Affirming Identity Through Art
Katie Buster
Watercolor on Paper, 16” x 20”
Written By Yassi Boroumand
When I tell people that I work in the Developmental Disability (DD) field, I usually get the following responses, “You must be very patient,” or “This is very admirable!” The general public has a preconceived notion that people with a disability are by nature a burden on society and all work related to that person is seen as charitable work. I would like to dispel this uncharitable notion by suggesting that under the label DD we have individuals who, if encouraged, have aspirations to be someone much like you and me.
At Cedars (Cedarslife.org), I manage a fine arts program where a community of disabled artists learn to express themselves artistically and through their art, they shape their own identities. Thereby, undoing a pervasive socially imposed identity --that of developmentally disabled individuals. To do so, many must also overcome their internalized assumptions of incompetence and low expectations. Because they have gauged their own value against that of the able, they also need to free themselves from the shame they feel. Brené Brown describes shame as “The fear that something we’ve done or failed to do, something about who we are or where we come from, has made us unlovable and unworthy of connection.” The power of our work at Cedars lies in the laying out of multiple paths that map the artist’s place or identity into a larger community, empowering them with a strong sense of self and a valued space in the community that they live and work in. We facilitate the process of creation and witness transformation and the establishment of an identity that surpasses stigma. As Brown argues empathy is the antidote to shame and a tool to forge connections with all people. As one artist declared in response to the sale of her art, “I feel that I have been seen." Ultimately, when art creates a connection between DD and the able individuals, I feel a sense of accomplishment and hope that this world will embrace True diversity.
