Arts AccessAbility Network Manitoba (AANM) is now accepting applications for the new fall mentorship AANM Art Salons. The Art Salons will feature three outstanding leaders in the disability community from different artistic practices. This program is for emerging artists (visual, literacy and performance based) to receive critical feedback and engage in group discussions about their work

Kate Grisim has been part of the writers’ scene in Winnipeg for many years. In the Spring of 2014, Kate was the Guest Editor of Geez Magazine (Issue 33, Disability and Ableism). She was the writer-in-residence for the Manitoba Writer’s Guild in the Summer of 2014 where she met with 2-3 writers per week to provide them with a one-on-one critique of their work. Kateworked as a teacher’s assistant in 2014 at the University of Winnipeg for the ENG-39200 Cultural Representations of Disability in Literature and Text course. Kate’s writing includes Are there Cliques in Heaven? published in Prairie Fire’s Spring 2015 magazine, Why we Need to Change the Narratives Surrounding Disability published in Wordgathering’s September 2015 journal and Body as Beautiful which will be published in an anthology called Disabled Voices in March of 2020. Kate’s experience working as a writer-in-residence and as a teacher’s assistant make Kate an ideal choice to lead our writers.

Yvette Cenerini has long been a pillar in the disability art community. After graduating with her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Manitoba in 2010, Yvette has had her artwork in group exhibitions in Manitoba, Ontario and Québec every year, including a solo exhibition in 2014 at La Maison des artistes visuels francophones. Yvette has worked tirelessly on the board of directors of many art organizations such as Arts AccessAbility Network Manitoba, Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art and La Maison des artistes visuels francophone. Yvette has facilitated many workshops, including grant writing and artist statements. She earned her bachelor of Education from Université de Saint-Boniface in 2001, and is experienced in facilitating classes and workshops. Yvette has been on numerous peer assessment panels which has further honed her skill in the evaluation of artwork.

As a well-known actor, director, and playwright, Debbie Patterson has long been a source of great strength and support for the disability community. In the early 1990s Debbie was one of the founding members of Shakespeare in the Ruins. In 2016 Debbie starred as Richard the III with Shakespeare in the Ruins which was the first professional Canadian production of Richard III featuring an actor with disabilities in the title role. Debbie has continued to push the boundaries for performing artists by founding the Sick + Twisted Theatre company in 2016. Sick + Twisted Theatre is dedicated to creating work exploring the experience of living with a disability. Debbie received the Activist of the Year Award from the United Nations Platform for Action Committee in 2014 and the Making a Mark award from the Winnipeg Arts Council in 2017. Debbie’s accolades and credits are too numerous to list here but a quick glance at her CV illustrates her incredible body of work. Along with Debbie’s experience with creating theatre as an actor, director and playwright, she has also dedicated a large amount of her time mentoring and coaching the new generation of performing artists with an emphasis on mentoring/coaching performing artists with disabilities.