FRANKFORT, Ky. — The audience is the expert at the Kentucky Arts Council’s inaugural (un)conference, an event that will address career assistance, professional development and other issues related to working as an artist with a disability.

“We’re Listening: An (un)conference on careers in the arts for people with disabilities” will be 11:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Friday, June 29, at the Capital Plaza Hotel Ballroom, 405 Wilkinson Blvd., Frankfort.

“Artists with disabilities have the same concerns as any other working artist but may have additional or unique needs or challenges related to their work,” said Lori Meadows, arts council executive director. “We hope to identify those needs at the (un)conference, so that we can help improve the work and lives of artists with a disability in Kentucky.”

Unlike a typical conference, participants at the (un)conference will create the agenda for each day’s sessions on-site. All attendees are encouraged to share in the discussion or present on a topic of their choosing. Everyone will have an opportunity to share professional needs, concerns, experiences and stories.

“We would like for all artists, artists’ associates, groups and educators to consider participating,” said Sarah Schmitt, arts access director for the arts council and event organizer. “We are interested in hearing the stories and challenges of artists with disabilities so we might learn how to better provide educational and professional development opportunities to them.”

The event is free, and artists at all levels working in all media (visual art, literary art, performing art) are invited to attend. Registration is encouraged and is available online at http://1.usa.gov/KACListening.

Kentucky individuals and organizations that would like to become involved in creating careers in the arts for people with disabilities may contact Schmitt at sarah.schmitt@ky.gov or (502) 564-3757, ext. 492.

The (un)conference is made possible through a grant from the National Arts and Disability Center at UCLA and the National Endowment for the Arts. It is part of an ongoing effort to provide statewide activities promoting careers in the arts for artists with disabilities. The arts council partners with other state organizations and agencies including VSA Kentucky, the Kentucky Center and the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

The National Arts and Disability Center is a program of the Tarjan Center at UCLA, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.

The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector.

The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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