Lessons in (Art Space Accessibility)
@ Hyde Park Art Center
5020 S Cornell Ave, Chicago, IL 60615
Opening Thursday, September 24th, from 5:30PM - 7PM
On view through Monday, November 2nd
In this 90-minute program facilitated by independent curator Lauren Leving, participants will discuss access practices within cultural institutions.
This program will begin with an invitation to explore Hyde Park Art Center (HPAC) and consider what is (in)accessible in the exhibitions, physical space, and overall visitor experience. Following this self-guided exploration, we will come together to share our findings and discuss how accessibility does and does not appear in cultural institutions more broadly. What is working? What do you feel is missing? What additional resources would you like to have available during visits to arts organizations? What are your personal access fantasies for art spaces?
Together, we will think expansively about access, moving beyond the Americans with Disabilities Act—the minimum standards for accessibility—to unpack access as relational, dynamic, and complex. Depending on comfort, we will share our own access needs, which, as artist Aislinn Thomas writes, are diverse and often in conflict with one another; “it is not so uncommon for one person’s point of access to be another person’s barrier.” Building on this conversation, we will talk about access riders and the importance of sharing them with the institutions with whom we are collaborating.
This program is organized by Leving with an understanding that participants are entering with their own expertise shaped by their lived experiences. Lessons in: Art Space Accessibility embraces collective learning, generosity, and flexibility. This program is limited to ten attendees to allow for active participation. Please register early!
Access is hospitality. Access is love.
* This class has been organized by Laurel Hauge as part of Lessons in (Hospitality) which offers a series of classes during the run of this year’s Ground Floor exhibition (August 9–November 1, 2026). While each class in this series has been conceived by a different thinker, maker, and/or professional, they are all centered around the subject: hospitality. The project offers the conditions for a multitude of definitions and interpretations of “hospitality” to be shared, enacted, and embodied.
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Accessibility information and a tentative program breakdown are available on the website. Please contact Laurel Hauge at laurel.hauge@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.
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Image description: A vintage yellow, red, orange, and white floral heating pad similar to the one Lauren used when she was a child. A warning label is affixed onto the top middle of the heating pad, and a coiled white cord lays off to the side.
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Tags: Accessibility, Ground Floor, Hyde Park, Hyde Park Art Center, Laurel Hauge, Lauren Leving, Lessons in (Art Space Accessibility)
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