On 3 December we acknowledge and celebrate the International Day of People with Disability.
To mark the occasion, and contribute something positive to the world, Studio A, a social enterprise arts studio dedicated to supporting neurodivergent artists, The Arts Law Centre of Australia, and comic artist and graphic novelist Greg Sindel are sharing a new resource for Artists Rights.
Sindel worked with animation Lecturer Deborah Szapiro and second-year students enrolled in the Bachelor of Animation Production at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), to create 3 short, animated videos explaining Copyright, Contracts and Moral Rights for artists. The graphic storytelling conveys information and possible scenarios applicable to artist rights.
“Knowing that my animations will be helping artists everywhere to understand their rights, I feel absolutely proud of it!” said Sindel.
Watch the informative short videos here.
Recently, in a report published by Creative Australia in 2021, it was found that graphic storytelling ‘simplifies complex ideas and transcends language barriers, making it an ideal medium to convey legal concepts.’ As such Sindel’s videos are a fantastic resource. In addition, to prioritise inclusivity, Accessible Arts NSW enabled a consultation and testing with artists with disability who were able to verify the accessibility of the project and effectiveness of Sindel’s initial illustrations and script.
Szapiro commented “The most rewarding part of this project was opening up my students’ minds. Once Greg did his talk, they were all fans. He changed their value system about the way they viewed art, expression and their own practice. It also made them view intellectual disability in a completely different way. I feel he freed them up, and opened them up, which was a large part of my pedagogical intent in taking on this project.”