Accessible Arts Marks 40 Years With Free Events at Art Gallery NSW

Since 1986, Accessible Arts has been at the forefront of advocacy and advancement, championing the rights of, and opportunities for, people with disability or who are d/Deaf to develop and sustain professional arts careers and have equitable access to arts, culture and screen across NSW.

As the peak arts and disability organisation in NSW, Accessible Arts works to accelerate the diverse professional, cultural and social impacts of arts and disability and provide a vital focal point for artists with disability to collaborate, communicate and accelerate issues related to advancing arts and disability in NSW. Accessible Arts' 40th Anniversary is being marked with a program of free, accessible events in partnership with the Art Gallery of New South Wales as part of Art After Hours on Wednesday 14 October 2026 at 5–10pm.

'We're so excited to be celebrating this significant milestone with the community. It's such an exciting opportunity to get together, to celebrate, and to honour four decades of dedication and collective community impact,' says Accessible Arts CEO, Liz Martin.

The centrepiece of the celebration is Access Ideas and Insights: Nothing About Us Without Us, a much-anticipated panel event that will also be accessibly livestreamed. Bringing together leading voices from the arts and disability community, this panel will explore the journey from the disability rights movement to contemporary arts practice, looking at the intersection of activism and creativity and highlighting some of the key moments, people and movements that have shaped arts and disability.

There will also be the opportunity to get creative at hands-on Disability Justice & Joy: Zine Making Workshops, with both afternoon and evening sessions available. Zines are a celebrated practice in the disabled community, offering portals to reclaim and access histories and providing toolkits for community safety, survival and justice. These workshops have been made for and by the Disabled and Neurodivergent community, with allies welcome, and all materials will be provided.

Plus join in the fun with Comedian-Led Art Tours as the hilarious Imaan Hadchiti and Alice Tovey provide insights into The Edge of Things – an Art Gallery of New South Wales exhibition that explores the ways in which artists give form to the dynamism and disorder of our contemporary world.

'This is more than a milestone. It is a celebration of the people, creativity and ideas that have shaped 40 years of arts and disability in NSW. It's also an opportunity to come together imagine what the next 40 years can make possible,' says Liz Martin.