Art Ability: A benefit celebration for Bryn Mawr Rehab and artists with disabilities

October 28, 2023 – January 28, 2024

Save the Date for our 2023-2024 Art Ability Celebration!

We’re excited to announce a series of events celebrating the 28th year of Art Ability at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital. This year’s show is not to be missed!

  • Preview Party
    Saturday, October 28, 2023, 2 pm to 5 pm
    Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, 414 Paoli Pike, Malvern, PA 19355

    This ticketed event traditionally kicks off the annual art exhibition at the hospital. Art enthusiasts, exhibiting artists, and friends of Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital are welcomed back to campus this year for an afternoon celebration. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served. Tickets for the preview party can be purchased here.

  • 28th Annual Exhibition and Sale
    Sunday, October 29, 2023 – Sunday, January 28, 2024
    Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital

    Exhibit will be open daily during visiting hours. Tours will be available upon request. Please email [email protected] or call 484.596.5607 to schedule a private tour.

  • Art Ability Dinner
    Thursday, November 2, 2023, 6:30 pm
    Phoenixville Foundry, 2 N. Main Street, Phoenixville, PA 19460

    During cocktail hour, enjoy this opportunity to view and purchase artwork created by our talented artist community. Then experience a wonderful dinner with your closest Art Ability friends. Get ready for some friendly competition as we kick-off funding for our Creative Arts Therapy Program during the Call to Give. Tickets for the fundraising dinner can be purchased here.

  • Second Saturday Open Houses
    Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital
    414 Paoli Pike, Malvern, PA 19355

    November 11, 2023; December 9, 2023; January 13, 2024, 12 pm to 4 pm

    We’re excited to offer open tours of this year’s show on the second Saturday of November, December and January. These are great days to bring a group of friends and family to tour the show and truly get to experience Art Ability as a whole.

Art Ability at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital is a year-round program which serves as a showcase and marketplace for talented artists. The program educates the community about the remarkable abilities of people with disabilities and inspires artists to reach beyond their limitations and explore their own creativity.

The annual, international juried Art Ability exhibition and sale is twelve-weeks in length and features art and fine crafts by artists with physical, cognitive, hearing, and visual impairments.

Participating artists express their creativity through painting, photography, sculpture, fiber arts, stained glass, jewelry, and fine crafts. Through these creative modes of expression, artists can convey their talent, receive recognition for their work, and often also to further progress in recovering from a life-altering illness or injury.

The exhibit is then open free to the public and enjoyed by more than 3,500 individuals annually, including the hospital's patients, their families and friends, hospital staff and visitors — making it the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of its kind in the nation.

Need more information or have a question? Please email [email protected] or call our Art Ability Coordinator, Erin Panner, at 494.596.5607.

Our process

A stringent, two-step jurying process ensures that Art Ability presents highly professional artwork, demonstrating the strength of artistic talent within the disability community. The first step is led by the Art Ability Curator and jury reviewing the submitted images and choosing artwork for the exhibition. The second step includes esteemed judges who are selected based on their expertise and prominence in the fine arts community. They judge the work, selecting the pieces to receive awards in their respective categories.

2022 Art Ability Award Winners

The planning of the exhibition involves the members of the Art Ability committee and the hospital board, including members who have been disabled by stroke, polio and brain injury. Feedback from local and national past Art Ability artists is solicited through each stage of the project.

To join our mailing list for our events, email [email protected] or call 484.596.5607.

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