It was with mixed emotions that last month DADAA said goodbye to our Board Chair Harry Bray. Sadness because we farewelled an extremely capable and dedicated leader, but also optimism as we look forward to what our new Chair Dr Scott Hollier will bring to the role.

Harry Bray was the right Chair of the DADAA Board at the right time. As a property developer and business owner, Harry confidently steered us through the capital works project at the Old Fremantle Boys’ School. And in his very calm and relaxed way, he also provided a reflective and reassuring ear during DADAA’s Change Management process as DADAA bedded down the NDIS across all our sites. However, with the outbreak of COV19 in Wuhan, Harry, had to make the difficult decision between his long-term roles at DADAA, as both Board Chair and Treasurer, and his commitment to his personal business interests in China.

Harry is a huge champion of disability-led practice and governance and joins with the Board and DADAA in welcoming board member Dr Scott Hollier as the new Chair.

Dr Scott Hollier specialises in the field of digital accessibility, with a PhD in Internet Studies, and project management experience across the not-for-profit, corporate and government sectors. He is an internationally-recognised researcher and speaker and his consultancy areas include consumer-based support for service organisations, developer-based support for ICT professionals for web and app-related work and support across different organisational roles to achieve compliance with digital accessibility standards. Scott currently holds an Adjunct Senior Lecturer position at Edith Cowan University as well as teaching at the University of South Australia.

Scott is also legally blind and as such, has both a professional and personal understanding of the importance of accessibility. Indeed, it is likely that anyone reading this who delves into the world of digital access will know of Scott’s work in opening the digital world to people with disability. In addition to his new role as Chair of DADAA, Scott heads up the Centre for Accessibility, a WA not-for-profit which develops free, online resources to promote and respond to digital access. The role of the Centre is to empower the Accessibility movement and encourage the government sector and digital content developers to implement accessibility when designing online resources.

With his long history in digital production and access services, Scott is a huge asset to DADAA’s governance but importantly, a critical resource for DADAA’ s big team of producers and artists in supporting DADAA to excel in access at all levels of our practices and service, particularly in the digital space.

We thank Harry for his tremendous commitment and contribution to DADAA’s governance and teams over the years. We are delighted to still be working him on various public art projects and wish him well during this uncertain time.

David Doyle
DADAA Executive Director

photo: Jessica Wyld Photography

Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe aims to “engender a greater sense of community, introduce the public to a broad spectrum of sculpture, and support emerging and established national and international artists.” As an initiative, it’s closely aligned to some of the aims and attitudes of DADAA. This year, DADAA was excited to partner once again with Sculpture by the Sea in its Access & Inclusion Program, a program which aims to ensure the exhibition is inclusive, promotes diversity amongst emerging artists and encourages the participation of people with diverse abilities of all ages.

As part of DADAA’s partnership with Sculpture by the Sea, free tactile tours were offered where visitors with disability and their carers were invited to participate and be supported in their role as active audience members. The tours allowed for new ways of experiencing and enjoying contemporary sculpture through informed discussion and touch. Works were selected by both the artists and Sculpture by the Sea as being safe to touch, and located in accessible areas.

This year, DADAA was also proud to promote the work of artist Mandy White whose sculptures are included in Sculpture by the Sea. Mandy is an artist with Yamatji heritage who was born with an intellectual disability and diagnosed with autism later in life. She was recently the recipient of a Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries Aboriginal Arts grant to support her public art practice. Mandy works out of the DADAA Midland Art Studios, where she developed the series of four playful and brightly coloured sculptures, Olly, Miss Pinky, Barking Owl, and Kardy, which were on show. She constructed maquettes in DADAA’s studio inspired by her drawings, then worked with Fusion Customs Panel and Paint in Midvale to fabricate the sculptures in steel based on the maquettes.

Mandy’s work explores her fascination with the supernatural beings, little creatures that exist in the landscape, passed on to her through the storytelling of her mother and other family members. These stories are often scary, intended to communicate messages about safety – the importance of getting home before dark and respecting all the things that live in the bush. Mandy’s disability has given her a different perspective on these stories, and her interpretation is often more playful than frightening, reflecting her art practice. Mandy’s ‘little people’ are cheeky and naughty, at times scary and at other times mischievous and funny. They reside in the bush, but sometimes venture into suburbia to cause mayhem or maybe teach someone a lesson.

Olly is inspired Kambarang in the Noongar calendar, the second spring and season of birth, and the height of the wildflower season. This sculpture was painted in rainbow colours because she only comes out of hiding when she can blend into the bush. Miss Pinky is Mandy’s kangaroo bush critter. Though they are bush tucker, Mandy doesn’t like eating roo because she loves them; for her they are friendly and cute, and definitely not food! Barking Owl sees everything with his big meeyals(eyes). You can hear him at night and if you’re lucky, you’ll see him too. Kardy, slang for ‘crazy thing’, hides behind trees and then jumps out to scare children.

Mandy explores her interpretation of the stories of her Yamatji culture in these sculptures. For some people, talking about these ‘little people’ is taboo, but for Mandy, it is her way of staying connected to her family and culture. To further tell her stories, Mandy participated in the Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe’s School Education Program, leading workshops, with the support of a DADAA artsworker.

This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sculpture by the Sea has closed early.

Find out more information about Sculpture by the Sea’s Access & Inclusion Program here.

Read about the history of the partnership with DADAA here.

image: Mandy White, Olly, Miss Pinky, Barking Owl, and Kardy, fabricated steel and paint, 2020

It is with collective sadness that we acknowledge the recent passing of artist Roch Dziewialtowski – Gintowt, a man for whom DADAA was such an important part of his daily purpose. Roch was both a fixture at DADAA and a reminder of our raison d’être: Art For Social Change.

For over 14 years Roch would rise early, catch the train to Fremantle and arrive at DADAA at around 7.30am with much noise and happiness. An incredibly prolific artist, each month Roch produced hundreds of portraits and striped drawings, churning through boxes and boxes of coloured pencils. Roch was also one of the original team of visual artists who, together with Chris Williams, set up DADAA’s Freight studios and gallery on Beach St, nearly 14 years ago.

Roch was one of those members of our community for whom finding a place, purpose and community was hard. In recent weeks, as we have communicated with Roch’s family, we have been reminded of the significance that DADAA played in Roch’s life.  To mark Roch’s passing we hosted three days of morning teas, bringing together Roch’s peers in the studios, DADAA Artsworkers, and our Arts and Client Services teams over a well-sugared cuppa and jam sandwiches (Roch’s lunch of choice).

We are grateful that Roch found his place here in the DADAA studios.

Later in the year, Roch’s work will feature at DADAA Fremantle Gallery in a group exhibition which explores themes of artistic labour and process, and we look forward to seeing you all there with us.

DADAA is open and our Studios and Workshop programs are running, albeit with some changes. Whilst DADAA is maintaining normal office hours, we are strictly controlling access to our hubs to protect the safety of participants, staff and the community.

DADAA, as a NDIS Provider, is included in the national health response. We have been designated as an Essential Service in order to support people with disability throughout COVID-19. This means that DADAA is obligated to provide continuity of service to our participants. In order to best support our participants, DADAA is focused on providing continuity of support in a safe, flexible and individualised manner. All DADAA sites, Fremantle, Midland and Lancelin remain fully operational so that we can support over 400 people with disability and or mental illness – at a time when mental health, social connection and support are so very crucial.

Our incredible team of Artsworkers, Support Workers, Client Services and Administration teams are on-site daily to support participants in accessing the Arts and all the services that they are used to receiving from DADAA. They have been given the time, space and resources to focus on DADAA’s core client group of 400+ people with disability. Our studios are open and active, though operating differently, in line with public health guidelines:

• Infectious disease control training and equipment for all staff
• Physical distancing
• Hand gel and hand washing lessons for all participants
• Hospital grade cleaning

The wellbeing of all our staff, participants and broader community is paramount. As a large employer of WA artists, we are working hard to make sure that the highly skilled team of Artsworkers across DADAA’s sites have job security and are able to keep providing participants with access to the arts. We have also introduced flexible working arrangements and have encouraged any staff who are vulnerable or at risk to work from home.

Right now, DADAA is also planning for remote/digital program delivery for those artists with disability who elect to self-isolate during this period. We will send participants more information on how to join a digital workshop very soon.

As we all move through this incredibly challenging period due to the global impact of COVID-19, and grapple with the uncertainty it brings, we have also made other significant changes at DADAA. In response to State and Federal Government restrictions we have cancelled our Tactile Tours, and international and public programs have now ceased. The DADAA Fremantle Gallery is now closed and all public events have been postponed until later into the year.

DADAA continues to strongly advocate for people with disability during this time, and we thank you, and our community, for your ongoing support.

image: Jessica Wyld Photography