Welcome to Picasso Pro 

Picasso PRO, a long-term project, was formed to facilitate genuine opportunity for artists with disabilities and Deaf artists in the performing and media arts. It springs from the passionate conviction that Deaf and disabled artists belong on Canada's stages and screens and among our audiences, professional staffs, teachers and cultural leaders.   

Since 1993, Picasso PRO, originally called DIS THIS!, has enjoyed five programming cycles under the management of Rose Jacobson. Picasso PRO offers an evolving program of skills development, artist support, networking, creation, collaboration and services for the up and coming professional. All activities are grounded in a strong commitment to the artists' creative, professional and human rights.  Our current program is in collaboration with Creative Trust, made possible through a province-wide grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

Summer R & R? Not!

Following the successful Launch of Picasso PRO/CT on May 31^st, we’ve shifted gears. June and July are all about research, resource building and the preparation of new program content. Our excellent webmaster Wanda Fitzgerald continues to reconstruct the website and a P.PRO blog waits in the wings. We’ve posted a new research report on our Resources page and lots of helpful links.

We’ll be developing Access activities to serve both artists and audiences and an Art ‘focus’ for the year, with input from artists and advisors. Picasso PRO is already actively working with several independent companies and projects this summer and fall.

Personnel will participate in two summer focus groups offered by funders and we will start to plan fall activities in collaboration with Creative Trust. We are thrilled to be presenting at the Recreation-ABLE Forum this fall in Thunder Bay, one of our target communities for exchange.

More to come as our programs roll out. Meanwhile enjoy the summer’s delights, stay creative and stay tuned.

From the Field

Celebrate Mad Pride

Mad Pride is coming in all its splendor, July 13 to July 19 2009, throughout the city of Toronto. It’s a week long festival of arts, education and heritage activities which recognize psychiatric survivors, consumers, mad folks and others for the purpose of community development, rights awareness and celebration. All events are free.

The Mad Pride Organizing Committee includes Friendly Spike Theatre Band, Parkdale Community Legal Services, Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre, Sound Times Support Services and Houselink Community Homes. For the full schedule, details, blogs and links log onto: http://www.friendlyspike.ca/MadPride.html

Must Experience! “Sound in Silence” by Out of the Box Productions

The Theatre Centre 1087 Queen Street West (at Dovercourt Rd.)

Enter the brain of a Deaf dancer. From the muted space touch a wave of sound, a curve of melody. Learn to read the lips of life. A production for general audiences...those with hearing and those without.

Creative Team: Director Gwen Dobie. Director of Design, William Mackwood; Sound Designer, James McKeman; Composer & Percussionist, Jeffrey Wilson; Collaborative Pianist, Christina M. Frye. Starring: Dancer: Jung-Ah Chung; Tenor, Bud Roach; Actor, Patricia Tedford; Actor, Joe Bucci; ASL Interpreter, Joanna Bennett.

Performance dates & times: Preview June 17^th, 7:30 pm followed by roundtable

Opens June 18^th; Runs until June 21^st, 2009

Thursday-Saturday, two shows nightly, 7:30 and 9:30 pm

Sunday matinees, 1:30 & 3:00pm

Website: http://www.outoftheboxproductions.ca

Stay Tuned for ‘Puppets Without Barriers’: a Project of Clay & Paper Theatre

The dynamic Clay & Paper Theatre, a community-based company that produces large scale narrative theatre in public spaces for large and diverse audiences, will be offering five ASL interpreted performances of its new production, “Between Sea & Sky” July 29-August 2^nd followed by 5 performances offering touch tours and audio description for Blind and low-vision audiences. Stay tuned for updates here and full details available at: www.clayandpapertheatre.org

National Call to Visual Artists from KickstART Disability Arts & Culture

H/E/R/O/S is a multimedia, visual art exhibit to be presented by KickstART Disability Arts & Culture. It will showcase twenty artists with a disability at the Pendulum Gallery in downtown Vancouver, February-March 2010. For complete information log onto; www.

The Greek word “hero” originally referred to a demigod, the offspring a mortal and a deity. Various dynamics are observed in relation to the disability community and the concept of “heroism”.

KickstART is looking for artists who wish to convey something about the idea of heroism or to reinterpret “heroism” on their own personal terms. We encourage artistic adventurousness, and work that draws from the disability experience.

Up to three pieces from twenty artists may be selected by a curatorial committee. We welcome submissions of painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, assemblage, fibre etc. New media works will not be considered in this call. Two dimensional works are generally limited to 3 feet by 4 feet in size, or works that will disassemble or fold down to that size. Larger pieces MAY be considered but please speak to us before submitting your proposal.

A fee will be paid to artists chosen to participate. Collaborations are welcome, but for the purpose of payment, artist teams are considered single artists.

If you would like to participate, send a letter indicating your interest, accompanied by a sample of past work (limit of 10 images), and/or a sketch or brief description of your idea(s) for this show. Your proposal must be postmarked by Wednesday, June 17th 2009. Please do not send original artwork, and if you want any material returned, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Shefrin, co-curator, at visualarts@kickstart-arts.ca . Submissions must be mailed to: KickstART HEROS Exhibit, 2702 Norland Avenue, Burnaby, BC V5A 3A6

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