Meet the recently announced class for the Disability Futures Fellowship, filled with talented people in a variety of artistic fields.

Ford foundation and Mellon's foundation have recently announced the names for the class of 2022, which make up the renowned Disability Futures Fellowship, administrated by the United States artist. 

Disability Futures was born out of a year-long research study where the foundation interviewed dozens of disabled artist practitioners with inspiring creativity across the country. 

This foundation aims to; increase the visibility of disabled, creative practitioners of all disciplines, expand disability justice, create more creative spaces with helpful resources and elevate their voices individually and as a community. 

The 20 selected fellows are as listed:

• Alexandria Wailes (she/her)- Theatremaker and actor -N.Y.

• Alison O'Daniel (she/her), filmmaker, San Francisco, and LA.

• Antoine Hunter, choreographer and human advocate, Oakland.

• Camisha L. Jones (she/her) poet, Herndon.

• Corbett Joan O'Toole (she/her) activist and also a historian.

• Dickie Hearts (he/him) actor, New York.

• Jerome Ellis (any) composer and poet, Norfolk.

• The Rev. Joyce McDonald (she/her) artist, N.Y.

• Kenny Fries (he/him) writer, N.Y., and Berlin, Germany.

• Khadijah Queen (she/her) writer.

• M.Eifler (they/them) artist, San Francisco.

• Naomi Ortiz (she/her) poet, writer, and visual artist  Ariz.

• Nasreen Alkhateeb (she/her) filmmaker, Los Angeles.

• NEVE (they/them and he/she/him/her) terpsichorean artist, Wash. (Duwamish and Coast Salish Islands).

• QuestionATL (he/him) music producer and also an artist, East Point.

• Sandie (Chun-sha) Yi (she/her) artist, Chicago.

• Sandy Ho (she/her) community organizer, Boston.

• Tee Franklin (she/her) artist and also a screenwriter, New Jersey.

• Wendy Lu (she/her) journalist, N.Y.

• Yo-Yo Lin (she/they) artist, Brooklyn, N.Y.

This program creates a platform to prioritize their work whether they are artists, filmmakers, or writers. Their approach is not only offering resources but also addressing the problems field-wide in journalism, documentary, film, and the arts. They take into consideration the unique financial challenges these artists face, and most importantly, the lack of professional opportunities that are accessible for disabled practitioners. 

The fellowship includes a $50,000 grant, totaling $1 million for the cohort overall.

Emil J. Kang, program director, at the Mellon Foundation shared the message behind the fellowship saying, “Created out of the conversation, and care, Disability Futures offers a chance to honor and learn from generations of artists.” 

This fellowship embraces diversity alongside allowing the practitioners to advance their ideas and develop their skills. “I’ve received several fellowships in the past, but this one is particularly special,” said Christine Sun Kim, Sound artist, part of the Deaf community, and 2020 Disability Futures Fellow. 

“It has undoubtedly expanded the meaning of ‘disability’ to something much less reductive,” the previous fellow states. The disability fellowship is changing the narrative for what the arts look like and is showing it is not just a space for the able-bodied.

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