DASH commission nominated for top disability award

The awards exist to highlight excellence in widening participation for disabled people in museums, galleries, exhibitions, libraries, archives and heritage sites.

Disabled artist, Zoe Partington was commissioned by The Public in West Bromwich and DASH, to create a permanent piece of art for the gallery as part of DASH's project IN 'Disability art in the mainstream'. Sound Canvas was unveiled at a special celebration event in July.

The Jodi Awards are given in memory of Jodi Mattes (1973-2001) - a tireless champion of equal access to culture for disabled people. To mark their 10th Anniversary, in 2013 three Public Engagement Awards will be given by The Jodi Mattes Trust in a special celebratory event in November 2013. These new Awards will be for Access Planning and User Involvement, Innovation, and Legacy and Impact.

Multi-sensory exhibition Sound Canvas has been nominated for the Innovation Award. The installation uses sensors and digital technology to enable visitors to access art in an innovative way, providing a unique audio-visual experience triggered by movement.

Paula Dower, General Manager of DASH said "DASH are delighted to hear that Sound Canvas, by Zoe Partington, has been shortlisted for the Jodi Awards. DASH's project, IN (Disability Arts in the Mainstream), has been created to give Disabled Artists the support they need to enable them to create great works of art and to work in partnership with galleries to show that work. DASH would like to thank all the staff of The Public, they have been wonderful supportive partners of the IN project."

Shortlisted projects for the Jodi Awards will be subject to rigorous user testing by disabled people; with each site-based project to be visited by a specialist assessor and the final decisions will be made by a panel of judges drawn from across the heritage sector.

The Awards will be presented in association with the Museums Association at an Annual Conference in Liverpool in November. For more information about the Jodi Awards 2013 visit www.jodiawards.org.uk