LIVE UNITED Y’All!

Art both inspires and empowers at the Weber Gallery.

Note: Voting has ended and winners will be announced on December 1st at Metro United Way’s Community Pep Rally!

Description of the Innovation:

1. Summarized-The Weber Gallery is an Old Louisville art gallery opened by the Council on Mental Retardation in 2009 for artists with and without intellectual disabilities.

2. What makes it unique—The gallery provides a fully integrated, level playing field for the promotion of art from artists with and without intellectual disabilities, while maintaining consistently high standards. Typically, there are galleries for established, mainstream artists, and galleries for artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the two groups remain separate.  It is difficult for artists with disabilities to break barriers that block seamless acceptance into the professional art community. Through collaborations and partnerships with established artists and art organizations, the Weber Gallery promotes artists with and without disabilities simultaneously.  All art is judged equally, on its own merit, resulting in full inclusion, empowerment, and value for artists with disabilities within the broad community of artistic excellence.

3. Project plan—Through partnerships and collaborations between the established art community and lesser-known artists with disabilities, the Weber Gallery is promoting the higher achievement of all participants, while exposing both the artists and the issues of intellectual disabilities to new audiences.  After the first immensely successful exhibition that centered on the relationship of a photographer with his sons with disabilities, we are planning eight additional shows and workshops that run well beyond 2010, including a Kentucky-wide juried competition. The inquiries, excitement, and eagerness of all to participate ensure the project’s sustainability.  Volunteers are not in short supply, as both the gallery, the art, and, especially the artists, promise a pleasant, beautiful environment, and the work has proven not to be particularly labor or time-intensive. Funding from the project comes from three sources:  Council on Mental Retardation capital campaign which provided the renovated space and special lighting, donations and grants, and sale of artwork.