Harping with AAAWD

A great Debut for the newly formed AAAWD and CHOICE, unlimited BOLD Theater's newest Acts! I am proud to be on the Board of CHOICE and a member of AAAWD!

AAAWD's multi-media debut at the Play Ground!


Friday & Saturday, November 21-22, 2008
"An AAAWD Evening"
The Play Ground
Technology Village (main level)
11 East Superior Street, Duluth, MN
6:30 pm | Artists' Reception featuring Harpist, Christina Cotruvo
7:30 pm | Part I: AAAWD Little Films
8:30 pm | Part II: CHOICE Dancers & BOLD-Choice Theater Company
Tickets $5 (general admission at the door)
Box Office: 218-733-7555

"An AAAWD Evening" will open at 6:30 p.m. with a reception in the lobby gallery where AAAWD’s 2D and 3D artwork will be on display. Complimentary refreshments will be served and artwork will be for sale. The reception will also include live music by harpist, Christina Cotruvo. Performances in the theater begin at 7:30 p.m. with “Part I: AAAWD Little Films” featuring short animation and adventure films by Ben Giesen, Todd Reed and Bridget Riversmith. Members of CHOICE, unlimited’s dance program will open “Part II: AAAWD Twists and Turns,” followed by BOLD-Choice Theater Company performing selected scenes from their latest production, Romeo and Juliet’s Tragic Comedy. Question and answer sessions will close each part, and the ‘Evening will conclude at 9:30 p.m. Tickets for this all-ages event are $5 (general admission at the door). Front row wheelchair-accessible seating and ASL interpreters will be available each night of the event.

According to AAAWD co-founder, Bridget Riversmith, “‘An AAAWD Evening’ is about expanding notions of ability and normality by adding our own definitions and experience to the equation through art. Our acronym sounds like “odd” and “awed” – words that echo what it’s like being an artist with a disability in America. The trajectory of our group is from odd to awed via artwork, humor, friendship and open minds.”

Arrowhead Alliance of Artists With Disabilities (AAAWD):

The underlying inspiration for AAAWD (and their logo) is the stone soup fable wherein a few stones placed in a pot of boiling water become both pretext and catalyst for creating something from nothing, and revealing nothing to be something after all.

AAAWD began in 2006 with a series of VSA arts of Minnesota-sponsored meetings which brought together individual artists and arts organizations from around the state to discuss forming artists with disabilities collectives in Greater Minnesota. In 2007, local artists with disabilities were invited by VSA and the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council to several meetings in Duluth to lay the foundation for a new collective. In early 2008, VSA arts provided grant money to help fund our group projects and outreach activities.

The current core membership includes these visual artists, actors, directors, musicians and filmmakers: Pete B., Christina Cotruvo, Ben Giesen, David Hoffman, Ryan Iallonardo, Julie Jeatran, Cecilia Lieder, Bill Lyth, Roald Molberg (co-founder), Karl Mulligan, Sarah Nord, Justin Powers, Todd Reed, Bridget Riversmith (co-founder) and Annie Roseen.