By: Nercya Kalino, Staff Writer
SFU Galleries is hosting a series of workshops for creatives with access needs led by 2023 Accessibility as Creative Practice intern, Keimi Nakashima-Ochoa. The first workshop, which took place on February 25, was for immunocompromised artists. Taking place at Audain Gallery, with masks required and rapid tests requested, two more workshops will be held throughout the spring and summer: one for sensory-sensitive folks, and another for disabled LGBTQIAS2+ people. “Pals and partners” are also invited to participate and all skill levels are welcome. The Peak had the opportunity to interview Nakashima-Ochoa to reflect on the first workshop and discuss future plans.
The Peak: May you please share a bit about yourself and artistic background?
Keimi Nakashima-Ochoa: I am a racialized immigrant settler. I am a Disabled, bilingual, learner, worker, and artist. My work and worldview have been shaped through my ongoing learning of disability justice and Black feminism. My art practice incorporates a lot of different things, including creative access, reading, writing, weaving, and printmaking. I spent most of my youth in Amiskwacîwâskahikan. I have been building my life on these ancestral lands of Xwməθkwəy̓ əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and Səlilwətaɬ people and families for nearly six years now.
Why is accessibility in creative practice important?
Accessibility and creativity are inherently linked. Though concepts of “accessibility” are pretty new in mainstream culture, Disabled communities have had to navigate ableism with boundless creativity and imagination for centuries. I am someone who has both been making art and living with chronic pain most of my life. Incorporating ways of meeting more needs into arts organizations has been both natural and necessary for my survival within them. The more people that can access and survive arts spaces, the better those spaces will be — having more perspectives and ideas only adds to what cultural institutions can provide.
Who are these workshops geared at?
The three workshops are designed to connect folks intentionally through parts of their identities, by creating in community. The first workshop was centered around those who are immunocompromised, and we gathered with measures that focused on keeping things more sanitary, including things like medical-grade masks and single-serving snacks. Our next workshop will be focused on supporting those who are sensory-sensitive and have specific special interests, but may not necessarily identify as Disabled. Our third and final workshop will be a gathering for those who are rooted in the political nature of Disabled, queer, and racialized identity.
Can you tell me a bit about what went into putting these workshops together? Were there any challenges and how did you overcome them?
A core aspect of these workshops is that they are small, so that the social aspect is more engaging than overwhelming. That being said, the small scale still requires thorough planning ahead of time, especially while planning on the basis of meeting specific needs. There have definitely been challenges that have come up in the planning process. I think the biggest challenge being that universities — and their affiliates — have all historically served large groups at a standardized level. While that is changing, clear communication, and openness to doing things differently, have been key aspects to moving this project forward.
As an Accessibility as Creative Practice intern, what are some things you look forward to learning through this opportunity?
I’ve definitely been learning a lot about navigating a gallery that is attached to a university, and the processes that require it. I’ve had the opportunity to work through/with a couple of public galleries or artist-run centers, and a university library, but I’ve never worked with a university gallery! As an alumnus of another lower mainland university, I’m grateful for the opportunity to gain insight into more cultural and learning institutions.
For those who are unable to participate in these workshops, what other options would you recommend for them to experience open-ended artmaking centered around care?
Everyone deserves care. Unfortunately, care is not the norm in capitalist, white supremacy culture, so it can be challenging to find. I’ve been able to access and learn so much more about care through Disability Justice spaces. There are lots of local folks who are immersed in Disability Justice. Vitoria Monteiro, an SFU alumni who will be leading the next workshop of this series with me, is another artist creating spaces with care. I have learned so much from Kay Slater about care, and they host lots of different art spaces. There are too many others to name, but disabled-ness is generally well suited for the online world, and all it takes is a little bit of research to re-frame how we think about care, especially in relation to artmaking.
