Disability on Disability

Tea Time at the Psyche Ward, Cindy Ferguson

VSA arts of Colorado (formerly Very Special Arts), is an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of people with disabilities though the arts. We operate a gallery and studio located at 909 Santa Fe Drive, in the heart of Denver’s hottest arts district, manage a mobile art studio and provide training and technical assistance to arts organizations on how to better serve patrons with disabilities.

This display is part of our Permanent Collection – “Disability on Disability”. Each artist is a professional artist and has explored some aspect of their disability through the artwork on display. Each piece was chosen for the technical quality as well as the subject matter. This entire collection is available for loan. Call 303-777-0797 for more information.

Gregg Massey
Pawnee Open Heart, Photograph
Gregg explores the challenges he faced as a young man with stuttered speech and a neuromuscular disease, his use of poetry and photography blend the internal and external.

Uzi Buzgalo
Lead Balloon, Acrylic
Deaf since birth, Uzi uses images of hands as a way to express himself. All of Uzi’s work is about his experience as a man who is deaf. Lead balloon relates to the frustration he has felt when unable to use his hands to communicate.

Laurie Frehner
Why Me?, Watercolor
After an automobile accident, Laurie had to learn to walk again. The process was a very slow and painful affair. As she regained her strength she began to paint and draw what she saw on her walks. Symbolically she would paint what she saw and felt.

George Rivera
Our Lady of Head Injuries, Digital Image
George uses the digitized image of the CAT scan of his brain in many of his images. His work is designed to remind people that even with a head injury he is still a human being.

Cindy Ferguson
Tea Time on the Psyche Ward, Oil
Exploring the isolation and loneliness of life on “the ward”.

Joel Armstrong
Ivy Gotta Secret, Pastel
Joel is a man living with bipolar disorder. This piece represents his feelings of needing to hide who he is behind the ivy covered walls of his secrets while blocking out the voices in his head.

Each piece and each artist have an incredible story to tell. Hope you enjoy. For more information contact VSAC at 303-777-0797.

What’s Wrong with this Picture

In the United States, there are more than 54 million people living with disabilities. Through the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Congress has recognized that these citizens “have been subject to a history of purposeful, unequal treatment and relegated to an inferior status in our society.” Discrimination experienced by people with disabilities extends from employment, housing, education, transportation, communication, recreation, health services, voting and access to public services. Generating awareness of these problems is the first step to improving quality of life and increase access for everyone.