For more than a half-century, the Painted Bride has supported artists from all walks of life.
Their latest art workshop series does exactly that.
“Undue Burden,” created in collaboration with Hook&Loop, is an artist collective led by disabled, sick, neurodivergent and MAD people in Philadelphia. The series includes both digital and printed creations that document and celebrate the experiences of the disabled population. According to organizers, “The stories of disabled people are often pathologized, marginalized, or ignored. ‘Undue Burden’ was created by us to record our stories in all their complexity.”
The residency is part of the Painted Bride’s 2024-2025 Programming Theme, “Movements. Makers. Memory,” and disabled Philadelphians are invited to contribute to the growing, living archive installation through accessible, multi-sensory workshops. The installation and all workshops take place at the Painted Bride, located at 5212 Market Street in West Philadelphia.
“This season we’re focusing on bold, exploratory work that transforms our understanding of place, space, process, and collective movement,” said Nina Ball, deputy director.
Maggie Mills, Associate Professor of Art, visual artist, and administrator for the ‘Undue Burden’ digital disability archive, met Shannon Brooks, co-founder of Hook&Loop, in 2021, and soon after, they wrote and received a Velocity Fund grant to grow their vision.
“As part of that grant, I planned to create an exhibition for ‘Undue Burden’. In 2023, I applied for a Painted Bride Artist grant to create this exhibition,” Mills explained.
As project lead, Mills is responsible for budget, deadlines, and collaborating with staff, and also created the living archive installation at the Painted Bride, the conceptual basis for the series. The result is ‘Undue Burden’ — a living archive and residency with a series of multi-sensory, accessible events.
Now through Nov. 23, events will be hosted that invite members of the public to contribute to the growing, living archive installation. Events include an accessible dance aerobics class (Nov. 2) with QUEEROBICS, a touch-able art gallery by sick and disabled artists (Nov. 9), and an “ILL-egal” wedding party (Nov. 16), in reference to the major, penalizing impact marriage can have on SSI payments for disabled folks.
The last event, on Nov. 23, will be a closing ritual to reflect on the residency and host creative practices generated through the collaboration.
For tickets and more information, visit paintedbride.org
