INDIGENEITY, NEURODIVERSITY, AND THE ARTS
A conversation with Vanessa Dion Fletcher and Dolleen Tisawii’ashii Manning

DOLLEEN TISAWII’ASHII MANNING is a member of Kettle and Stoney Point First Nation, currently residing in Toronto. She is an interdisciplinary artist and scholar, with a PhD in Theory and Criticism (Western University) and an MFA in Contemporary Art (Simon Fraser University). Manning is an Assistant Professor in Indigenous Education and Pedagogy at York University, on leave while completing her SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at Michigan State University (Philosophy, 2018-2020). Manning’s research takes up Anishinaabe imaging practices, epistemological sovereignty, and the debilitating impact of settler colonial logics.

VANESSA DION FLETCHER is a Lenape and Potawatomi neurodiverse artist. She graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016 with an MFA in performance, and she has exhibited across Canada and the US at Art Mur (Montreal), Eastern Edge Gallery (Newfoundland), The Queer Arts Festival (Vancouver), Satellite Art Show (Miami). Her work is in the Indigenous Art Centre, Joan Flasch Artist Book collection, Vtape, and Seneca College. In 2019 Vanessa is supported by the City of Toronto Indigenous partnerships fund to be artist in residence at OCAD University.
https://www.dionfletcher.com/

Accessibility at this event:
Small World Music is located on the south side of the first floor at Artscape Youngplace, a wheelchair accessible building with a ramp at the 180 Shaw Street doors, and an accessible washroom on every level. Gendered multi-stall washrooms are also on every level, and single stall family washrooms are available on levels 2 and 3. All levels are accessible via elevator and stairs. The TTC’s 63 Ossington bus stops at Queen and Shaw and is wheelchair accessible.

CDCC seeks to facilitate a scent-free environment in order to reduce barriers to access for people with chemical sensitivities, and we ask all participants to kindly refrain from using or wearing scented products or materials in advance of and during this and other events.

CDCC will provide ASL interpretation and attendant care during this event. Attendants and ASL interpreters will be introduced at the start of the event and seating with a clear view of the ASL interpreters will be set aside for anyone who needs it. Childcare can also be made available if needed.

If you would like to reserve accessible seating or inquire about childcare, please contact us as far in advance as possible so that we can make arrangements to meet your needs. Late-breaking requests will also be accepted and we will always do our best to meet them but these will be subject to availability at the time of the request.

Please contact us at emily@criticaldistance.ca with these and any other requests or questions. Supporting your access is our priority. The event will also be recorded and captioned. More details to follow.