tropes that exist within each genre. The work I’ve done this year has significantly boosted my confidence as an artist and I plan to expand to directing a full length feature at some point in the future as well. I have several written works I started and haven’t had time to finish.

I study languages and linguistics quite a bit, and try to learn some of the language of each country before I travel there. My goal is to be more fluent in the languages I’ve studied and add more languages over time. Italian has been easier to learn since I know a great deal of Spanish and French. It has felt like the easiest language I’ve ever learned so far. Getting the tonal variations of Asian languages for accurate communication has been a working challenge.

Travel is incredibly important to me so when I travel I develop international friendships and relationships for the potential of future projects or travel expeditions. I aim to travel to at least 2-3 countries per year minimum. Major hikes and international marvels as well as local food is key to me when I travel. Some things I plan to check off my list are the Camino de Santiago, seeing Hobbiton next year as a major LOTR fan, learning how to surf in New Zealand, etc. I’m sure more will pop up. I don’t have a strictly regimented 5 year plan, that’s not how I was raised. Most of what has happened in my life is because I was open to it and it spontaneously happened. People either reached out, or I was in the right place at the right time.

7. What other notable things from your past have you done?

I was a delegate for Obama in 2012. The hat I made and wore to the DNC is now a permanent donation to the Smithsonian. I helped cofound Occupy the NRA after the Sandy Hook Shooting to counter the NRA and get gun violence prevention on the ballot. Now it is. People have been elected across the country on the issue. People talk about it now, when I started people in Austin were afraid to express their opinions out of fear of being shot. I was at the state capitol inside the gallery the entire time Wendy Davis filibustered. There was a point in time I was at the capitol so often capitol officers thought I worked there, though I didn’t. I’ve helped organize countless rallies, events, etc. Then I shifted to education and awareness. I tracked bills for Texas Gun Sense determining which ones to act on or not. It taught me a lot about the legislative process. Sometimes a bill passes because one side does nothing.

For 7+ years I headed Women In Games International Austin and eventually built a conference that ran one year because I saw more potential in the organization than the people above me. It would have been easier to start my own organization than to continue working within the limitations of the existing organization. It was hard to walk away, but I had to. I also heavily left gaming because it was very toxic and I needed a break. Gaming is incredible in what it can achieve, how it can provide tools to teach, and they can be inclusive. However, there are millions of games out there with mostly men in power positions making the key decisions. It is slowly changing, but all prior decisions had a devastating impact and true inclusivity takes time. I continue to play games, trying new ones out regularly. I was a product manager for Town of Salem for a while and did voice over of 3 characters in Wasteland 3 along with some audio editing.

I’ve done everything in theatre in no particular order from costume design, set design, lighting, stage management, playwriting, acting, directing, producing, audio, marketing, etc. Theatre has taught me endless skills that I’ve used in the various industries I’ve worked in: politics, tech, gaming, film, radio, and now healthcare. I have a history of underestimating myself and fearing my own potential which leads to me being underestimated. However, in those moments that I have true clarity of vision, I know what I see and how I see it. That it is possible and I just have to get everyone else to see it too. When that beautiful vision happens, there’s no peace like it.

My life quote: Life is a constant metamorphosis.

Alt text: Photograph from Liz’s recent exhibition at the Ground Floor Theater featuring Liz in a bathtub surrounded by prescription pill bottles. Liz explains: I was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 10 after 2 seizures. One was in the bathtub where i almost drowned and had to be resuscitated and another in the school computer lab, It changed the course of my life forever.

Footnote: The University Interscholastic League exists to provide educational extracurricular academic, athletic, and music contests. The UIL was created by The University of Texas at Austin in 1910 and has grown into the largest inter-school organization of its kind in the world.

Please read the description below carefully and email your cv to info@artsparktx.org, thank you.

Job Type: Full Time/32 Hours

Position Summary
Responsible to oversee the management strategy for program and fundraising events, to support Art Spark Texas as the premier organization in Texas providing inclusive arts experiences and opportunities.  This position spearheads program scheduling and outreach efforts, as well as manages evaluation and assessment activities and reporting.  Works as member of the programs team.

Essential Functions
Strengthen and/or develop innovative ideas and tools that improve engagement in Art Spark Texas existing programs and services.

• Manage operations of the following activities:
  • Hands-on inclusive Spring Art in the Park festival, in collaboration with Austin Parks and Recreation
  • Audio description services, including equipment maintenance
  • Annual Artist of the Year Award nominations and Fall event
  • Logistics for workshops, classes and other program events, to include Texas Veteran Strong, New Media Arts, Mobile Art
• Post all activities to Art Spark online calendar
• Support staff to collect and record program data for grant reporting
• Assist with publication of bi-monthly e-newsletters

Key Skills and Requirements

• Highly organized with good attention to detail
• Clear and open communication skills
• Flexible team player
• Cross platform experience with Apple and PC recommended, but not required
• Some day and occasional overnight travel may be required

Executive Competencies & Desired Personal Traits:

• Passion and energy for the company’s mission
• Excellent judgment and integrity
• Self-started personality; able to success with minimal supervision and oversight
• Superb interpersonal skills; able to build relationships with a diverse group of organizations and individuals in the disability and arts fields

Physical Requirements and/or Working Conditions: 
This classification functions in a standard office environment:  Ability to move about the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.; communicate and exchange accurate information via phone, computer and in person; view data and written communications to verify documentation.

Compensation:  Competitive compensation commensurate with background and experience. Salary range between $38,000 and $40,000.

Through my internship with Art Spark TX underneath Celia Hughes, I came to truly understand Celia’s statement of how “we cannot create an equal experience, but instead aim for a more equitable one”. 

Alt Text: A portrait of Elena with quote included that reads “we cannot create an equal experience, but instead aim for a more equitable one”. 

Sitting in the auditorium of the Performing Arts Center for the showing of MJ: The Musical while listening to Celia’s audio description of the event, I realized that so much cannot be conveyed in the few moments where no speaking or music is happening. It was my first experience with audio description and although she had joked that I could turn it off if I found her talking too annoying, I was completely invested in what I could take away from the experience. The over-the-ear earpiece hurt, especially over time and when it bumped against my ear piercings; I was constantly worried that I would distract the people around me with the receiver’s green light; and I was so paranoid that if I played the receiver loud enough to where I could hear it over blaring music and singing, that somehow, the people around me would hear it and get annoyed. Aside from that, as someone who knew little about theater plays or musicals, I found the special effects and the lighting to be the best part and yet it’s extremely hard to explain this through audio description without talking over the lines or the singing, and there’s so much skill and experience needed in order to pick out what is important and convey it in the short time available.

As an informatics major at UT Austin, a major key point in my field that’s been hammered down into us has always been how information and data will always be biased because the people who collect them will always come in with their own biases and different backgrounds. This is the same case when it comes to audio description. It takes a lot of thought to describe something as factual as possible so that those listening can get their own conclusions and opinions from it. During a training session at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired that I got the chance to sit in on, Celia said something that really stood out to me- “they’re not there to hear your voice because you’re not the main attraction”. The idea that audio description for blindness is primarily about access is a constant reminder that audio description is about the important parts which help convey the message of the thing being described. Including opinions, fancy jargon, or extra effects made to “dress the stage” aren’t the main reason, but I think it all lies in the feelings and message that people with sight can understand and how we can translate those same feelings and messages to the blind community.

It feels like a constant balancing act because what is the creator’s message and what are the feelings that you yourself feel and how much of that is influenced by your background? It reminded me of a painting in the Blanton that showed a family sitting around a table. While my classmates were drawn in by the warm tones and the ideas and feelings of a warm, cozy family dinner, I had felt a distinct apprehension due to the sharp, prominent white knife in the middle of the table. In contrast with everyone else, I felt like the painting was a disconnect between family and a sense of unease. If I were to describe that, I would likely focus on the knife instead of the family around the table and if the listener only thinks of the knife as a prominent fixture of the painting, then they might share my views of the painting instead of viewing it as a comforting piece. Art is a subjective experience and when I was younger, I would always love to guess the painting’s meaning before reading about what the author intended to depict and as someone interested in audio description used in a museum setting, I really want to replicate that experience.

Alt Text: Elena, a young asian woman, stands on a high place over looking a city with sunset in the distance.

During the training at TSBVI, we took turns describing an image on a postcard with as little opinion as possible. I tried to replicate what my eyes were drawn to first and to describe it through colors, but someone mentioned that those with total blindness from birth will often associate colors to feelings. Red is fiery, hot, and passion. Blue is cold, icy, and sad. In the next few weeks, when I begin to create my own audio description training program, I really want to incorporate these feelings into my descriptions. How can I utilize the preconceptions and associations that people already have into my descriptions? How can I incorporate my knowledge of the museum into how they view the space and work? But also, how can I withhold my own opinions so that they can draw their own conclusions?

There’s so much more that I want to explore as I continue interning at underneath Art Spark TX and I’m excited how far I can take this and which things I can explore. Celia once told me that you really need a love of what you’re describing to even be able to properly do audio descriptions for it and I think that it’s true. You need to love the work and the craft so that you can put enough energy and thought into it and I hope that this will be evident in my future work.

Adam Griebel was born and raised in Austin, Texas, which he still proudly calls his home. He is loving his life in Austin, and spends many days doing things to help out his friends at the Senior Living Center down the road. However, his daily life is centered around his meditation practice, which he discovered in 1998 at the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Following a life-altering car crash his senior year in high school, Adam spent several years trying to make sense of the changes in his life. Through Krishna, his meditation practice has evolved over the years. In the beginning his prayer focused on remembering God. Now he focuses his meditation on inward reflection, thinking about using his energy being in service to the absolute, and to others.

There have been many firsts in Adam’s life: tee-boned in an early morning traffic crash, meeting and marrying the love of his life, raising a feisty and intelligent daughter… but starring in the lead role in Art Spark Texas world premiere production of Waiting for the Bus may be counted as one of the standouts.

When he was asked about his first theater experience, Adam laughed a little as he recalled his three-year-old self, demanding the center of attention. And then, when his 3rd grade class clowning ended up with him being sent to the closet, more than once. There was the day he made Hank Helser eat dirt that sent him to the closet, again, but this time he walked out of the closet, and out of the school to enjoy a glorious day of freedom.

In the 2000’s Art Spark’s Actual Lives Austin reigned over the local theater scene as the breaker of disability stereotypes. Adam rekindled his love for acting when he joined the ensemble early on. This ensemble wrote their personal narratives and crafted them into performances pieces. Adam wrote short pieces for performance, but with this new opportunity offered by Waiting for the Bus, he is more than thrilled to be interacting with a director and other actors, to put on a show!

Break a leg, Adam. We can’t wait to see you on the stage in November!

Lotus Blossom

(Adam begins chanting for a few seconds, sitting center stage. Chants the maha mantra a second time, segues into list of names of God. Then he stands to speak:)

These are a few of the million names of God.

In the early morning hours of the eleventh day of November 1989, my buddies and I were partying, without a single thought of the frailty of these mortal lives that we are all participating in.

At approximately 3:30 a.m., we entered the intersection of 6th and Lamar, through a flashing yellow light, only to be broad-sided by a speeding car, with no consideration of a flashing read, westbound on 6th.

Things started making sense again about the of January, 1990.

It is September and that means it is time for the Art Spark Texas Artist of the Year Awards Celebration. We annually honor artists with disabilities from across all artistic disciplines who embody the spirit and vision of Art Spark Texas. Every year we honor a wide variety of artists who are represented by a substantial body of work or who lead the way as a community catalyst for change.

Now in our seventh year of honoring artists, we continue to be impressed by the artists who are nominated, which makes the work of our awards panel so much more difficult.  This year, our celebrated artists come from all walks of life, and two awards this year are being given to a musical duo and a group of filmmakers with developmental disabilities. It just reinforces our belief that through our work we are supporting arts-inspired communities of individuals with disabilities.

This year we have moved to the accessible Rollins Theatre at the Long Center, with reserved accessible parking.  For information regarding directions or parking, please contact info@artsparktx.org. 

Meet our 2024 Artists! 

Artie Mills
Haven-Street Allen Artist of the Year

Karen (aka Artie) is a disabled veteran, small business owner and vibrant human with a mission to spread kindness and cheer. She owns THOSE Vending Machines, Austin’s Weirdest Vending Machines. THOSE vending machines provide a way for marginalized artists to sell their wares in unusual locations around town. She is not only a passionate artist and advocate for people with disabilities and devoted mother of two children with autism, her strength as a disabled veteran adds an important diversity to Austin’s artistic community.

Abby Kenigsberg
Gloria Bond Creative Aging Award

Abby believes laughter is the shortest distance between people. In her book, Shenanigans, a memoir about a woman who became a successful media watchdog as well as a more sympathetic wife, mother and daughter, she chronicles her adventures as the founding Executive Director of the Long Island Coalition for Fair Broadcasting. Most recently, at age 85, she wrote and directed a comedic play called, “Ficklebrott,” which she corralled her fellow residents to perform at Westminster in Austin.

The Spinrockers – Devin Gutierrez and Mary Rose Bushland
SPARK Award

The Spinrockers is a pop rock duet that writes and performs original music. Devin Gutierrez (instrumentalist and vocalist) and Mary Rose Bushland (vocals and piano) met at Texas School for Blind and Visually Impaired where they formed The Spinrockers. When The Spinrockers first began, Devin and Mary Rose entertained the nation through the “Live from the Living Room Concert Series” during the COVID-19 quarantine. They have since created their own original music which seeks to inspire others with disabilities. Friends say that music lives in their souls.

HPUMC Spotlight Academy of the Arts
Lynn Marie Johnson Media Arts Award

Spotlight Academy of the Arts’ Short Film Program gives voice to individuals with disabilities and a means to share their experiences with the world. For the past six years, the Spotlight Academy has premiered an original film every August. This award-winning inclusive film project is a program of the Belong Disability Ministry of Highland Park UMC in Dallas. Its aim is to promote individuality, originality, and disability advocacy.

Christina Culverhouse
Director’s Commendation

Christina is an eclectic artist involved in the arts, jewelry making, poetry and open mic community. “I create to give voice and language to express that for which there are no words.” She attends numerous poetry groups every month to advocate for people with disabilities and has published several books featuring local poets and Artists from Austin and beyond.

Introduction

For the past few years now, Art Spark Texas has been fortunate enough to contract with Austin Independent School District and offer summer school art classes across Austin. These classes involve Elementary, Middle, and High School students, an age group we normally do not get to serve. It’s high energy, fun, and even loud at times, and it always pushes our lessons and teaching strategies in new directions. It made for an exciting month of June. But now that the dust has settled, I’ve asked a few of our summer teaching artists to reflect on their summer classes.

LINDA CHIDO

This year I had two schools and two very different groups of kiddos. The first school was Houston ES and that group of kids were high functioning. I took them through a series of watercolor paintings that taught them about color theory. On our last day together we made simple portfolios that held all of the beautiful paintings they made over the month.

In my second group at Bedicheck MS, the kids were higher needs and I had to modify my curriculum for a range of physical and cognitive abilities. I did take them through some color mixing watercolor paintings but these were a lot looser than my first group. In addition, a girl that was blind was added to the class mid way through the month. I then made a pivot and brought clay to class to give them both a sensory experience and a fine motor challenge. On my last day with that group, we made a simple horse from polymer clay. The teachers were impressed with the students focus and final art object they produced.

June is a hard month to introduce any new activity given that it’s right before summer break for both the students and the teachers. Though overall, everyone was happy to see me and eager to paint and make art together.

ANTHONY MADDALONI

Throughout the summer semester, students were very curious about what I was setting up in class. We use many tools in photography, from ink jet printers and transfer paper, to the cameras themselves, even none tech equipment such as cyanotype and water color paper. We begin each project with discussion on what our favorite things are the photograph. With the transfer paper, students begin by find images on the computer via google, and then we process them through photoshop into printable files. Then, we print each image on the transfer paper, see image on the left above, and use a chemical process to lift the image off the paper and transfer it onto a new sheet. Once the actual printing started the students were very happy and excited by the results.

Jerry Slayton

Students in the New Media Arts class this summer had such a great spirit. Each class built on the following and every student was so eager to work hard to develop their movie. We started by building paper car sculptures. This required a bit of puzzle solving from students, but they were so up to challenge. Next, students created a group road map by drawing with oil pastel on a huge sheet of paper. This map was used to create the stop-motion animation of their paper cars driving through the city. Then finally students acted out “driving in a car” scenes by sitting in chairs in front of a green screen. We replaced the background, where the green screen was, with a moving roadway and created title cards. The results were wildly entertaining and we had a great final class eating snacks and watching our movies. The perfect end to a great summer.

Introduction

This month, Art Spark Texas would like to recognize artist Nada Diwan as our Artist of the Month. Nada has led a rich life in the arts and sciences, immigrating to the US for a better quality of life, raising two children along the way, and now grand-mothering five. And so we sat down last week to catchup on her art and life.

Nada, now in retirement, has the time to refocus her energies on a second career as an artist. But, in truth, she has always maintained her career as an artist.

“ I have been painting since childhood. Encouraged by my family members and friends, I loved drawing in black and white and received many awards thru out my school years. Growing up my parents would take us to visit many museums with classic art. I was fascinated by the beautiful classical portraits and by impressionistic art. At this time I was mainly drawing with pencils and charcoal.”

Nada grew up in the beautiful Mediterranean setting of Lebanon, during it’s Golden Age, 1950s-mid 70s. She attended French schools where she excelled in Mathematics and the Arts. Her parents noticed her artistic expression at an early age and enrolled her in classes outside of school. In our chat, she recalled how she wasn’t a talkative child, but she loved to draw, in particular portraits. She enjoyed the technical aspects of drawing, refining forms in a realistic style, which occasionally landed her in trouble as she was caught correcting her classmates drawing during a test. It was through drawing that Nada first learned to see as an artist, and through drawing she received praise and recognition from the adults around her.

“ This was good but not enough, so I thought to add some colors to my drawings in order to add more interest and life to them. So I picked up oil paint, pastels and acrylics colors.”

Later in life, while attend the American University in Beirut for Pharamacy, Nada continued with to refine her artistic skills by incorporating more mediums into her skills set. Color now began to push her work, rather than just form. She also expanded her subject matter to incorporate landscapes and architectural works, along with portraits.

“ Later I discovered that I can add even more interest by adding more texture to my paintings using pastes, gels and mediums mixed with colors. That attracted many customers.”

When Nada moved to Austin in the late 1980’s she was moving for all the opportunities that America offered to her pharmacy career, but also her artistic career. Upon arrival she immediately enrolled in portrait classes with Charlene Eppright where she honed facial proportion and began drawing with pastels. This opened her up to commissions in pastel and oils, work that she continues to this day.

“ My favorite thing now is painting textured art on wood pieces. And custom acrylic portraits of people and pets on canvas or wood.”

Nada’s current work is a combination of all the skills she has accumulated over the years, and new experiments. Portraits, Landscapes, Architectural and Botanical paintings all dawn her website. In her most recent series she uses molding paste and thick impasto acrylics to almost sculpt her paintings. The material extends off the surface creating a low relief picture that is visceral to look at.

“ My advice to any artist is to keep painting because art is a great way to express our feelings and we must use this gift from God to create a unique piece for people to feel and admire.”

To me, Nada’s work is a reflection of her artistic pursuits throughout her life. She has and will continue to explore her surroundings through her work, and so there is a journey. And thankfully, we are now all along that journey with her. Thank you for sharing your work, Nada, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.

Introduction

Gunilla Sjövall, or Gee or grandma Owl as we all know her, has been a disability activist since 1949. Gee has spent the past 17 years channeling her advocacy through dance. In the 1990s, Gunilla played a crucial role as the education secretary of Kynnys ry (The Threshold Association), the Finnish civil rights association of disabled people, in bringing Finland its first inclusive dance workshop, led by Bruce Curtis from the United States. Although she admired the workshop, something held her back from fully engaging and dancing.

“Since I was a child I saw myself as a dancer,” Gunilla says. Yet, it would be almost half a century before she allowed herself to pursue this dream. “You can’t dance in a wheelchair…!” – this societal misconception held her back until the summer of 2004 when a course on DanceAbility method at the Full Moon Dance Festival in Pyhäjärvi Finland opened her eyes and changed her life. Guided by Alito Alessi from the USA, she had a revelation.

By the summer of 2006, she returned from Vienna as a certified DanceAbility teacher, embarking on this new chapter at the age of 58. It had taken her almost 50 years to bring that dancer out of herself.

Gee wouldn’t be herself if she didn’t share the opportunities she got with others so after completing teacher training in Vienna, Gunilla felt compelled to share what she had discovered. It wasn’t enough to only develop her own talents; she was determined to nurture a community. This led her to co-found DanceAbility Finland ry (DAF) in 2008, an organization dedicated to presenting works by artists, performers, and choreographers with and without disabilities. DanceAbility Finland was founded by Gunilla Sjövall, Sally Davison, artist and disability activist Tuuli Helle, student and active dance enthusiast Maija Karhunen, theater expression director Outi Ivaska, and a small group of dance lovers and activists. 

In 2010, the 70-minute dance piece “Kaleidoscope – The unbearable beauty of diversity” premiered in Kanneltalo, Helsinki, but when writing the introductory texts, the group realized that the performing group should have a more artistic name than DanceAbility Finland. It was during a particularly lengthy and disorderly meeting that the name Kaaos (Chaos) was chosen.

She has since danced in nine creations under the Kaaos Company performances across Finland, Denmark, and Iceland. I have chosen three of them here: 

Pond: 
Pond is a small retreat, where we gather around water and give ourselves into it.
We float, we give in to the water, we get heavy, in the water, waterlike.

Chinese Whispers, 
Investigates interpretation through movement form and speech by utilizing material from misunderstandings.

Her latest collaborative creation with Sally Davison, a co-founder of Kaaos Company, “Swan Song” (2022) contemplated the aging body, though they humorously refer to it as a ‘farewell show’-but who knows what the future may hold for G. 

Swang Song:

Throughout her career as a dancer, she has experienced a wide range of emotions, from joy to frustration. However, one sentiment that stands out is her pride in the resilience and interdependence among the performers at Kaaos Company. There is a deep collective pride in their commitment to empowering each dancer to express themselves through movement language rooted in their own bodies and creativity, free from the constraints of conventional ideas of ‘correct’ dance.

Gee also served as the board president of DAF for nine years and then she had a short “role” as a “backbencher” but in 2024 we pulled her back to the forefront to help with the leadership change in the organization, so now I get to work alongside Gee as she is the vice president of the board.

My personal journey with Gunilla began at that life changing Full Moon Dance festival in Pyhäjärvi, Finland, in 2004. I was fresh from earning a DanceAbility teacher certification, and it was there, as a translator for Alito, that I met Gunilla along with her friend Tuuli and their personal assistants.

Their laughter was magnetic, their spirit infectious. We bonded over deep conversations about dance, life, and our shared commitment to inclusivity. 

In the early 2000’s I had returned to Finland and was striving to establish myself as an inclusive dance artist and teacher, dreaming of the chance to work with Gee. That dream came true in 2005 when Gee asked me to teach one of their Sunday movement classes. Though excited, I was also incredibly nervous. The class didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped. I was inexperienced and struggled to control my nerves. It was a valuable lesson for me in preparation and self-trust.

Luckily the Kaaos Company’s Sunday improvisation classes were not doomed due to my inexperience but they have become a staple offering for over a decade. Since 2009, more than 2,000 people have attended these classes, a testament to the inclusive and welcoming environment that Gee and her colleagues have cultivated.

Since 2021 I have been part of the board and since 2022 as the president of the board. So, my dream to be part of Kaaos Company also came true and the connection Gee and I formed in Pyhäjärvi has grown stronger through the years, transcending professional collaboration to become a cherished friendship.

Gee attending a Sunday class.

Gunilla Sjövall has not only created countless opportunities for dancers with disabilities in Finland but has also tirelessly co-led the country’s leading and only inclusive dance company in its pioneering work. Her impact extends beyond the stage; without Gunilla, essential tasks such as running board meetings, implementing rule changes, and translating texts from English to Finnish and Swedish would not have been managed so effectively.

Gee refers to herself as an owl, and her house is decorated with owl-themed decorations she has received as gifts and purchased herself. Truly, without her wisdom, care, and love, this organization wouldn’t be what it is today, tomorrow, or in ten years. Gee is the real grandma owl of inclusive dance in Finland. Her wit and humor keep things light, making the journey all the more enjoyable.