The Art of Disability Culture: Nontraditional Visually-Impaired Artist panel Originally Aired June 25, 2022, on ACB Media during the ACB Conference and Convention Visually-impaired artists from different creative springboards:

• pottery
• graphical art
• movement
• theater

shared their experiences presenting and working with curators to provide interactive and accessible connections to their work.

This month, our featured guest is Andrew Leland, the author of the book, "The Country of the Blind: a Memoir at the End of Sight". Listen as we engage with him and he gives us background, tells his story of becoming blind due to retinitis pigmentosa, and all he continues to learn in the process.

Episode Notes

In this episode, we turn back a year... We bid you season's greetings as we bring back FIA member, Jason Castonguay, to talk about how he goes about arranging music. In this case, we're talking Christmas music. Yes, you, our listeners, will get to enjoy some hand-picked selections from Jason's Christmas album, as well as some other pieces recorded for an accessibility development fundraiser. Happy Holidays and enjoy the program!

This episode is an archive taken from the 2022 ACB Conference and Convention when Friends in Art held its Writers Workshop on June 25, 2022.

Welcome to the October edition of The Art Parlor! This month, we feature a returning guest, Matthew Shifrin! He tells us of his college work, a one-man musical he's created, his company's continued efforts with Lego, and much more! This talented, clever, innovative man has a lot going for him and it was a pleasure to visit with him again.

Meghan Downing, the recipient of FIA's 2020 scholarship, is our guest in this edition of The Art Parlor! She tells us of her music interests ramping up in high school, learning the guitar, and takes us through her college adventures - the most recent of which was studying in Valencia, Spain. While there, she recorded her first song-writing effort and you will get to hear it on the show! Music Therapy is part of her studies, as well, and is a passion of hers. Near the end of the program, we learn Meghan has a talent from a young age that we didn't know until the recording of this program! What a pleasure it was to have Meghan as our guest.

Art Parlor for August, 2023 Presents: AI, Music, & Pictures

In this edition of the Art Parlor, we visit an archive of the 2022 National ACB Conference and Convention. Held on June 23 of that year, our guest and FIA member, Derek Lane, along with attendees explore artificial intelligence, music, and pictures and how we, as blind people, can use these to our advantage.

Episode Notes

Welcome to this edition of The Art Parlor where we shine a spotlight on an organization called I See Music and the gracious people there who will be helping us with our upcoming, in-person Showcase of the Performing Arts at this year's ACB national conference and convention! You'll hear from I See Music's owner, Byron Harden and two trainers who work with him - Derek Lane and Kevin Reeves, as they provide background on how I See Music got started. In addition, you'll gain an understanding of what services I See Music provides and some choices to consider when pursuing learning in the music and audio industry from a blindness perspective. Many thanks to Byron and his team for helping provide equipment for our showcase!

Episode Notes

In this edition of Art Parlor, you'll ear an FIA presentation made in honor of FIA Past President, Lynn Hedl, at the 2022 ACB National Conference and Convention. You'll learn about the harp through presentations and performances by hosts Nancy Pendegraph and Jason Castonguay.

In this episode, we interview author, Feather Chelle. From her website, Feather Chelle is a single mother of five, living in Texas, along with two grandpuppies and two grandpiggies (guinea pigs). She is totally blind due to a battle with cancer and enjoys homeschooling with her family. She has been in love with the ocean since she was five years old and loves to learn more and more about it every day. She loves to teach and has been writing since the first grade, although her first book was not published until the very end of 2020. Her hope is to spread the fun of learning by offering fun and educational books at an affordable rate to children of all ages. She strives to support educators and offers free, educational printables to anyone who subscribes to her bi-monthly newsletter. What’s more, a percentage of the profits from specific books are donated to a number of designated charities.

I think this paints a clear picture of teh varying topics that will be covered in this packed show! Enjoy your time in The Art Parlor!