New Center for Disability Arts Unveiled
AccessArtsCA has unveiled The Joseph Chung Centre for Creativity, a new facility funded by a major philanthropic gift. The center is dedicated to advancing the arts within the disability community, providing a new hub for creative expression and support.
- The multi-million dollar donation is the largest ever recorded in the history of the disability arts movement in North America and was given by Drs. Peter and Stephanie Chung in memory of their late son, Joseph, who had autism and epilepsy. - This significant gift brings the National accessArts Centre (NaAC) to the 75% mark of its $30-million fundraising campaign for its new campus in West Hillhurst, Calgary, with the total raised now at approximately $22.5 million. - The new net-zero carbon facility will be the first purpose-built, dedicated arts facility for the disability community in North America, positioning Canada as a global leader in the sector. - Designed by the architectural firm Dialog, the Joseph Chung Centre for Creativity will feature a sensory-friendly room, a barrier-free studio, accessible lighting and audio spaces, a recording studio, and a cafe that prioritizes hiring people with disabilities. - The new center is part of a larger project, the Multidisciplinary Disability and Community Arts Hub (MDCAH), which received an investment of over $8.2 million from the Canadian federal government's Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program. - The parent organization, National accessArts Centre (NaAC), was founded in 1975 and currently supports more than 350 artists with disabilities in Calgary and southern Alberta. - The new facility is critically needed as the NaAC's current location is slated for demolition following the collapse of the adjacent Fairview Arena in 2018. - Philanthropic support for disability-related causes is notably low, with foundation funding for disability representing only about two cents of every foundation dollar awarded.
