00:00:34 Speaker 1 

Welcome to Independent Perspective, a public affairs presentation of Western New York Independent Living (WNYIL). Our guest today is Dr. Michael Rembis, associate professor of the Department of History and director of the Center for Disability Studies at the University at Buffalo. I'm your host Ernie Churchwell.  Welcome to the program, Dr Rembis. 

00:00:56 Speaker 2 

Hi, Ernie. Thank you for having me. 

00:00:59 Speaker 1 

It's our pleasure. And you're here because you're offering an interesting opportunity for possible consideration for a grant of up to $50,000 under the Communities of Care umbrella and of course we at WNYIL are grabbed by the fact that you're talking about disabilities. But as I understand it, this program includes other people that might be in need of care, who all is it for? 

00:01:36 Speaker 2 

Well, this is a grant that we received through the Center for Disability Studies in collaboration with the UB Gender Institute. It's a grant that's part of a larger project called the Communities of Care Project and in the project, we hope to over the course of the next three years, talk to people in and around Buffalo, who consider themselves caregivers or recipients of care, people who have formed various care networks and what we're calling Communities of Care, these can be, folks that are kind of have been racialized or marginalized in various ways. People that you know are poor or working class or even middle class folks who come together and created various Communities of Care that help them to survive and thrive in the world. 

00:02:29 Speaker 2 

The particular grant that you mentioned is a grant that's made available through this larger project, and it's a grant in which we're going to fund one or several artists, we have a total of $50,000 to fund a project or various projects, over the next year. The award will be announced in June. The deadline to apply is May 31st of this year and the artist, it must be an individual artist and they can perform. They can create art in any medium, but their art that they create must address the themes of the grant of the themes of the Communities of Care grant and so that's why we sort of put out this call you know for artists to propose their work to us, to our committee. 

00:03:26 Speaker 1 

What sort of characteristics of the proposed works would appeal to you the most in terms of consideration for the grant. 

00:03:37 Speaker 2 

Well, I'm not an artist and I'm not an art expert, but we do have artists and experts in the arts on the evaluation committee. This election committee for the award. But I think generally we're looking with we want work that addresses the larger themes of the grants of this idea of Communities of Care. 

00:03:58 Speaker 2 

How that relates to social justice or, more importantly, disability justice. What voices are left out of public conversations about communities of care and how care can be conceptualized and community as well, how they can both be conceptualized and really broad and expansive and I think innovative ways, ways that extend beyond what we might consider traditional forms of care within the family or within more formal health care or other types of care settings. 

00:04:32 Speaker 1 

I presume that applications by artists with disabilities would also be given consideration. 

00:04:40 Speaker 2 

They'll actually be given preference. People don't have to disclose, but if people identify as disabled in their proposals, we'll consider them. You know, again, sort of give them, give them preference in this award. 

00:04:54 Speaker 1 

Our time is running low, but I'm sure people will have questions. How can they reach you? 

00:05:00 Speaker 2 

They can reach out to me at my email address, which is marembis@buffalo.edu

00:05:12 Speaker 1 

Alright. Well thank you so much for coming on the program and telling us about this exciting opportunity for artists. And you have a good week. 

00:05:22 Speaker 2 

Thank you, Ernie. 

00:05:24 Speaker 1 

You've been listening to Independent Perspective of public affairs presentation of WNYIL. Our guest is Doctor Michael Rembis, associate professor in the Department of History at the University at Buffalo and director of the Center for Disability Studies. I've been your host, Ernie Churchwell.