A brief moment to witness an instance of cultural
connectedness. This week two of the
icons of disability arts celebrated birthdays.
Lynn Manning, April 30th, is an award winning poet, playwright, actor, and former World Champion of blind judo. Riva Lehrer, April 25th, is an extraordinary artist, teacher, writer and more. They have each, in theatre and in painting, worked with disability and brought a new light to it, a new way of seeing it.
Lynn Manning, April 30th, is an award winning poet, playwright, actor, and former World Champion of blind judo. Riva Lehrer, April 25th, is an extraordinary artist, teacher, writer and more. They have each, in theatre and in painting, worked with disability and brought a new light to it, a new way of seeing it.
Riva’s beautifully rendered portrait of Lynn is below (Lynn Manning: Comet), along with a
self-portrait (At 54). Following that is a photo of Simi, Lynn, Sharon
Snyder and David Mitchell, taken at a conference on Representing Disability,
Haverford College, 2006. All
were speaking or performing at that conference. Further, Sharon and David are filmmakers (as well as
theorists, writers and more), and Riva is the subject of their documentary
Self-Preservation: The Art of Riva Lehrer.
Happy Birthday, Lynn and Riva.
A toast to you and your work.
“Lynn Manning: Comet”
2007 charcoal on paper
(Riva Lehrer drawing of Lynn Manning- tall black man, facing
forward, bare chest, holding his white cane with tip in air above his head)
“At 54”
2012 mixed media and dimensional collage on Amate paper
(Riva Lehrer self portrait- white woman, red hair, in pink
dress, suspended in midair like a marionette puppet)
Simi, Lynn Manning, Sharon Snyder & David Mitchell
outdoors at the 2006 Representing Disability
conference, Haverford College
