Australian disability arts is recognised globally for its innovation and impact. However, this celebrated body of contemporary work builds on a largely undocumented historical legacy that sits at the margins, rather than centre, of the narrative of Australia’s theatre history. Major reports focus on key disability arts companies, rather than community, professional and political artists practicing over the last 50+ years. Similarly, the significant body of scholarly research emerging in the last decade emphasises key companies like Back to Back Theatre and Restless Dance Theatre. In contrast, information on community art in and around institutions for people with disabilities in the 1970s and 1980s, professional practices, policies, and protocols emerging after the first disability arts industry forums in the 1980s and 1990s, and other critical precursors to Australia’s modern ecologies of practice, remains sparse. In this chapter, we discuss an Australia Research Council funded project attempting to provide d/Deaf and Disabled artists, the industry, scholars, and students better access to this cultural heritage—the broad spectrum of events, the social issues raised, and the artists involved—through an online Disability Arts Archive. We consider the issues around identification of artists, artwork, themes, curation, labelling, and site construction involved in attempting to co-design an archive that “centres” this changing, and contested history with a diverse community of d/Deaf and Disabled artists, including First Nations, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse, and LGBTIQA+ d/Deaf and Disabled artists.
Disability Arts, Performing Arts, Critical Disability Studies, Archive Studies