mending with art, community, and thread

How do I keep afloat these days? With art, community, disabled joy, and mending. Let's take good care of each other.

Upcoming mends:

Mending Our Spirits is next Sunday and Friday the 18th from 3-6 PM at the Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica. Bring something you love that needs repair or stop by for a snack and learn a few stitches! It's free, fun, and deeply satisfying. Many thanks to LA Performance Practice for this artist residency.

Join us for disabled joy:

- Celebrate Disability Pride! DIYAbled and I are sharing art by disabled artists all through July on IG.
- Join our production team for the MetamorphAble Disabled Dimensions Arts Festival! We're planning for 2026 and meeting monthly. Email [email protected] to sign up.
- If you missed the terrific DCA Disabled Artist Cohort meetings, Vanessa Hernández Cruz, Socks Whitmore, and I are keeping the conversations flowing. Get in touch to sign up for the next one July 23rd, 6:30-8 PM online.
- And join Dr. Inunanya Nweke from Jazz Hands For Autism on our next Genius Teatime July 26, 3:30-4:30 PM online as we discuss ways to make learning work better for all.

Art and community coming up:

- A silent auction (open now for bidding) and art fair July 20 (DM for address) to support CHIRLA and our immigrant neighbors and friends. 
- Celebrate the Goddess in all her forms and share your goddess art with us! Deadline August 1st.
- And once again we challenge you to re-imagine disability as opulent and powerful. Deadline to submit art for Opulent Mobility 2025 is August 31.

Resources and help:
CHIRLA
Doctors Without Borders
FreeFrom
National Network of Abortion Funds
NDLON
The Trevor Project

I almost didn't do this newsletter. This week has been brutal. But I know we can make amazing things together in spite of those that would do us harm. Take good care of your hearts, my friends. We need you around. And reach out, please.
XO Laura