Jennifer White-Johnson uses zines to shift the narrative around Blackness and disability. Her artwork tells a personal story about autistic joy, she said.

“Disabled people have always understood how to create along the margins using the tools at hand to document our revolution and create spaces of safety and joy for one another,” said White-Johnson, whose self-published zines have captured national attention.

White-Johnson, along with about 20 other artists and organizations, is participating in the third annual Disability Pride Arts Festival, organized by Baltimore’s Make Studio. The event, held at the central branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library on Saturday, will celebrate the history, achievements and experiences of the disability community.

“The event is accessible, warm and inviting by design,” said Cathy Goucher, associate director and outreach coordinator for Make Studio, who helped organize the event. “We want to support, not just the disability community engaging with resources and one another, but to celebrate their unique voices and contributions to the culture and community of Baltimore.”

Disability Pride Month is observed in July and tied to the anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, the 1990 landmark civil rights law that prohibited discrimination on the basis of disability. The ADA ushered in widespread changes that increased accessibility across society, from establishing elevators as an access requirement in buildings to making accommodations an option for testing in schools.

Baltimore’s first Disability Pride Arts Festival was held in 2023 and grew out of conversations with Make Studio artists.

“We weren’t aware of any prominent disability pride celebrations in Baltimore, so we thought why not give it a try,” said Jill Scheibler, one of the three co-founders of Make Studio.

Make Studio helps artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities overcome barriers in the professional art world by assisting with everything from the cost of materials to selling their work and networking with galleries.

For Gemma Frost, what distinguishes Make Studio from other art spaces is that, “instead of telling you what to create, they make suggestions,” she said. Frost has been at Make Studio since 2017, when her high school art therapist, Goucher, suggested she join the organization.

“Make Studio makes me feel like I can be myself and relate to people going through similar things as me,” she said.

Other artists at Make Studio feel similarly. They said the progressive art studio gives them space to learn and practice self-acceptance, while building confidence and community.

Three years ago, Tyrone Weedon painted an image of a person cast in shadow with the words “fear, guilt, insecure” written on the person. A friend has their arm over the person, showering light over both, and is filled with the words “trust, hope, independent, confident.”

The painting hangs over Weedon’s favorite workstation, where he’s currently drawing a tribute to soul musician Roy Ayers. The significance, Weedon said, is that, while society and his own personal challenges can cast him in a dark place, it is his friends at the studio who cast light on his life.

What to expect at Disability Pride Arts Festival

The third annual Disability Pride Arts Festival will be held at the central branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, located at 400 Cathedral St., from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday.

The event is free and open to the public, and organizers encourage everyone to come as they are. Goucher said the event is structured to be inclusive and accommodating to all kinds of abilities, and will have American Sign Language interpretation available.

The library’s great hall will be filled with tables exhibiting art and resources for the disability community. Walking Discovery, an organization that does weekly walks at locations around the city for people with disabilities, will host a gaming station. The library’s Maker Space will be open for people of all ages and abilities to create art in an open-ended way.

A stage decorated in disability-themed banners and flags created by Make Studio artists will feature disability-engaged performers and performances from 12-1 p.m. The featured acts include a scene from “Shrek” performed by RISE Arts Center, an interactive drumming circle organized by Rhythm Key and a live painting demonstration by Make Studio artist Shane Hargest on the use of adaptive tools.

White-Johnson will be hosting a zine-making workshop, at which people can use photos, words, colorful and textured paper, and gems to create their own story.

“The zines become these love letters to disability joy, pride and justice,” White-Johnson said. “This is a space to tell us what disability pride means to you in the moment, and share how to devote that sense of pride and justice when it is constantly being under attack.”

Correction: This story was update to correct the time of performances at the Disability Pride Arts Festival.