We caught up with the brilliant and insightful A. Laura Brody a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi A. Laura, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
I am the founder of Opulent Mobility, an art exhibit that asks artists and audience members to re-imagine disability as opulent and powerful. My vision is a world where disability is celebrated instead of denied, ignored, and feared. Opulent Mobility brings disability art into the fine arts realm, gives opportunities to disabled artists, and starts conversations between disabled and able bodied people about creating a more equitable world for us all.
The idea for these exhibits began when my former partner had a stroke. During his physical therapy, I met an 85 year old man and a four year old girl doing stroke rehabilitation. It was crystal clear that disability could happen to anyone at any age for any reason. While I was fascinated at the adaptive devices that helped people get around, I was put off by their cold and clinical designs. Eventually, I invited others to re-imagine disability through the lens of art. Throughout the process, I am finding out how to maneuver my own chronic health issues and my own disability identity.
A. Laura, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a professional costume maker and designer, and decades of theatrical and dance collaboration taught me the value of working with different groups and their needs. I am also a lover of art and social history, an activist, and a strong believer in social justice. Opulent Mobility lets me combine all these passions and skills. Opulent Mobility started in 2013 as a small show at the Bell Arts Factory in Ventura and since then has grown to become an international exhibition. The growth of the exhibits has been powerful, but what is most important to me in curating and working with the artists is the community that we are building.
Opulent Mobility began partially out of the difficulty I had in finding places to showcase my mobility device based artworks. Being a collaborative artist, I decided to put out a call for art and invite others to join me in re-imagining disability. Learning more about disability culture through the artists of Opulent Mobility made the need for these shows apparent- there are few opportunities for disability art that are not patronizing or restricted to academic settings- but also made it clear that better accessibility in the arts is crucial.
This year my goal for Opulent Mobility is to rapidly expand its audience and make the exhibits and new programming even more accessible and welcoming to folks who are blind, low vision, hard of hearing, or Deaf. This means ADA compliant gallery spaces, audio and American Sign Language descriptions of the artworks, more online offerings, live captioning, and ASL interpreters for live and online events. It also means expanding job opportunities for disabled artists and organizations that work with them.
I am also offering online programming covering a wide range of topics with a community lecture series (Genius Teatime), individual artist interviews, and an online Plague Wear Gala that asks disabled and able bodied artists to develop their own plague repellent designs. These programs are expanding Opulent Mobility’s audience and outreach so it can benefit even more disabled artists. In addition, I am proposing Opulent Mobility as a touring exhibit to small museums in California, along with online workshops on the importance of the disability perspective, getting into the art world as a disabled artist, and developing exhibits for beginners.
Artists, please join us! The deadline for submissions for Opulent Mobility is September 15th, so there is still time to share your art that re-imagines disability. https://www.opulentmobility.com/submit-artwork.html
How’d you meet your business partner?
My co-curator Anthony Tusler and I first met virtually while I was mounting the very first Opulent Mobility exhibit in 2013. He submitted artwork well past the deadline when I had already published the artist list, so he couldn’t join us for the show. His photography really struck a chord, though, and we kept in touch regularly afterwards. It turned out we had very similar ideas about the importance of disability art, and he agreed to co-curate the next exhibit at California State University, Northridge. We have worked together ever since.
Anthony has a wealth of knowledge about disability justice, best practices, accessibility, and disability art. His photographs of the 504 protests (which helped lead to the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act) are iconic. With him, I am better able to understand disability rights and concerns from both an academic side and a civil rights perspective. And he is a delight to work with. Our co-curation sessions are so much fun! We have similar artistic standards and often very different tastes, but we really respect each other and bring a great sense of humor to the table. I am so glad he’s part of the team.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Opulent Mobility provides opportunities for 20+ artists annually, most of whom are disabled. The exhibits are used as an example of accessibility and disability art in classrooms in Maine, California, and Germany (most recently at USC). It is opening doors for disabled artists and bringing disability art to the attention of people who would otherwise not come across it. Several Opulent Mobility artists have kick started or enhanced their careers because of the shows, began curating and developing disability art events themselves, and in one case created a film of her artwork for the exhibit that later won awards.
The exhibits are artistically appealing and at the same time bring up questions about access, ableism, mortality, and our perception of disability and what it entails. They are by nature intersectional, since disability covers the spectrum of human beings. One in four people are disabled, so this is possibly one of the largest and yet least recognized of marginalized groups.
Each in-person show has been held in an accessible location, which has been quite challenging. Outside of major museums, which often meet current ADA access standards, most art venues and galleries are problematic. Many are in older spaces that are not required to upgrade their accessibility or have not been forced to adhere to the law. Over the years with Opulent Mobility I have struggled with venues that could not offer real access, or who balked at doing anything more than the absolute minimum requirements. This is such a common problem, and one that really needs to be addressed.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.opulentmobility.com
- Instagram: @opulentmobility
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/opulentmobility/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-laura-brody-5864478/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@opulentmobility
- Plague Wear Gala: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGebLpCXVLY&t=3190s
- Genius Teatime playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVTrsqEtjzU&list=PLna4SrQzXWZJB3LoKBPdNUJeDqpjIOAyy
- Press page: https://www.opulentmobility.com/om-press.html
Image Credits
Personal photo and exhibit photos from Opulent Mobility 2022 at Antelope Valley College Gallery by Heidi Marie Photography. Genius Teatime announcement by Pamela Samuelson Plague Wear Gala logo by Bronte Grimm