Laser Eagles Art Guild on You Tube Many things about ourselves make us different from everyone else. Varied in talent, interests and desires, people lead different lives. No one is the exact same as anyone else and that is the beautiful thing about being human: differences.
Judith Snow
, a quadriplegic, an advocate, an author, lecturer and leader in inclusiveness, can now add one more title to her slew of accomplishments: artist. A good one at that.
Snow loved to paint when she was a child; however, after being diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy and losing the function of her hands and eventually the rest of her body, Snow couldn’t paint, until now.
At 55 years old, Snow is leading a revolution of sorts in the art world. Now on exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum, Snow’s work reflects her story as well as her understanding of her own capacities, as an artist and a human being.
With the help of a head-mounted and controlled laser and a facilitator, painting is a possibility again for Snow and other artists who have no or limited use of their hands. The laser points to an area on the canvas that the artist wants painted and a human “tracker” applies the paint, following careful instructions from the artist.
But this exhibit is not just a commemoration of her life; it is an illustration of Snow’s emancipation from the typical stereotypes that often trap those with disabilities. Snow said, “Art opens up a whole different way of being with people and perceiving groups of people that you run into…So, in that way, my art has helped my advocacy, by challenging what it means to be abled.”
What does it mean to be “abled?” Is there a certain standard that people must attain in order to be “abled?” Snow doesn’t think so. Thus began the Laser Eagles Art Guild, an organization that offers individuals self expression through art.
Believing that all individuals have some contribution to make, the organization seeks to help those who have limited resources, mobility and relationships, to fully express themselves and contribute to society.
The organization blossomed out of Snow’s vision to create a world in which everyone is included and contributing to their communities.
“The people who are so called “abled” have always been taught to be afraid of difference, especially physical or cognitive difference,” Snow said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of…we can learn to appreciate each other.”