Art in the Atrium features ‘Expressive Inclusion’ exhibition
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CNY Arts teams up with ARISE and Arc Herkimer to highlight artists with disabilities.
One in four adults in the United States identify as having a disability, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Local advocacy organizations ARISE and Arc Herkimer are committed to creating an inclusive community where everyone can participate and have access to the resources needed for success.
ARISE CEO Tania Anderson has worked with the organization based out of Central New York for 17 years. When her daughter was diagnosed with a disability in 2006, her job quickly became more personal. As an advocate for people with disabilities for over a decade, she says ARISE’s mission is “critical to the success of the community.”
“Throughout my time on the board, I was very interested in the mission and activities of ARISE,” Anderson said. “My daughter was diagnosed with a disability in 2006. So at that point, the work of ARISE became even more immediate to me. It’s really important that we have an accessible and inclusive world that everyone can navigate successfully.”
ARISE and Arc Herkimer offer an array of services including employment services, housing accommodations, adaptive design, mental health services and more. The organizations prioritize recreational activities, specifically art, which is unique in providing an outlet for expression for people who identify as having a disability, Anderson says.
“People with disabilities, just like anyone else, want to express themselves through art, poetry and other forms of literature,” Anderson said. “Art is a universal medium; it’s a common language for all of us, whether you identify with having a disability or not.”
The latest CNY Art’s Art in the Atrium exhibition titled “Expressive Inclusion” shares the diverse, multidisciplinary artwork of local artists who identify as having disabilities from the ARISE and Arc Herkimer organizations.
Art in the Atrium is a collaborative project with CNY Arts and the New York City-based organization Chashama launched at the beginning of this year. The mission of the project is to provide artists in Central New York with accessible and affordable space to create, host and share art. CNY Arts hosts art gallery exhibitions, arts workshops, musical performances and more in Art in the Atrium.
“Expressive Inclusion” features literary and visual artwork including paintings, drawings, multimedia art, and poetry. The artwork was selected from Arc Herkimer art workshops and the 2023 Unique Art and Literary Magazine published annually by ARISE.
The exhibition opened on Friday, Nov. 24, and will run through Sunday, Jan. 14. Art in the Atrium is located in the City Hall Commons Atrium at 201 E. Washington St. in downtown Syracuse.
Visibility is the key to unlocking opportunities for emerging artists, according to CNY Arts executive director Stephen Butler, who has worked with regional artists to secure grant funding for 15 years.
“It’s like trying to rise above the noise,” Butler explained, highlighting the motivation behind the project. “We’ve tried to engage communities where visibility has been an issue.”
Anderson emphasizes the significance of the exposure provided by the exhibition, explaining, “It’s good for these artists to see their work on display. For many, it’s their first time having their art showcased publicly.'”
Laura Masuicca, a 58-year-old crotchet artist from Mattydale, suffered an injury in a work accident in 1999 that resulted in a long-term disability. Masuicca learned how to crochet when she was three years old, an activity that would later serve as a therapeutic outlet.
“I’ve been crocheting all my life, so it’s a natural thing,” she expressed in her artist statement.
“My disability gives me the time to crochet these projects when I can’t do other things,” Masuicca said. “I’ve made animals from three inches tall to three feet tall and everything in between.”
Arc Herkimer operates through seven support divisions, each contributing to the organization’s overarching mission of empowering individuals with disabilities and enhancing their quality of life. Within the framework of the organization’s STEAM program, art offers a creative outlet and “inclusive process” that serves as an avenue for communication, public relations director Courtney Brown said.
“There are individuals who are nonverbal, for instance, and art is a way to give them a voice and communicate in a unique way,” Brown said. “Individuals are very proud of the work they’ve produced, and are very proud to talk about it with our supporters.”
Artist Kim Harvey from Schuyler, New York, faced the challenges of two traumatic brain injuries. Turning to painting as a form of art therapy rehabilitation in 2011, she discovered a profound source of healing for both internal and external struggles.
“When I began painting, it helped with many aspects of the challenges from the brain injuries,” Harvey said. “Creating art has been very cathartic for me. Painting and writing frees the soul of what cannot be contained.”
Harvey’s painting, “Schine Divine,” is featured in the “Expressive Inclusion” exhibition. In her artist statement, she wrote, “I am grateful for life.”
“The art is very powerful,” Butler said. “Sometimes the art created is about what people are experiencing with their disability, and sometimes it has nothing to do with their disability.”
Last year, Chashama contacted CNY Arts to organize a funded arts program in the city of Syracuse. The company coordinates with real estate owners to convert unused property into affordable workspace for artists to create and showcase their work. Through the Space to Create and the Space to Present programs, Chashama has awarded $11 million worth of real estate to artists.
“The organization wanted to go statewide to take their concept to cities and communities around the state,” Butler said. “They asked if we were interested, and we said, ‘Absolutely.’” Butler says the city of Syracuse and the Central New York Community Foundation “were on board immediately.”
CNY Arts intentionally partnered with the city of Syracuse for the project to ensure the lasting accessibility of the space. “Rather than trying to work with a landlord, where the space might be rented out to a paying tenant, causing the program to end abruptly, we went to the city of Syracuse who generously offered us the City Hall Commons Atrium,” Butler explained.
The historic City Hall Commons building formerly housed local government offices. Earlier this year, the city sold the building to developers, who plan to repurpose it into commercial space and housing, Syracuse.com reported.
While the seven floors of the main building sit empty awaiting development plans, the attached atrium will continue to host community art events and galleries throughout the end of this year, Butler says.
The collaborating organizations aim to showcase artwork from underrepresented communities. “We’re hoping people see their contact information, call them, and buy their art. The exhibit can help with their career,” Butler said. “I hope it incentivizes the artists to keep making art.”
Throughout the month of November, CNY Arts welcomed visitors to the Atrium for art exhibitions, Irish dancing, a baroque concert and open figure drawing sessions. The space is offered for free.
“In addition to serving the artists, we want to serve the general public,” Butler said. “There’s something special about being in a space with other people and seeing art. It’s an uplifting and communal experience.”
The Art in the Atrium is open on Fridays from noon to 8 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. More information is available at CNYArts.org.
is a graduate student studying Magazine, News and Digital Journalism. She is the Assistant Executive Producer for The NewsHouse.