“Living Otherwise” chronicles and theorizes the histories and everyday practices of disability arts activists in NYC over a decade, exploring projects created by people with diverse bodyminds who are producing new cultural imaginaries centered on disability experiences and aesthetics. Working across a dizzying array of genres, they reframe the very concept of artistry itself. The research for “Living Otherwise” preceded and coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic when many activities shifted online, creating unexpected challenges and opportunities in the disability arts world, offering unanticipated resources, and models for “Living Otherwise.” This vibrant aspect of New York’s “disability world” is now at risk, given the extreme ableism that characterizes the Trump regime; at the same time, disabled artists have been at the forefront of the resistance to efforts to undermine their creative and world-changing work.
