Call for Entry for the 2023-2024 Art Ability Show is Now Open
Our call for entry for the 2023-2024 Art Ability show is now open! Please visit here to submit artwork for consideration.
The deadline to submit work is July 16, 2023. All submissions should be sent through the CaFE website. If you’re unable to access a computer, please email [email protected] and we will send you instructions for submitting a manual entry.
A list of eligibility rules and requirements can be found here. If you have any questions or need assistance, please email Erin Panner at [email protected] or call 484.596.5607.
Note: Erin is currently in the office Tuesday through Thursday only.
Art Ability is dedicated to creating community awareness of people with disabilities, and encouraging people with disabilities to reach beyond their limitations and find fulfillment and inspiration through art.
Art Ability: past and present
Art Ability offers a unique and accessible venue for artists with disabilities to display and sell their work. In addition to supporting Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital’s vision and mission to advocate for those with disabilities in our community while advancing the artistic and financial success of artists with disabilities, the art in the exhibition is used daily to motivate and treat patients at the Hospital.
Art Ability began at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital in 1996 as an eight-week exhibit and sale of work by artists with disabilities. Now, in addition to the annual exhibitions, Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital is an actively collecting institution whose permanent collection of over 500 objects is on display throughout the year serving as a showcase for, and celebration of, artists with disabilities.
At its inception, the annual exhibition and sale included approximately 40 participating artists and 200 pieces of artwork displayed. The most recent exhibitions featured more than 400 pieces of art, sculpture and jewelry by 200 artists from around the globe.
Art Ability includes the following major components: a twelve-week annual, international juried exhibition and sale of art and fine crafts produced by individuals with disabilities held each fall; community outreach and education opportunities including satellite exhibitions and interactive demo days; our permanent collection of artwork and the incorporation of artwork into the patient experience; and a corporate art acquisition program.
In 2000, Art Ability was named a Keystone of Accessibility by Governor Tom Ridge and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, one of only 12 arts organizations so honored. In recognition of its efforts, Art Ability was a recipient of a 2009 Inglis Award for Continuing Excellence from the Inglis Foundation. This award honors the performance of non-profit organizations in the Philadelphia region that enhance the quality of life for people with physical disabilities.
Artists receive 80 percent of proceeds from the sale of their pieces, with 20 percent earmarked to support the Hospital’s nationally-recognized patient treatment programs.
