Masked: the 2022-2023 Exhibition

Click here for the Masked Audio Tour.

Click here to download the verbal descriptions for the show.

Click here to download the short verbal descriptions for the show.

Click here to download the artist statements and biographies.

Click here to download the Price List for art in the exhibition.

A square graphic. At top, a photo collage of six photos, an abstract painting, a city scene, a collage of a forest and faces, a psychedelic painting of a face, a photo of a sky and tree, a mixed media piece of a face. Below, in bold orange, it says "Masked," and includes details about the exhibit.

About the Exhibition

MASKED features visual artwork by 22 Vermont artists with disabilities. Each piece offers the artist’s creative expression of the title – which arose in the early moments of the global pandemic. The work included is as complex and layered as the meaning of the word “masked” itself. The artists explore protection, disguise, veiling, all that is enshrouded, and what lies beneath.  

MASKED is currently on display at the UVM Davis Center in Burlington, VT through May 2, 2023.

Davis Center Venue Information: Accessibility info is on this website. For additional accommodations or questions specific to the Davis Center, contact: Sean Yarolin [he/him], syarolin@uvm.edu, 802.656.2060

The exhibition will travel statewide January 2022 through May 2023. Tour sites include:

MASKED is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Vermont Arts Council, the Fountain Fund, and a group of generous individuals.

For more information:  
Email exhibitions@inclusiveartsvermont.org or call 802-238-5170.

Masked Virtual Artist Talks

Every month, we host virtual artist talks with MASKED artists on Facebook Live. Talks are on the third Wednesday of the month at 6:30 pm. Follow us on Facebook to keep up to date!

The Inclusive Arts Podcast

A purple square image with a dark purple, blue, and yellow microphone in the middle and lower right of the image. White text at the top “The Inclusive Arts Podcast”. In the bottom left is the Inclusive Arts Vermont logo.

Join Inclusive Arts Vermont for discussions on all things arts access in Vermont and beyond. The podcast features interviews with artists featured in the organization’s latest exhibition, Masked, as well as conversations with community members.

Listen to the podcast here.

The Masked Selection Process

Inclusive Arts Vermont invited Vermont artists with disabilities to participate in MASKED, the organization’s upcoming visual arts exhibition. Currently, applications are being reviewed, and the artwork for the exhibition is being selected.

Artists were asked to submit works that represented their interpretation of the theme of MASKED. The theme arose in early moments of the global pandemic, but like many words, “masked” has nuanced and layered meanings. Possibilities for interpretation could include wearing masks, masking and identity, cultural masks, and so much more. Inclusive Arts Vermont encouraged artists to interpret the theme and its meaning as broadly as it takes to inspire their creativity. 

MASKED offers participating artists opportunities to be featured in statewide publicity, build larger audiences for their work, and receive technical assistance in the professional documentation and presentation of their work.  

All exhibition host galleries are physically accessible and the exhibition will provide accessible program and communication features coordinated by Inclusive Arts Vermont. This includes, but is not limited to: verbal descriptions, audio tours, large print, braille, and gallery tours.   

Jury Members for the art selection process:


History

In 2012, we hosted Engage, a traveling, statewide exhibition of work by Vermont artists with disabilities. In 2018, we again partnered with the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts and the VT Association for the Blind to present FLOURISH, an exhibition featuring the work of 36 artists with disabilities. The show was on view at the Flynn’s Tarrant gallery for 3 months and featured works in acrylic, oil, and watercolor; drawings in ink, pastel, crayon, and charcoal; photographs, ceramics, weaving, and mixed-media sculpture and assemblages. The exhibition received an overwhelmingly positive response, with the opening reception welcoming hundreds of visitors. In 2020, we opened ANEW, a touring exhibition featuring the works of 29 Vermont artists with disabilities. ANEW opened, only to be sidelined by the pandemic. However, we moved the exhibition to a digital format, hosted digital artist talks, digital panels, and eventually, were able to display the exhibit publicly at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and the T. W. Wood Gallery.

“I was validated, and with quiet breath, am able to finally at least whisper tomyself, that perhaps I am an ‘artist’. The experience was exhilarating, fun, and has given me a great deal more confidence in my artistic ability than ever before. I am so grateful to VSA for all the opportunities granted to me with this experience.”

Gail Wheeler, Participant Artist

As part of these exhibitions, we offer a full range of accessibility services including print materials in braille and large print, an audio tour, verbal descriptions of every work in the show, and specialized tours for people with low vision or blindness and memory loss.

For more information about exhibitions, contact Heidi Swevens, Director of Community Partnerships.