 Please give today! Your donation to the Opulent Mobility 2023 fundraiser will help us thrive. You'll also receive fine art cards and prints of founder A. Laura Brody's mobility artworks.
Opulent Mobility asks artists and audience members to re-imagine disability as opulent and powerful. Our 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 founder A. Laura Brody’s former partner had a stroke. During his physical therapy, she 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 she was fascinated at the adaptive devices that helped people get around, she was put off by their cold and clinical designs. Eventually, she invited others to re-imagine disability through the lens of art. Each year Opulent Mobility puts out a new a call for art that brings in artists from across the country and around the world. Since 2020, online artist talks and video tours of the exhibits became part of the annual offerings. This year Opulent Mobility is expanding into weekly 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 high style plague repellant designs. This new programming is rapidly expanding Opulent Mobility’s audience and outreach and will benefit even more artists. In addition, we are starting to offer Opulent Mobility as a touring exhibit 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. This year our goal is to rapidly expand our audience and make the exhibits and new programming accessible and welcoming to folks who are blind, low vision, hard of hearing, or Deaf. This means ADA compliant spaces, audio and ASL descriptions of the artworks, more online offerings, live captioning, and ASL interpreters for live and online events. We are partnering with Pro Bono ASL, an interpreting service which provides free ASL for Deaf people and a sliding scale fee for the hearing, and will hire Deaf interpreters to add ASL videos to the website. Cheryl Green, a survivor of and longtime advocate for people with traumatic brain injury, will provide corrected captioning. Your funding will also help artists who cannot afford art transportation; digital files can be printed and framed on site, relieving artists of the cost of shipping and insurance. Thank you for your generous support! Let's re-imagine disability together.
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 The Kali Walker (2017) by A. Laura Brody, photo by Heidi Marie Photography Take part in the art and enjoy teatime with an array of fascinating speakers!
Upcoming calls for art: The Plague Wear Gala seeks your designs and creations that help ward of pandemics and plagues of all kinds! Deadline to submit is now extended to June 1st. In Enter the Goddess(es), the divine feminine takes center stage. Share your work that centers the goddess(es) by July 8. And Opulent Mobility 2023 is open for submissions! We want your art that re-imagines disability as opulent and powerful. Submission deadline is July 31. Genius Teatime talks April-May: April 29 Abbe Dotson Understanding Real Estate: A Casual Conversation about How to Buy, What To Buy and When To Buy Sign up here May 6 TBD May 13 Mindi Trimble Getting Majorly Determined: Supporting College-Bound Students to Embrace Uncertainty, Stand Out, Get In to their Dream School Sign up here May 20 Austin Lubetkin Multi Sensory Approaches to Accessibility, Technology, and Art: Ways to make art and tech more accessible to us all. Sign up here May 27 Socks Whitmore Trans Inclusivity in Artistic Spaces Sign up here  Detail of Nebula Enthroned by A. Laura Brody, photo by Heidi Marie Photography Submissions for OM 2023 are now open!
Opulent Mobility challenges you to imagine a world where disability, mobility, and access are not merely functional, but opulent. In a time where COVID protections are being lifted but the dangers are still very real, what does opulent mobility mean? Share your art that re-imagines disability and true freedom of movement! We accept 2-D and sculptural work, music files, and performances on digital media. Early deadline to submit work is July 31, final deadline August 31. A flat $20 fee covers administrative costs, and artists may share up to 10 works each. Please contact the founder A. Laura Brody if the fee causes hardship. Get in touch with any questions. And good fortune! Tonight, we weave at the Los Angeles Makery in conjunction with the DTLA Art Walk.  In these times of turmoil and injustice, I need joy to refuel. Maybe you do too?
Join me for these joys: Folks everywhere can tune in to Genius Teatime for great talks and community, sign up to become a speaker (to benefit you AND your charity of choice), and become part of the Plague Wear Gala. LA locals, check out A Common Thread at ArtShare LA and weave with me at the Los Angeles Makery. Let's get joyous together. 1. Now accepting entries to the online Plague Wear Gala through May 1st. Share your designs to help ward off plagues off all kinds and make folks aware that nope, the pandemic ain't over yet. We'll convene end of May for a Zoom gala and air the show beginning of June. 2.The Opulent Mobility 2023 call for art opens April 8! Share your work that re-imagines disability as opulent and powerful- deadline to submit is July 31 (or August 31 for latecomers). Check out the website for past shows. The show will go up online end of December 2023 and opens in person January 7, 2024 at the Los Angeles Makery. 3. It's high time for the goddesses to take center stage. The call for art for Enter the Goddess(es) opens April 15, deadline July 8 and will run August 13-September 16 at the Los Angeles Makery. 4. And have you joined us yet for Genius Teatime? This weekly lecture series is a delight. Check out the last blog post for the next few talks and sign up as a speaker online! Spots Saturdays from 3:30-4:30 PST and there are available spots June 24- July. We'll start booking the fall slots once the summer talks are full.  Genius Teatime has taken so much more effort than I imagined. Isn't that always the way?
Overall, though, it is a delight and well worth the effort. The next few talks are fascinating and I'm so looking forward to them! Please join us for: March 25: David Resnick They did WHAT with their MOUTHS?–and how technology radically accelerated the evolution of beatboxing Your donation this week will benefit the National Stuttering Association, our speaker, and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. Sign up here April 1: Laura Young Debunking the Myth of the Starving Artist- Flipping the script on the idea that artists are crummy with money, how current labor and income data does a terrible job at collecting accurate financial narratives of creative folks, and a call to action for culturally competent and intergenerational financial literacy in order to increase diverse voices in the arts. Your donation this week will benefit the Art Prof, a free visual arts resource that is super inclusive: their artmaking ideas are all low- or no-cost using found materials. Local to Los Angeles is the Lineage Performing Arts Center. They teach free classes for disabled people to promote mind-body connectivity and joy through performing arts. You will also help the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund offer ASL interpretation. Sign up here April 8: Kate Anthony The Roots of Codependence Your donation this week will benefit The M3ND Project, our speaker, and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. Sign up here April 15: Gia Mora 10 Easy Ways to Green Your Life (and Look Fabulous Doing It) Your donation this week will benefit the Sierra Club and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. Sign up here April 22: Susan Ruth Following the Unseen Road: How to keep going even when you're not sure where you're going, because you don't know how to not keep going. Susan Ruth is the human behind the podcast Hey Human and is directing her first indie horror film. She’s also a painter, singer/songwriter, and tarot card reader. Your donation this week will benefit the Trevor Project, our speaker, and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. Sign up here  A. Laura Brody
Hello, lovely people! Miry Whitehill's talk is rescheduled to April 29. We're going to make sure she gets a great audience! Genius Teatime is such a beautiful community. In our first three talks, we've benefited three wonderful groups: The Wishtoyo Foundation that protects and preserves the culture, history, and life ways of Chumash and indigenous peoples, and the environment everyone depends on; The Center For Body Literacy, Pamela Samuelson's new organization that supports body literacy and autonomy; and Gro Gifted, promoting a comprehensive and accurate understanding of giftedness through research and outreach. You've helped the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund grow- after another two months of talks, I can start to add ASL to the Opulent Mobility website so it becomes more friendly to Deaf and hard of hearing folks. We've learned so much from our wonderful speakers! Many thanks to Julie Cordero-Lamb, Kate Conklin, Rebecca Niederlander, and everyone else who has signed up to share their time and expertise. And of course, thanks to Pamela Clare Wylie Samuelson for being a fabulous accomplice- I mean, co-host. And thanks so much to all of you joining us! In a time where the news of the world can be so hard and liberties are under attack at every turn, this community is bringing hope and light. You are awesome and don't you forget it. One benefit of having a little lull in programming? I got to put up the videos of our last two talks! Please enjoy our first three Genius Teatimes. Click the picture for the link.  Have I mentioned the Plague Wear Gala?!?
Fellow artists and designers, please join us for the Plague Wear Gala! To take part, fill out the form, and then email me the images you want to share. If you don't have anything that will work for this theme, have no fear. The deadline is May 1st so there is plenty of time to create some stylish plague wear! This will be an online gala that will be recorded and shared. We will find a way to set up your own "red carpet" area at home to show off your designs, and I'll share the event at the end of May. "Clothing to protect oneself from the plague has an historical basis, with long, beaked-nose masks being the most classic and recognizable form of plague wear. This gala will promote awareness on how COVID -19 is increasing disabilities worldwide while at the same time people are acting as though this pandemic will somehow not affect them. Folks with compromised immune systems are required to self isolate or risk their lives because temporarily able-bodied people feel "We can't wear masks forever". This gala asks-- why not? And why not make them fabulous? Submit your designs and images for modern day plague wear that helps you combat plagues in high style! "Plague" can be interpreted loosely. These designs can ward off pandemics, social anxiety, and/or depression, for example." Thanks so much! I am excited to see your creations.  Oh wow, y'all. Yesterday's Genius Teatime was amazing! What a wonderful talk and a great community. We could easily have gone on for another full hour or more of discussion. Can't wait to share the videos with you!
Coming up next... Saturday, March 4 Miry Whitehill: Welcome, Neighbor Refugee resettlement in the United States: How it works, how it feels, and how we can support our resettling neighbors. Your donation this week will fund Miry's List, our speaker, and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. Sign up at https://form.jotform.com/230388221619153 Miry Whitehill started Miry's List in July 2016 when a friend introduced her to a family of new arrival Syrian refugees resettling in Los Angeles with kids the same age as her own. At that time, she was a full-time mom of 2 on maternity leave from her career in digital advertising. Prior to living in Los Angeles, Miry lived in Tel Aviv, Israel and she speaks fluent Hebrew. Miry has a Bachelors of Science in Marketing from University of Maryland. Her first book Our World Is a Family, a picture book about being a good neighbor, was published in March, 2022 by Sourcebooks. Miry's List is a nonprofit organization made up of neighbors and friends dedicated to welcoming new arrival refugee families into our community through inspired crowdsourcing solutions.  Genius Teatime welcomes Rebecca Niederlander!
"Chronically Gifted, Chronically Ill" February 25 from 3:30-4:30 PM on Zoom. Sign up here. Your donation this week will benefit GRO Gifted, our speaker, and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. The asynchrony of giftedness is a whole body experience, affecting not just the brain, but also the body. Anecdotal reports and at least one major study abound of the increased prevalence of certain physiological conditions in the gifted population. Rebecca Niederlander has several syndromes and conditions that are genetic, and some that are of unknown origin, but that are certainly affected by their interaction with her brain. Why are these so prevalent in the gifted community? Are the things you think of as just a facet of being alive actually chronic illnesses that need medical attention? Come hear one story and her efforts to move from anecdotes to medical research. Rebecca Niederlander is an artist, essayist, curator, activist, and accomplice. Her artwork has been shown internationally including the acclaimed Venice Biennale. A recipient of numerous grants including the National Endowment for the Arts and the Durfee Foundation, Niederlander’s TEDtalk was entitled “The Art of the Journey.” She developed community engagement projects for the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. Niederlander co-founded the art and family social engagement BROODWORK (which was featured in the New York Times). She has written about art for numerous publications including a chapter in the catalog of the exhibition “Color and Fire” at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, for which she was also a curatorial assistant. Niederlander is the Board Treasurer for GRO-Gifted non-profit. She presented at the 2023 Gift-A-Palooza conference on giftedness and neurodiversity. In 2021 and 2022 she presented at the SENG Annual Conference on Parenting your Transgender and Gifted Child and Being the Best Ally to the Transgender and Gifted People in your Life, as well as co-authored the article Just Listen: Affirming Strategies for Supporting Gifted Transgender Youth for the June 2021 issue of the NAGC magazine Parenting for High Potential. She founded a therapy dog program at the Sycamores Home for boys that she ran for five years. Niederlander is married with one son. Always looking at ways in which life’s experiences cross over, she is committed to illuminating the broad scope of the asynchronous nature of gifted individuals through her diverse creative practice. Genius Teatime is cohosted by A. Laura Brody of Opulent Mobility and Pamela Samuelson of Embodywork LA. This signup form only offers PayPal. If you want to use Venmo or Zelle instead, my handles are @alaurabrody or laurabrody@verizon.net. If you don't have the funds, DM me and we'll figure this out! THIS IS AMAZING, Y'ALL! All events are held on Zoom Saturdays from 3:30-4:30 PM PST.
Sign up links will be posted as I make 'em. Check out the Genius Teatime page for the latest. You don't want to miss these fabulous folks! February 11: Julianne Cordero-Lamb What is, and what can be: what the plants teach us about adapting to climate disruption. Your donation this week will fund The Wishtoyo Foundation, our speaker, and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. February 18: Kate Conklin Wildness & Precision: The Creative Process Your donation this week will benefit The Center for the Advancement of Body Literacy, our speaker, and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. February 25: Rebecca Niederlander Chronically Gifted, Chronically Ill February 25, 3:30 - 4: 30 PST on Zoom Your donation this week will benefit GRO Gifted, our speaker, and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. March 11: Rachel Ungerer Celebrating Disabled Sexuality through BDSM Your donation this week will benefit Diversability, our speaker, and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. March 18: Danielle Roderick How to host a baby shower and source the baby registry mostly second hand, and have everybody be cool with it. Your donation this week will fund Miry's List, our speaker, and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. March 25: David Resnick The History of Beatboxing and how YouTube radically accelerated its evolution into new realms of genius Your donation this week will benefit the National Stuttering Association, our speaker, and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. April 1: Laura Young Debunking the Myth of the Starving Artist - how arts training makes you better at everything you do, and how current income data does a terrible job at telling the career and financial stories of working creatives. The person yammering at you is Laura Young: Artsy Gen Z Whisperer and Occasional Trashcan Statistician, and during the day the Director of Enrollment Management at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture. Your donation this week will benefit the Art Pro, a free visual arts resource that is super inclusive: their artmaking ideas are all low- or no-cost using found materials. https://artprof.org/ Local to Los Angeles is the Lineage Performing Arts Center. https://www.lineagepac.org/wellness. They teach free classes for disabled people to promote mind-body connectivity and joy through performing arts. You will also help the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund offer ASL interpretation. April 8: Kate Anthony The Roots of Codependence Your donation this week will benefit The M3ND Project, our speaker, and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. April 15: Gia Mora Easy Ways to Switch to a More Sustainable Lifestyle Your donation this week will benefit the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. April 22 Susan Ruth: Leaps of Faith- building your own podcast and independent film Susan Ruth is the human behind the podcast Hey Human and is directing her first indie horror film. She’s also a painter, singer/songwriter, and tarot card reader. Your donation this week will benefit the Trevor Project, our speaker, and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. April 29: Miry Whitehall Welcome, Neighbor Refugee resettlement in the United States: How it works, how it feels, and how we can support our resettling neighbors. Your donation this week will fund Miry's List, our speaker, and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. May 13: Mindi Trimble Get Majorly Determined: Support College-Bound Students to Embrace Uncertainty, Stand Out, & Get In to their Dream School Your donation this week will benefit Iamaria.org (I am Aria.org). I Am Aria is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit program that improves mental health through creativity in youths 10-17. It will also benefit our speaker and the Opulent Mobility accessibility fund. |
A. Laura Brody
I re*make mobility devices and materials and give them new lives. Sometimes I staple drape. Archives
May 2023
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