Brooklyn Arts Exchange Announces The BAX DISABLED ARTIST SPACE GRANT PILOT PROGRAM

Providing space, time and support for dance, theater, and performance artists with disabilities. BAX is excited to announce its new DISABLED ARTIST SPACE GRANT PILOT PROGRAM to take place February-June 2019. The grant will offer 100 hours of space to four disabled artists working in performance. Modeled after BAX's long-standing space grants, artists will be provided with an honorarium, travel stipend, and advising. Selected artists will be asked to attend and participate in 3-4 sessions evaluating the pilot, sharing their own work with each other and with BAX's resident artists and staff.

As an organization that is committed to anti-oppression and social justice, BAX acknowledges its role and complicity in furthering an ableist culture over its almost 3 decades. Specifically, we wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge the harm BAX caused to AIR Marissa Perel (BAX AIR 2015-17) by the discontinuation of their residency in 2017. The BAX DISABLED ARTIST SPACE GRANT is an important step to address any perpetuation of ableism and acknowledge any BAX community members that have been harmed by our ignorance. We are deeply grateful and acknowledge Perel and all of the artists, students, parents, faculty, board members, and staff who have provided through their work and emotional labor a greater understanding of the world of disability justice and disability arts.

With this space grant, studio space will be available at Cora Dance, an ADA accessible space located on the ground floor, at 358 Van Brunt St. in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Studio space may also be available at BAX's main site located at 421 Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn (not ADA accessible) depending on the artists' and collaborators' needs.

The project, facilitated by Lindsay Londs Reuter, a non-disabled cultural practitioner working at the intersections of performance and accessibility, is a needed addition to BAX's ongoing artist residency programs including Needing It (Solo Queer Performance), the Upstart Program (for artists new to NYC), Space Grant Programs, and Artist in Residence Program.

For more than twenty-five years, BAX has provided a nurturing, year-round, performance, rehearsal and educational venue in Brooklyn that encourages artistic risk-taking and stimulates dialogue among diverse constituencies. All of our constituents join an organization whose staff and Board is actively engaged in challenging the manifestations of whiteness, ableism, and privilege as part of our ongoing anti-racist efforts and our other anti-oppression, pro-inclusion work.

This opportunity is available to all dance, theater and performance artists who identify as disabled and are NYC residents. The deadline for application is Thursday, December 13, 2018, with notification by January 4, 2019.
For information on eligibility and to access the application visit:
artistservices.bax.org/disabled-artist-space-grant

This project is generously supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs as part of the CreateNYC Disability Forward Fund. ABOUT BAX
Founded in 1991, BAX | Brooklyn Arts Exchange, is a community based performing arts center dedicated to developing artists of all ages, from children to professionals. The organization offers community access to arts and culture, supporting the creation of new work by emerging artists, engaging diverse audiences and providing arts education to youth and families. BAX has intentionally constructed an environment where children study and professional artists create under the same roof. Students are mentored by professional directors and choreographers. The organization's distinct focus on developmental process makes it a nurturing incubator for experimental dance and theater artists and is an important advocate for under-represented voices in the New York City performing arts community.

BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange welcomes students, families, faculty and artists to BAX, an organization with a core commitment to social justice. In keeping with BAX's mission to "encourage artistic risk taking and stimulate dialogue among diverse constituencies" we intentionally and purposefully support the voices of under-represented individuals and groups of all origins, ages, abilities, races, sexual orientations, and genders including - trans identified individuals, or those with varied immigration statuses. All our constituents join an organization whose staff and Board is actively engaged in challenging the manifestations of whiteness, able-bodiedness and privilege as part of our ongoing anti-racist efforts and our other anti-oppression, pro-inclusion work.

For more information about BAX and its programs please call 718-832-0018, email press@bax.org or visit us on the web at www.bax.org.