AAV Flashbacks

We are sharing AAV memories this year. So join us in discovering our history. And how AAV fits into the wider arts and disability sector.

We will be updating this page throughout the year with new sections of history.

Please be aware: some language is outdated. We are not censoring these documents to show our history. Changes in language and concepts of Disability have changed throughout time. What we once thought of Disability is different today and will be different in the future.

children at Art PArty dressed up in gold.

Kids at Art Party dressed up in their costumes. 1989.

Making Moves (Mid – late 1980s)

Throughout the 1980s AAV continued to work with people in institutions. Important programs in prisons, hospitals, and residential care providers were at the core of AAV’s work.

The education system was starting to change. AAV received funding to run programs connecting students in specialist schools with students in mainstream school settings.

In 1985 AAV moved into a new office in Sturt St, Southbank. The state government funded a new ramp for the building. A Mad Hatters Party was held to mark the occasion. Minister Race Matthews officially opened the new ramp. The Minister got in the spirit wearing a novelty hat as part of the day.

AAV’s new office housed the Arts Access Victoria Resource Unit. This important library of material relating to Disability Arts was available for anyone to use and browse.

EASE – the Entertainment Access Service, was an accessible ticketing service developed by AAV. It helped Victorian venues give access to Deaf and Disabled audiences.

By 1989 AAV had established its own studio program. Previously AAV had run programs for people within existing institutions. This was the beginning of the many studios AAV runs today!

Minister Race Matthews officially opened the new ramp at the AAV offices. 1986

AAV’s new office housed the Arts Access Victoria Resource Unit. This important library of material relating to Disability Arts was available for anyone to use and browse.

EASE – the Entertainment Access Service, was an accessible ticketing service developed by AAV. It helped Victorian venues give access to Deaf and Disabled audiences.

By 1989 AAV had established its own studio program. Previously AAV had run programs for people within existing institutions. This was the beginning of the many studios AAV runs today!

Two people going to a concert through the EASE program.

A kid painting t-shirts at Art Party. 1989.

The mid- late 1980s saw many significant projects.

In 1985 Victoria marked 150 years as a state. AAV was commissioned to hold a festival, called ‘Sharing’. It was held on 7 November at the Victorian Showgrounds. Workshops, performances, exhibitions and food brought people together. Minister Race Matthews opened the day and made the first mark on a collaborative artwork.

a monster is held up in the air by large polls.

Community arts project in the Mansfield region with Western Theatre.

Preference shot from The Taste of Crime. 1989.

‘Taste of Crime’ was a performance piece written and performed in 1989 by the women of Fairlea Prison. The 90-minute show contained songs and stories written by the women. Over 1,000 people attended the performances.

The Broadmeadows Teenage Women’s Group presented the play, ‘Mummy Wears Pigtails’. The young mothers used the play to show the stigma that they experienced in society.

Ash Wednesday devastated Victorians. In 1985 AAV collaborated on a community arts project in the Mansfield region with Neil Cameron of West Theatre. It was a healing moment.

A sneek peek into the late 80s.

Preference shot from The Taste of Crime. 1989.
A drawing from Art Party. 1989.
Kids from Art Party wearing the t-shirts they panted standing in front of their flags.
Two women in the AAV seniors Drama Program
Kids making flags at Art Party
an artwork drown for The Taste of Crime
a woman painting the set for The Taste of Crime.

two kids are playing with the puppet head and hands they built

a close up photo of a puppet and its hands

A Puppet from Theorem, 1981.

A snapshot from a Theorem workshop, 1981.

Growth and Opportunity (Early 1980s)

In 1980 founder Judy Morton received funding for AAV from the State Government. This set up AAV up as an organisation that could plan for the long term. Dinny Downie took on the job of Executive Director.

1981 was the International Year of Disabled Persons. In honour of this, the Australia Council for the Arts gave money to AAV to work on a theatre show with Chilean Theatre Director Aldo Gennaro. He had earlier worked on a performance at the Sydney Opera House with residents of the Lorna Hodgkinson Sunshine Home. You can stream a documentary on this performance called Stepping Out, on SBS On Demand.

Theorem was the title of the project developed by AAV. The core team included Director Aldo Gennaro, dramatist Bronwen Barton and puppeteer Greg Temple. It was performed at the Melbourne Concert Hall (now called Hamer Hall) in 1982 and was a smash hit. Four shows were originally scheduled and it had to be extended to seven shows to meet the huge demand.

Theorem worked with over 800 people in twenty-five workshops across the year. The final performances included over 100 performers. The performance was in three parts called Hypothesis, Demonstration and Conclusion. Theorem featured puppetry, banners, mime, costume and ritual.

Participants in the workshops were from:

Windsor Youth Welfare Service
Maclead Activities Centre
Dame Mary Herring Spastic Centre
Janefield Training Centre
Harold McCracken Nursing Home
Winlaton Youth Training Centre
Murray Valley Training Centre – Adult Unit
Murray River Performing Group
Belvoir Special Developmental School – Wodonga
Malmsbury Youth Training Centre
The W.J.Christie Centre for Retarded Children

The success of Theorem, and the growth of AAV during this time showed that society was ready for change. AAV saw rapid growth and expansion during this period.

Were you part of Theorem? Get in touch, we’d love to know about it.

A puppet from Theorem, 1982

Theorem

Theorem Cover
puppets from Theorem, 1982
Theorem Performers, 1982
Anthony Baude, Theorem Performers, 1982
Theorem Performers, 1982
Theorem set design, 1982
Theorem Performers, 1982
costume designs for the puppet from Theorem, 1982
Theorem Performers, 1982

Photo: Arts Access Society arts workshops, 1970s, photographer unknown.

How it all began! (1974 – 1979)

Arts Access Victoria started on 1 April 1974. It was started by Judy Morton. Judy had learnt about similar organisations overseas, like Hospitals Audiences Incorporated (HAI) in New York. They gave performances in hospitals, prisons and disability institutions.

Judy Morton received funding from the Australia Council for the Arts (now Creative Australia), the Myer Foundation and R.E. Ross Trust to start AAV. It was based in Collingwood.

For the next three years, AAV ran art and theatre workshops in institutions. AAV also took people and children in institutions out to arts and leisure activities. The funding ran out and the programs stopped for two years. But everyone wanted them to continue. People came together and funding was found for AAV to start again. It was called the Arts Access Society Inc.

Some of the programs in the 1970s included: