"POLITICAL BODIES: On Show, Showing Off" is the second exhibit sponsored by Communities Against Rape and Abuse (CARA) that features the work of artists with disabilities. For more than two years members of the Disability Pride Project, associated activists, and artists with disabilities have engaged in a dialogue about the layered experiences of being people with disabilities. We are working together to build a new vocabulary for discussing what it has felt like to bear the burden of diagnostic labels created by people with a deeply rooted belief that we are "defectives." We have struggled together with the confusing reality of being both invisible and hyper-visible on other people's terms. We grapple with the tension between the invisible and the visible. As this process has evolved we have been interested in using art as a positive form of self-expression and as a tool for a liberating means of communication.

The theme of this show recognizes the political nature of disability. It acknowledges that people with disabilities have literally been "On Show," whether it be in a freak show, as a poster child, under the scrutiny of "those who know best," on the other side of a stare, or literally under a microscope. The theme also acknowledges our power to subvert the gaze. We don't have to accept the idea that disability is "defect" and that people with disabilities are, by extension, less valuable than those without disabilities.

"POLITICAL BODIES: On Show, Showing Off" includes the work of both emerging and established artists. Contributors to the show come from far and wide. We have the most representation from the Pacific Northwest; however, there are pieces from across the nation. One artist's work comes to us all the way from India.

Each artist self-identifies as a person with a disability. People may be understandably curious to know how a particular artist experiences disability. Some artists have chosen to disclose the nature of their disability; others have not. We did not ask artists to provide any information about their disabilities because we are more interested in their artwork and in the way that disability has shaped their worldview than we are in their diagnosis. Asking for "proof" reinforces the experience of oppression that comes from having to bring a diagnosis with you in order to have basic needs met. To this day people with disabilities are asked to furnish a diagnosis to receive accommodation in education, accessible housing, employment, and in some cases public transportation.

Just as artists come from different places geographically, they are coming from different places in their journey with disability. For some there is grief for the able-bodied identity they once inhabited, others are processing what it would mean to consider disability from a social and political perspective. Still others have begun to subvert the gaze by investigating what is beautiful and powerful about being a person with a disability.

Bringing this show together has been quite an honor and a challenge. We are honored that these artists have trusted us by making the theme of this show come alive through their work. It has been challenging to get past the elitism within the art world to bring this show to the community. We want to demonstrate that creating accessibility within an exhibit is more than a basic commitment to welcoming people; it contributes to the aesthetic and sensual nature of the show.

We appreciate the effort of everyone who helped to make this exhibit happen, particularly the ATR Foundation for their financial support, and the LGBT Community Center Gallery for providing a venue. We hope you enjoy the exhibit.