Access Living is looking for models to pose for “Beyond the Scar”, a portraiture project facilitated by disabled artist, art therapy intern, B Randolph (they/them). Models’ portraits & stories will be included in Access Living’s Disability Portraiture Project archive. If you are someone with apparent scars and have lived experiences of disability, please join us!

Who can participate?

Are you someone with apparent scars? Do you self-identify as someone with disabilities, chronic illness or who are Deaf or neurodivergent?

If this sounds like you, then you may be eligible to model for the Beyond the Scar: A Virtual Portraiture Project! 

How to sign up?

RSVP required. One person per time slot. You can click the “Beyond the Scar Sign-Up Form” button below or email B at brandolph@accessliving.org to confirm your spot.

What can models expect?

• Models are invited to share as many personal scar stories as they wish. 
• Models will sit for a portrait and have full control of their portrait.
• Models will receive a portrait of themselves at the end of the project.
• For models who can commit to 5 sessions, a $300 stipend will be provided. 

About the Facilitator

B Randolph (they/them) is an art therapy graduate student from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). B specializes in portraiture, drawing the human form, and the writing/drawing of comics. Alongside their supervisor, disabled artist and art therapist, Sandie Yi, B is working to create disability culture and art at Access Living this year.

Please contact B at brandolph@accessliving.org or (312) 640-2100 with questions and concerns.

Each portraiture session lasts two hours. Sessions are available on Tuesdays from 4:00-6:00pm Central Time. In addition, sessions are available on Thursdays from 2:00-4:00pm or 4:00-6:00pm Central Time. Only one person per slot.

Tuesdays: February 13, February 20, February 27, March 5, March 12, March 19, March 26, April 2, April 9, April 16, April 23, April 30, May 7, May 14

Thursdays: February 15, February 22, February 29, March 7, March 14, March 21, March 28, April 4, April 11, April 18, April 25, May 2, May 9, May 16

Access Information

All Spring 2024 portraiture sessions will be occurring virtually via Zoom. AI captioning will be enabled.

Please request live (CART) captioning, ASL interpretation, and identify any access needs when signing up for a session. You can also contact B at brandolph@accessliving.org or (312) 640-2100 with access requests.

Due to high demand for ASL interpretation and CART captioning, please send your requests for these services at least 2-3 weeks before your session date.

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Sponsor information

Beyond the Scar: Portraiture Project is brought to you by the Arts and Culture Project at Access Living, an independent living center for people with disabilities; Shirley Ryan Shirley Ryan Abilities Lab; Bodies of Work: Network of Disability Art and Culture; and the Disability Culture Activism Lab (DCAL), a teaching lab housed under the department of art therapy and counseling at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Bodies of Work is a part of the Department of Disability and Human Development within the College of Applied Health Sciences at University of Illinois-Chicago.

This program received generous funding from Healing IL: funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services in partnership with the Field Foundation. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. 

The contents of this project were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90RTCP0005). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this project do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

Related Events

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  Beyond the Scar: A Virtual Portraiture Project

  April 30 @ 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
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  Spring Online Inclusive Dance Workshop Series

  May 1 @ 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
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  Beyond the Scar: A Virtual Portraiture Project

  May 2 @ 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM