This spring I helped organize the Everyday: Accessible Art Exhibit at Michigan State University’s Broad Art Lab. As an organizer, I engaged in community outreach by coordinating and collaborating with local Michigan artists. We sought to rethink the space of the museum through attention to everyday inaccessibility faced by disabled people. For more information about the exhibit, check out the College of Arts and Letters website. Below, read the description of my piece from the exhibit.
Mirrors Shall Be Mounted with the Bottom Edge of the Reflecting Surface No Higher than 40 Inches
66” x 22”
This piece features a mirror hung at a level meant for people with dwarfism, wheelchair users, and others who aren’t reflected in certain mirrors. The mirror surface is surrounded by photographs of bathroom selfies taken by the artist and collaborators around MSU in bathrooms that lack an accessible toilet or mirror. Everyday inaccessibility is what I hope to bring attention to through this piece. I encourage everyone, disabled and non-disabled, to take their own selfies in this installation or in places on campus where access is lacking and share them to their social media with the hashtag #msuaccessdenied.
Jessica Suzanne Stokes 