credit: Bryan Esler
Christopher Smit (he/him), PhD (University of Iowa), and Jill Vyn (she/her), MSW (University of Michigan) co-founded DisArt in 2015, an organization committed to advancing a cultural understanding of disability. By taking disability out of the space of speculation, mystery, or fear, and placing it in an historical and aesthetic context, DisArt amplifies the voice, visibility, and value of the disability community. Through public speaking, publication, cutting-edge programming, and organizational consulting, Smit and Vyn have become respected voices throughout the world.
Lawrence Carter-Long
Lawrence Carter-Long’s lifetime of advocacy combines a unique blend of the arts, public policy, and popular culture. He has provided feedback, guidance and curated or consulted on projects for the National Endowment for the Arts, Turner Classic Movies, the Sundance Institute, the American Film Institute, SAG-AFTRA, PBS, NPR, ITVS, the BBC, along with other notable initials that Non-Disclosure Agreements don’t allow us to mention. A popular public speaker, Lawrence has lectured at the Library of Congress, the Whitney Museum of Modern Art, and the United Nations. He is featured in the 2020 feature length documentary, “Code of the Freaks,” a radical reframing of disabled characters in film and appears as Officer Gorinsky in the 2021 NY Times Critic’s Pick, “Best Summer Ever.” Formerly the communications lead for the National Council on Disability – an independent federal agency — during the Obama administration, Lawrence joined DisArt as the Director of Discourse and Development in June 2022.
Board
The DisArt Board of Directors includes representatives from professional and private sectors with expertise in disability advocacy, disability art and media, nonprofit organizational development, business and professional strategy, user experience, technology, and executive leadership.
- David Rosen, Chair
- Christian Gaines, Vice Chair
- Jim Pike, Treasurer
- Erik Loehfelm, Director
- Kate Wolters, Director
- Lawrence Carter-Long, Director
- Mary Fashik, Director
- Ruth Fabby Mbe, Director
- Tom di Maria, Director
- James Ian Thomas, Director
Former Board Members