Disabled Women Make History (and Art) 2026 In-Person Artists

Click on the picture of the artwork to learn more about the piece and its artist in their own words.

Dreamy Delirium by: Elizabeth Hoverman

I express my words through art. Dreamy Delirium reflects my pain and desire to be seen beyond appearance. The blue bubbles covering the face are distorted as I convey how just looking at the surface is not what is deep within. The eye in the center is my friend's but represents me trapped in my own skin. It begs you to peel off the layers to see beyond skin deep.

A person with closed eyes stands against a dark background, their face and upper body covered in vivid layers of neon paint that transform the body into an emotional, living canvas.

Mask by Madeline Miller

Mask explores the different versions of self that I carry as an Autistic person—the performed, protected, and hidden identities shaped by survival and social expectation. By covering my face and body in layers of paint, I transform myself into both subject and canvas. I am drawn to the intense sensory experience of painting directly onto my skin, using touch, texture, and color as a way to process emotion, identity, and embodiment.

A purple and green spherical form with a rough, rock-like exterior, has been cut in half to reveal a highly polished edge. The interior is filled with crystal-esque shapes, constructed from medicine tablets cast in varying shades of yellow with tiny purple letters.

Geodesic[k] 5 by: Melissa Athey

My work explores health and its intersection with illness and disability. I’m interested in how society perceives illness, especially “invisible illness”. Geode-like forms, cast in glass, become a metaphor for life as a disabled person who externally appears healthy while internally living the complexities of unseen chronic illness. Filled with crystalline shapes cast from pills and tablets, I question what it means when “you don’t look sick” but are.

A monochrome lavender and purple photograph mounted in a white frame. On the right, a real, vintage Soviet-era telephone with a black coiled cord rests on a purple surface. The phone, a historical model built entirely without dials or buttons to prevent outgoing calls, is modified by the artist with sparkling rhinestone numbers 0 through 9 in a scattered grid on its smooth face. On the left, a hand wearing a long, dark purple satin glove reaches out toward the telephone but is physically blocked by a clear glass barrier in the center of the photograph. The tips of the fingers rest longingly on the glass barrier.

Not Even If You Wanted To By: Jessiena Lake

Communication differences between neurotypical and neurodivergent cultures create unseen barriers, often misunderstood through a deficit-based lens. Grounded in Dr. Catherine Crompton’s "Double Empathy Problem", this photograph visualizes those seemingly insurmountable divides experienced by late diagnosed women like the artist. A vintage telephone, historically built without dials to prevent outgoing calls symbolizes inherent systemic communication differences and the outstretched hand represents individuals searching for a cultural community that speaks their language.

Side-view etching of a human brain rendered in black lines, with varied markings and textures across its surface. A cream-colored fringe with small drawings borders the right edge.

Self-Reflection by Pilar Lagos

Self-Reflection explores life after non-traumatic brain injury. Created during a papermaking workshop at Dieu Donné in New York, the piece incorporates drypoint on handmade hemp paper using reverse chine collé. The process of making the paper first and then integrating the print allowed me to shape how the image took form, drawing a parallel to human resilience; the ability to rebuild, transform, and find strength amid adversity. This work reflects both the physical and emotional journey of chronic illness and recovery.

A detailed ceramic and mixed-media representation of a human lower spine and pelvis, mounted on a circular, light-grey wooden base. The piece features a broad, flared pelvic bone with characteristic "wings" and a central sacrum from which a vertical column of vertebrae extends upward. Each ceramic vertebra is separated by a translucent, ring-like spacer that mimics the appearance of intervertebral discs, allowing light to pass through the center of the column. The entire bone structure is finished in a deep, glossy blue glaze that ranges from bright cobalt to navy, with subtle reddish-brown undertones peeking through the textured, organic surface. The high-gloss finish creates a reflective, crystalline effect that contrasts with the handmade feel of the anatomical body.

Bone Deep by Autumn Frank

Bone Deep is a visceral exploration of human anatomy and the lived experience of chronic illness. This ceramic work translates the internal realities of ankylosing spondylitis and hip deformities into tangible form. The mottled blue glaze and translucent spacers highlight the tension and fragility within the skeletal structure, transforming clinical observations into a personal narrative of resilience and the enduring connection to my body.

Textured mixed media : A purple sailboat on wavy blue water. A dotted, yellow sun and rain clouds frame vibrant pink hills and soaring white birds in a rhythmic, intuitive style. Signed S.M.

Just Passing Through By: Starlit Moon (Delilah)

Just Passing Through was made during a time where I felt consumed by the fear of not being here for very long. I approached the piece intuitively, letting the imagery form on its own. The waves, rain, birds, clouds, and boat all became reflections of transience and movement — things that arrive, exist briefly, and then pass on. This piece holds both my fear of impermanence and my attempt to make peace with it.