Artistic Autonomy
Breaking Down Barriers
Words Deven Wilson | Photos from Sage Studio
At Canopy, there’s a workshop and gallery specifically created for artists with disabilities to succeed. SAGE Studio provides a space with access to art materials and an art creation room, alongside a beautiful gallery space where finished works are displayed and sold.
An acronym for Supporting Artistic Growth and Entrepreneurship, SAGE studio’s owners, Lucy Gross and Katie Stahl, strive to foster careers for their artists, bridging the gap between the art world and artists with disabilities and doing so in a way that enables stronger independence for their artisans.
“Folks with disabilities are siloed in [their] workplace environments,” Katie explains, noting her previous work in the special education sector. They’re often treated with “kid gloves,” despite being well into adulthood, and are limited in finding places where they can ‘just be’ without direct guidance. Even when it comes to their volunteers, Katie and Lucy stress that they primarily seek people with a background in art, not special education. “We’re looking for [volunteers] to come in and connect with our artists as artists,” Lucy shares regarding their equalizing approach. This guiding principle stems from a concept Katie learned in grad school: ‘the dignity of risk.’ Essentially, people with disabilities deserve the right to live messy lives, to strike out, and to fail.
In pursuit of that equity mantra, artists who want to be a part of their program must submit applications with work samples, acting as the first step in showing their seriousness about their mission to amplify their artist’s autonomy. As a result, artisans at SAGE have gone far beyond Austin’s city limits in their success. They support artisans amplifying their already-growing pursuit in becoming a full-time artist. They also help new artists see profit from their work and even facilitate game-changing commissions. Several SAGE artists’ works have been commissioned by big names like Vans, Austin FC, and the 2020 Biden Campaign.
The Biden Campaign commission was for Rick Fleming, an artist who played a crucial role in inspiring the creation of the studio. Rick designed a tote bag featuring Joe Biden on one side and Kamala Harris on the other, leading to a call from the then-former Vice President himself to inform Rick of his campaign’s commission to sell the tote. Now, if anything shows how successful SAGE is in their pursuit of granting autonomy to special artists, it’s Rick’s quote on their website: “I’m making the big bucks. I met Joe Biden. I am an artist.”
Contact:
916 Springdale Rd., Bldg. 2, #103
info@sagestudioatx.com
sagestudioatx.com
@sagestudioatx
