Debuting at The Square from December 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023
Riviera Beach, Fla. (November 29, 2022) – The Arc of Palm Beach County invites you to immerse yourself in the unknown and often overlooked experience of disability. The exhibition, Their Own Truths: The Art of Sky Cubacub, Riva Lehrer, Jeffrey Mansfield, and David Richards, encompasses recent work by four innovative artists who have disabilities. The collection of paintings, garments, sculptures, and photographs seeks to change perceptions and to open minds.
Their Own Truths will be on display in the ArtWorks gallery at The Square, 600 S. Rosemary Ave., Suite 156, West Palm Beach, Florida. It is free and open to the public from December 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023. On December 4, a private opening reception will be held in collaboration with New Wave Art Wknd, and a series of lectures and programs will also accompany the exhibition.
“Aesthetic joy is central to each artist’s practice, yet their work challenges the viewer to recognize that societal perceptions of disability are far from its actual, lived experiences,” said Rena Blades, curator of the exhibition and president at Delos Consulting.
The Arc of Palm Beach County, through ArtWorks and its other art programs, helps convey the stories, accomplishments, and experiences of people with disabilities. Their Own Truths encourages the community to think differently, and to discover the true meaning of inclusion, acceptance, and diversity.
“This immersive, thought-provoking exhibit hopes to bring people together to explore and celebrate the disability community’s impact on our world,” said Kimberly McCarten, president and CEO of The Arc of Palm Beach County. “We want to connect and inspire artists of all abilities in our community and beyond. The Arc is fostering a society that upholds human flourishing and acceptance of all.”
Their Own Truths engages the broader conversation around contemporary art, while the artists’ insights provide viewers with opportunities to consider, examine, and critique deeply rooted points of view. The artists include:
Sky Cubacub
Sky Cubacub designs artistic garments that are fanciful, colorful, and custom-fitted for bodies of all shapes and sizes. Cubacub was inspired to create clothing that references and reflects on their nonbinary gender and disabilities: debilitating anxiety and an undiagnosed stomach disorder.
Cubacub has received several important honors, including the 2019/2020 Kennedy Center Citizen Artist, the 2021 Disability Futures Fellowship from the Ford Foundation and the Mellon Foundation, and the Chicagoan of the Year in 2018.
Riva Lehrer
Riva Lehrer was born with spina bifida and has spent a lot of time in hospitals; both experiences inform her work. She paints intimate and provocative portraits that focus on individuals with a visible disability. Lehrer is also a well-known activist for disability culture, and a teacher, writer, and speaker.
Lehrer is a current Disability Futures Fellow from the Ford Foundation and the Mellon Foundation, and her work has been widely exhibited, including at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian, Yale University, the United Nations, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
Jeffrey Mansfield
Jeffrey Mansfield was born deaf and his early childhood experiences, like attending a school for the deaf, informed his opinions about art, architecture, and their influence on our lives. His work explores how spaces profoundly impact our experience. Mansfield also researches the formation of deaf and disability spaces as expressions of cultural resistance.
Mansfield is a Graham Foundation grantee, a recipient of the Ford Foundation and the Mellon Foundation’s Disability Futures fellowship, and a John W. Kluge Fellow at the Library of Congress. His work has been presented at MoMA PS1, Bergen Assembly, Sao Paulo Biennale, and the Sharjah Biennial.
David Richards
David Richards’ work combines painted wall sculpture with collage and drawn elements. His art fuses organic, mechanical, and geometric forms, inviting viewers to make their own interpretations. Richards was born with physical disabilities affecting his spine, hips, legs, and feet.
Richards received the Illinois Arts Council Individual Artist Grant, the 3Arts Make a Wave Grant, a City of Chicago Percent for the Arts Program purchase award for the Logan Square Public Library, and the Anna Louise Raymond Fellowship. His work has been widely exhibited, including at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Illinois State Museum, the International Museum of Surgical Science, and the Kaoshiung Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan.
Their Own Truths is curated by Rena Blades and sponsored in part by Related Companies. To learn more about the exhibit, please visit arcpbc.org/events.
About The Arc of Palm Beach County
The Arc is changing the conversation around disabilities by defying definitions, inspiring possibilities, and improving the lives of the people we serve, their families, and our community. Since 1958, The Arc has envisioned a community where every person feels welcome, connected, and accepted.
About Related Southeast
Headquartered in the heart of rapidly expanding Downtown West Palm Beach, Related Southeast is Related Companies’ locally based, global real estate and lifestyle company that has redeveloped Downtown West Palm Beach into one of the nation’s fastest-growing commercial, retail, culinary, art, and tourism destinations. Related Southeast leads the market in Class A office space with 360 Rosemary, CityPlace Tower, Esperanté, Phillips Point, and the forthcoming 1 Flagler, as well as the celebrated destinations of The Square, Hilton West Palm Beach, RH West Palm, and the historic Harriett Himmel Theater. The dynamic neighborhood built for all to enjoy has recently undergone a $700 million transformation designed to foster culture and enrich the community with lush green spaces; a diverse mix of experiential retail and culinary offerings; the largest concentration of public art installed by a private company in Palm Beach County, featuring renowned artists such as Yinka Shonibare, CBE, and Jeppe Hein; and rich cultural and educational programming and modern luxury residences. For more information about Related Southeast, please visit relatedsoutheast.com.
