Art Possible Ohio

Nova Stewart
(Stark County)
Emerging
StarFall
digital pencil, archival print on textured Hahnemühle Albrecht Dürer paper
$380
"This illustration captures a scene from The Night Before Dawn, my in-progress illustrated speculative memoir exploring the process of healing after trauma. The book follows a journey through an imagined world, where light and darkness guide us through pain and growth. Though part of a larger narrative, this piece stands alone as a reflection on resilience, renewal, and the rekindling of inner strength. In this moment, The Star has fallen from the sky and begins to reclaim her light, a quiet yet powerful act of self-awakening that symbolizes the courage to rise again after enduring darkness."

Follow this link to our Square store if you would like to purchase an AEO 2026 artwork: https://artpossibleoh.square.site/shop/artworks/2

CREATIVE POWER PHASE 2: Disability Advocacy and Inclusive Access

Week 20: What you can do right now.

Over the past year, Art Possible Ohio has been running the Creative Power campaign to explore the power of arts, the importance of disability advocacy, and the impact that inclusive communities have on us all.

We've tried to convey through this campaign that the arts directly contribute to many facets life. Economic growth, educational development, and community building are just some of the changes that can happen when we give people the chance to fight for an inclusive future. We've highlighted various advocates, organizations, artists, and more along the way to raise awareness.

But awareness is only the beginning! Real change happens when people take action.

You can support disabled artists by sharing their work. You can advocate for arts funding in your community. You can learn about disability rights, connect with local organizations, attend events, volunteer your time, and speak up when accessibility and inclusion are at stake.

Every action matters. Every voice matters. Every effort helps build a world where creativity is accessible and available to everyone.

Thank you for the support over these 20 installments of Creative Power. Your continued dedication to education and learning on the topic of disability justice is one step in creating a more inclusive and creative future.

Now showing at Cleveland Play House!

Freak The Mighty, a world-premiere musical based on Rodman Philbrick’s novel and co-produced with Seattle Rep. The musical explores themes of friendship, resilience, and celebrating differences, centering two characters with neurodivergence and disabilities, and is told with joy, humor, and heroism.

A special relaxed performance viewing of the show will be available this Sunday, June 21st!

Tickets available at ClevelandPlayHouse.com

Lee Souverbielle
(Greene County)
Emerging
Masking
chalk pastels
$455

Follow this link to our Square store if you would like to purchase an AEO 2026 artwork: https://artpossibleoh.square.site/shop/artworks/2

Elizabeth H.
(Montgomery County)
Third Place, Emerging
Gerard
multimedia
NFS

Follow this link to our Square store if you would like to purchase an AEO 2026 artwork: https://artpossibleoh.square.site/shop/artworks/2

Austin R.
(Montgomery County)
Second Place, Emerging
Creepy Creature #2
multimedia
NFS

Follow this link to our Square store if you would like to purchase an AEO 2026 artwork: https://artpossibleoh.square.site/shop/artworks/2

CREATIVE POWER PHASE 2: Disability Advocacy and Inclusive Access

Week 19: Federal advocacy protects us all.

Disability rights are strongly shaped by our communities, but they are are influenced by decisions made at the national level. Organizations like the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) and Disability Rights Ohio (DRO) are known to work on protecting critical federal disability laws regarding education, healthcare, housing, employment, voting, income, and more.

Advocacy at the federal level helps ensure that disability rights remain protected while also working to expand, evolve, and enforce them for future generations. These efforts affect millions of people, including families, students, artists, community members, etc. Millions across the country rely on disability advocacy.

Progress happens when people speak up and organize to demand systems that are accessible and equitable for all!

Take action: Sign up for advocacy alerts, attend a virtual advocacy session, or contact your representatives about issues that matter to the disability community. Every voice strengthens the movement!

Arts Partner in Accessibility Awards — to recognize organizations that go above and beyond to:
-Craft accessible cultural spaces and experiences for the disability community
-Learn and educate others about accessibility best practices to normalize disability in the arts and culture sector
-Taking guidance and input from the disability community to best serve their constituents
-Present exceptional art by artists with disabilities

We would like to congratulate one of our Arts Partners in Accessibility, the Ohio Museums Association, for which has shown deep commitment to accessibility in both programming for their annual conference and in the presentation of professional development around accessibility for Museums across Ohio.

Executive Director of OMA, Johnna McEntee, said of OMA’s commitment to access: "Accessibility has always been part of the OMA conference—through accommodations like dietary options, accessible transportation, and open communication—but our approach was once fairly limited.

Thanks to the Accessibility Committee, accessibility is now integrated into every aspect of the event, from registration to on-site support, detailed resources, and trained volunteers. Their work has made the conference more inclusive than ever and inspired museums across the state to adopt similar practices, ensuring all attendees have the best possible experience.

Working with Art Possible Ohio has had an overwhelming impact on the Ohio Museums Association. We frequently rely on the Art Possible team to connect us with resources and community leaders for both our needs and the needs of our members. OMA frequently calls upon Art Possible to share their expertise and speak with our members as part of our monthly webinar programming, support our emerging professionals program, and present at the OMA annual conference.

OMA is a stronger, more inclusive organization because of our relationship with Art Possible Ohio. We are so incredibly appreciative of and humbled by this honor!"

Thank you OMA for your continued support!

Welcome to June! What's in store for APO socials this month?

We were on a brief social media hiatus due to our social media manager being out sick, but we are back! Here is what you can expect from the APO Instagram and Facebook coming up soon:

-Ongoing posts from our AEO 2026 Social Media Showcase
-ReelAbilities Film Festival news
-Call for Host Sites for AEO 2027
-The final installments of our ongoing Creative Power disability rights educational campaign
-LEAD Conference info
-Arts Partners recognition
..
And more!

As a reminder, all important links can be found at the LinkTree in our bio. Relevant links will also sometimes be posted to our stories, so be on the lookout for those!

You can also sign up for our monthly newsletter for even more info. If you are not already included in our newsletter mailing list but would like to be added, please message us your email address or email [email protected] to be added. The June newsletter is coming out today 6/2!

Arts Partner in Accessibility Awards — to recognize organizations that go above and beyond to:
-Craft accessible cultural spaces and experiences for the disability community
-Learn and educate others about accessibility best practices to normalize disability in the arts and culture sector
-Taking guidance and input from the disability community to best serve their constituents
-Present exceptional art by artists with disabilities

We would like to congratulate one of our Arts Partners in Accessibility, the Butler Institute of American Art!

The Butler has supported and invited accessible labels in braille, audio descriptions, tactile artwork, as well as ASL for the opening reception.

Thanks to the Butler, Accessible Expressions Ohio is now on view in their incredible institute until June 7th.