Prelims

Half Title Page

Dwarfism Arts and Advocacy

Endorsements

With an unequivocal commitment to the creation of new insights which challenge the dynamics of disablism, this collection provides a rare assemblage of insider knowledge on dwarfism, identity, and the arts. Rooted firmly in the initial principles of Disability Studies, with its centering of disabled people’s situated knowledges, whilst benefitting from more recent developments in Cultural Disability Studies, Pritchard, a leading figure in studies of dwarfism, has gathered the stories and arguments of an extensive range of people with dwarfism. All these contributors are well-positioned to provide a diverse body of accounts relating to dwarfism, setting personal aspects of life within wider social and cultural structures and contexts. All, together, this wide range of threads weave a rich tapestry, making a compelling statement for change in arts practice and wider cultural attitudes to dwarfism.

— Alison Wilde, author of Film, Comedy, and Disability: Understanding Humour and Genre in Cinematic Constructions of Impairment and Disability

Dwarfism Arts and Advocacy finally gives voice to the challenges of navigating the entertainment world as an artist with dwarfism. Whether it be in film, television, visual arts or art education, the authors of this collective share insights into the myriad of obstacles that stand in the way of forging a dignified artistic path in an ableist space. Every artist struggles with identity, individuality, and inconceivable odds. However, these artists explain in such vulnerable detail, the challenge of trying to destabilise the historical narrative of the dwarf in art and culture. It’s not a pretty past. And the struggle to create new imagery, representation and dignity against centuries of ridicule and contempt is powerful. This is a must read for anyone who believes in the expansion of voices and perspectives in the art world.

— Mark Povinelli, Star of Nightmare Alley; Past President of Little People of America

The chapters in this book represent a wide range of voices from artists, performers, writers, advocates, and across diverse platforms including podcasters and bloggers, all within the dwarfism community from around the world. Each contributor shares their view and experience in relation to the challenges, frustrations, and barriers they have faced from society and portrayed within the arts, media, and film industries, each advocating for societal change to challenge the attitudes associated with dwarfism within the arts and media. It's evident that this book aims to bring crucial awareness and understanding to the challenges faced by individuals with dwarfism in life as well as in various industries, particularly in the arts, media, and film. By amplifying their voices and experiences this book has the potential to spark meaningful conversations and drive positive change in how dwarfism is represented and perceived in society. […] Whether you’re a person with dwarfism, friend or family member or a member of the wider community, whoever you are you will benefit from the insights and perspectives shared within these pages. This book is not just an educational resource it’s a “call to action” for recognition of the need for greater inclusion, acknowledgement, and true-life representation of people with dwarfism across the arts, media, and film industries.

— Maree Jenner, Vice President, SSPA

Title Page

Dwarfism Arts and Advocacy: Creating Our Own Positive Identity

Edited by

Erin Pritchard

Liverpool Hope University, UK

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Emerald Publishing, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL

First edition 2024

Editorial matter and selection © 2024 Erin Pritchard.

Individual chapters © 2024 The authors.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

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Contact: www.copyright.com

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters' suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-83753-923-9 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83753-922-2 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83753-924-6 (Epub)

About the Editor

Erin Pritchard is a Senior Lecturer in Disability Studies at Liverpool Hope University and a core member of the Centre for Culture and Disability Studies. Her recent book, Midgetism: The Exploitation and Discrimination of People with Dwarfism, explores problematic representations and societal attitudes associated with dwarfism. Her work centres on how cultural representations of dwarfism influence the social understanding of the condition. She is currently a consultant for Disney, specialising in representations of dwarfism.

About the Contributors

Kara B. Ayers is an Associate Professor and the Associate Director of the University of Cincinnati Centre for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Centre. Dr Ayers is trained as a Psychologist and leads the National Centre for Disability, Equity and Intersectionality, where she works to advance disability justice through an intersectional lens. Dr Ayers' research interests include disability in media, disability ethics and parenting with a disability. In addition to her scholarly work, Dr Ayers has served as a consultant for several major media companies related to portrayals and representation of disability.

Amanda Cachia has an established career profile as a curator, consultant, writer and art historian who specializes in disability art activism. She is the Assistant Professor and Assistant Director of the Masters of Arts in Arts Leadership Graduate Program at the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts at the University of Houston. She is a 2023 grantee of the Creative Capital | Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant for her second monograph, Hospital Aesthetics: Rescripting Medical Images of Disability. Her first book, The Agency of Access: Contemporary Disability Art and Institutional Critique, is forthcoming with Temple University Press (2024). Cachia is also the editor of Curating Access: Disability Art Activism and Creative Accommodation (2022) published by Routledge, which includes over 40 international contributors. She has a PhD in Art History, Theory & Criticism from the University of California San Diego. Cachia has curated approximately 50 exhibitions, many of which have traveled to cities across the USA, England, Australia and Canada.

Jillian Curwin is a writer, content creator and advocate for dwarfism and disability awareness based in New York City. She has written articles for Betches Media talking about disability representation in fashion and entertainment along with highlighting current events in the disability space. In addition, she has consulted with brands and organisations about disability inclusion. She is the host of the podcast Always Looking Up where she talks to little people, disabled people, those that are disabled-adjacent and allies about living in a world that was not necessarily designed for them.

Sam Drummond is a lawyer, author and disability advocate. Sam studied Arts and Law at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He began his career as a broadcaster and producer on community, commercial and public radio, before moving onto a career in law. His debut book, Broke, is a memoir about navigating the world through disability, downward mobility and unconventional families.

Debra Keenahan is an artist, writer, psychologist and disability advocate. She has a PhD in Psychology on Dehumanisation and another in visual arts on Critical Disability Aesthetics. Having achondroplasia dwarfism, Debra brings lived experience to understanding the dynamics of interactions of exclusion. As a multi-discipline artist, Debra's video work was selected for the Cannes Short Film Festival 2022 and her one-woman theatre work ‘Othering’, featured in the Sydney Festival 2023. Debra has authored numerous books and articles and has acted as a consultant on disability access to the National Gallery of Australia and NAVA (National Association of Visual Artists).

Alice Lambert is a Performance Artist and Actor as well as a Teacher of Drama and Contemporary Dance. Alice graduated from the University of East Anglia in 2023 with a degree in English Literature and Drama. She has appeared in numerous theatre plays and films, including Mary Poppins Returns (2018). Alice is passionate about raising awareness and challenging stereotypes about dwarfism through her work.

Simon Minty is a disability trainer and consultant. He advises major organisations on disabled people's inclusion in employment and customer interactions; plus broadcasters and creatives on the representation of people with dwarfism and other conditions. He is on the board of the National Theatre and Motability Operations plc. Simon co-hosts the podcast The Way We Roll and is a former co-host of BBC Access All. He co-founded the comedy troupe, Abnormally Funny People. He has a BSc in Philosophy and Sociology and postgraduate diploma in Disability Management at Work, both from City, University of London.

Nic Novicki graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Temple University Fox School of Business, the school of Film and Television, and UCB Theatre. He is an actor, comedian and producer. He has appeared in numerous television shows including Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos. He has also appeared in several movies, including Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. He has produced several feature films, television pilots and web series for companies including Sony and Universal. Nic has also performed stand-up for AXS Gotham Comedy Live. He is the founder of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge.

Tamm Reynolds is a solo artist also known as Midgitte Bardot (who is the most glamourous coping mechanism in the world). They have been performing across the UK cabaret, live art, drag, theatre and club spaces since 2016. Now, working on a solo show after two previous work-in-progresses (2022 & 2023), alongside starring in Royal Court's Sound of the Underground (written by Travis Alabanza and directed by Debbie Hannan) in a winter run in 2023. In 2023, she featured in a special issue of Vogue.

Steph Robson, aka Hello, Little Lady, is a creative practitioner and artist. Since graduating from Sunderland University with an MA in Radio (Production and Management) in 2006, she has been writing and making art to platform and give a voice to the lived experience of people with dwarfism. Her debut photographic exhibition ‘You're Just Little’ in 2018 revealed the obstacles, challenges and societal assumptions that dwarf people face every day. Her work explores the themes of accessibility, othering and the tensions between disability and society.

Emily Sullivan Sanford is a writer, blogger and speaker specialising in disability, beauty standards, bioethics and intersectional oppressions. Based in Berlin, she leads diversity workshops and collaborates with online platforms that question media representation of minorities. In the United States, she has worked with the Children of Difference Foundation and the Hastings Centre, a bioethics think tank. Her writing has been published by Salon, Feministing, John Hopkins University Press and others. She lives with her family in Berlin.

Angela Muir Van Etten graduated with law degrees from the University of Auckland in New Zealand and the University of Maryland in America. Van Etten retired from a diverse career as a barrister and solicitor, writing and editing law books for Thomson Reuters, writing for a nonprofit Christian organisation, and advocating for people with disabilities. As a dwarf, Van Etten was propelled to serve as national president of dwarfism organisations in New Zealand and the United States, advocate on dwarfism and disability issues and to write a dwarfism memoir trilogy and weekly blog.

Danny Woodburn is a journeyman actor and a graduate of Temple University Theatre and Film with over 150 TV appearances (Seinfeld, Bookie) and 30 films (Watchmen, Death to Smoochy). As a person with dwarfism, he advocates for all performers with disability (PWD), serving on SAG-AFTRA's PWD Committee, changing contract language, studio DEI policy and shifting the industry to acknowledge disabled performers in inclusion and access practices by launching an awareness campaign in the Huffington Post Op-Ed, ‘If You Don't Really Mean Inclusion – Shut the F%&# Up!’, The Ruderman White Paper on Employment of People With Disability in TV, and articles in The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Guardian, Forbes, WSJ, The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Acknowledgements

As the editor, my biggest appreciation goes to all of the authors within this book, not just for their contributions but also for all of the hard work they do in challenging harmful stereotypes of dwarfism.

I would like to thank Professor David Bolt for his support, especially for his valuable feedback. I would also like to thank other colleagues in Disability Studies at Liverpool Hope University, including Ella Houston and Claire Penketh, as well as colleagues outside of the subject, such as Jody Crutchley.