Is the GR Symphony’s Access to Music Concert out of tune? DisArt says “yes”

As an organization we find ourselves compelled to consider the repercussions of events like the Access to Music Concert and they unintentionally perpetuate segregation. Although the spirit of this event is no doubt well-intended, its outcomes could be quite detrimental to our community.

Performer Terry Galloway performing at the DisArt Symposium. Image Description: a woman approaches the audience with open arms, as if asking a question. In the background we see three audience members sitting on a couch. Photo by Eric Bouwens.

Yesterday the Grand Rapids Symphony held its annual Access to Music Concert, an event they explained is designed “to accommodate audiences with mobility issues, physical challenges, or other concerns that may be obstacles to attending Grand Rapids Symphony concerts in other locations.” Although the spirit of this event is no doubt well-intended, its outcomes could be quite detrimental to our community.

Events like the Access to Music Concert, unfortunately, lean towards ableism, a systems-based inclination that ends up segregating and devaluing the Disabled experience by promoting and normalizing the nondisabled experience. The presumption here is that public spaces and cultural events are unable to fully accommodate or welcome Disabled community members. As a result, “special” events, separate from traditional programming, are created in order to accommodate (a one-time solution) rather than provide accessibility (an ongoing process) for all potential audience members.

We have no doubt that 30 years ago the Access to Music Concert was produced and received as a progressive move, one that was sparked by a hope of being more accommodating to Disabled audiences. In 2017, however, one must ask whether this type of programming is still appropriate. Changes in access technology, disability “awareness,” and ADA legislation have helped to eliminate the need for charity programming and separate-but-equal events.

The Symphony should be celebrated for its many educational and cultural programs. But as organizations mature, and cultural conversations evolve, they must be willing to go back to the drawing board.

The audience gathers for DisArt Symposium: Disability Arts Now! Image Description: Photo taken from the back of a medium-size sound studio. The Image shows three people on a ramped stage, two are sitting in standard chairs, one is in a wheelchair. The focus of the image is the audience gathered for the talk. Several wheelchairs are visible in the audience, as well as other evidence of disability within the crowd. Photo by Eric Bouwens.

We as a city are beginning to reformulate our understanding of access. As an organization we find ourselves compelled to consider the repercussions of events like the Access to Music Concert and they unintentionally perpetuate segregation. Historically, beliefs that Disabled people want to, or should, be “cured”, segregation in the educational system, lack of employment opportunities, and ineffective social service practices have kept Disabled people at a distance from their nondisabled peers. But even more importantly, these and other cultural practices of prejudice, discrimination, and stereotype, have created a social atmosphere in which different bodies and minds are kept at bay.

But our collective actions can change this, especially in the arena of the arts. Consider the following arts accessibility suggestions, and notice how they might help to reformulate the Access to Music Concert:

First, keep the integrity of the art intact. The content of the performance, exhibition, or artistic practice should not be compromised by accessibility measures, but complemented. By taking the orchestra out of the Performance Hall, the acoustics and sounds of the instruments are no doubt compromised.

Second, be led by hospitality rather than charity. Hospitality happens when the provider of the art is on an equal playing ground with the receiver or audience. For too long, the arts have been pitched as a charitable form of uplift (i.e., art as cultural education). By shifting locations, the Symphony is risking the appearance of inhospitable behavior. The alternative setting alters the performance and the overall symphony experience, and thus signals (unconsciously) to the audience that they are not valued in the same way as traditional audiences are.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, embrace the idea that accessibility is a process rather than a product. Access to the arts is always in flux, always becoming better. The Access to Music Concert puts forth an all or nothing proposal: “our house isn’t accessible, so let’s go to another house.” What happens if the Symphony decides to begin working to make changes in its Performance Hall, sets the expectations of audience members accordingly, uses technology to fill in the gaps still being fixed in its bricks and mortar, and puts on an event that is face forward about its limitations?

ASL Translates Jill and Chris. Image Description: sign language interpreter pictured in the foreground, two people out of focus pictured on the stage in the background. The woman on stage is standing, the man on stage is in a wheelchair.

These three ideas are only a beginning to a larger discussion that Grand Rapids needs to have about making sure that our arts and culture organizations are accessible to all. DisArt is committed to this city-wide dialogue about access making, and includes itself among the organizations that must continue to consider the varied experiences of people at the center of its programming.

DisArt is a non-profit 501c(3) organization whose mission to changing perceptions about disability through curated experiences and strategic partnerships.