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Home » Artists » VisAbility Art Lab
VisAbility Art Lab is a studio program that provides artists with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities a place and the resources to create art and develop the skills necessary to work in the arts.
Join us for for a free screening of James Billian’s film, The Basement of Dr. Widlow, on Sunday, September 14 at 10:30 AM!
What began as a short horror story grew into a trilogy six years in the making. Shot in an eerie Victorian house, this 45-minute feature brings Billian’s unsettling vision to life.
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VisAbility Art Lab is fully incorporated into VisArts, with artists enjoying all the advantages and benefits of an arts organization with four galleries, a studio artist program, and art classes and camps. Here, they’re free to discover and explore their talents, express their ideas, and start their careers as artists. Media include ceramics, glass, digital art, painting, drawing, and sculpture.
VisAbility Art Lab is housed in a street-level studio and gallery around the corner from VisArts’ main facility. Artists have the opportunity to participate in professional development workshops, submit their work for an annual exhibition at VisArts, and receive peer feedback and career mentorship from VisArts’ artists, curators, instructors, and staff. Artists select half-day or full-day sessions.
VisAbility artists have the opportunity to showcase their work in a variety of settings, including open studios in VisArts’ Pop-Up; an annual exhibition at VisArts, which includes an opening celebration and artist talks; and booths at the annual Rockville Arts Festival, where artists’ work is on view to 10,000 visitors. VisAbility artists have also shown their work at Round House Theater, the American Visionary Art Museum, The Arc Baltimore, and the Ratner Museum.
VisAbility artists’ original works are for sale in our online store, our studio and at shows, fairs, and festivals around the DMV – and an online shop is coming soon. Like all working artists, VisAbility artists are paid when they sell their work; they receive 80% of the sale price and 20% is used to support the program. Since the program’s launch, artists have sold more than $45,000 of art.
Shop for Art
VisAbility artists have had their work selected for several local and national projects, including the sale of artwork to Amazon Prime for the backdrop of “As We See It,” a series featuring characters and actors with disabilities, a mural project in a local park for Montgomery County’s Department of Parks, and a local author’s book cover.
If you or someone you know is interested in participating in VisAbility Art Lab, email Director Elaine Parks at eparks@visartscenter.org.
Meet Our Artists
VisAbility is in our Pop-Up at 36F Maryland Avenue. We’re open Monday-Thursday from 10 AM-2 PM.
Elaine Parks, Director Marzieh Narenji, Studio Assistant Madison Borrego, Studio Assistant
VisArts offers Accessible Arts classes for adults with disabilities who want to create.
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