Red Bull Arts Detroit (RBAD)
Accessibility Consultant
Red Bull Arts Detroit was a mid-sized arts organization that hosted an exhibition space and artist residency program located in Detroit’s Eastern Market between 2011-2021. The organization was deeply invested in promoting, supporting, and partnering with a number of community-based initiatives outside of their physical gallery space.
Installation view of Sick Time, Sleepy Time, Crip Time, 2018 at Bemis Center, Omaha, NE. Photo: Colin Conces. The Waiting Room, Detroit Edition, featured printed materials from local health organizations, publications on health autonomy and healing by artists and collectives, and new commissions by artists Ava Ansari, Wayne Curtis, and Cassie Thornton. Photograph by Colin Conces.
Sick Time, Sleepy Time, Crip Time: Against Capitalism’s Temporal Bullying, curated by Taraneh Fazeli as RBAD’s inaugural curatorial fellow (2019). Note: “Crip” is a political reclaiming of the derogatory label “cripple” popularized by disability activists.
As one of three external accessibility consultants, Ani was brought in to help identify access barriers and develop a strategy to support the Sick Time Sleepy Time... exhibition and future works in the space. A detailed list of this work:
Performed an access audit of RBAD’s galleries, residency, offices and surrounding infrastructure, and worked with the RBAD staff to make improvements based on audit results.
Created the work’s Access Statement located on Red Bull Arts Detroit's website detailing access offerings and resources for gallery visitors.
Trained and advised staff on new procedures and best practices to best support all guests.
Co-lead an Access Workshop with Dessa Cosma, Taraneh Fazeli, and Ezra Benus engaging local arts institutions and independent curators to share best practices and centralize learnings.
Worked with Taraneh Fazeli on an Arts Access Toolkit consisting of accessibility technologies and items for lend, instructions for use, and a document outlining different practices and resources to help organizations build up and operationalize a culture of access.
About the exhibition & programming series
Sick Time is a traveling exhibition and programming series that centers around the politics of health and care. Artists taking part in the show examine care for the body in states of illness, rest, and disability (particularly in relation to the time they operate on) prompts us to reimagine forms of support. Visit the original curatorial essay. (Words by Taraneh Fazeli)
Media:
In the Waiting Room: The Sticky, Slippery Duration of “Sick Time” by Tao Fei in Momus
Sick Time, Sleepy Time, Crip Time a Field Guide from Allied Media Projects
A conversation with Curator Taraneh Fazeli on their show Sick Time Sleepy Time, Crip Time from Squeaky Wheel
Red Bull Arts Detroit to Present Final Show in Eastern Market Space - Hour Detroit
Black Power Naps
Navild Acosta and Fannie Sosa, Black Power Naps: Black Bean Bed and Altar to the Ancestors, 2018. Original Commission from Matadero Madrid, Madrid Destino. Image courtesy of Performance Space New York. Photo: Da Ping Luo.