Ipswich artist Deb Chilton, has a new solo exhibition, Melting Pot, showing at Drawing Point Gallery at Ipswich Arttime Supplies.
It is Ms Chilton’s first exhibition of handmade and painted dolls and has a powerful message at its core.
“I chose to not give faces to some of the dolls, this represents the voiceless, like those living with disabilities,” she said.
Ms Chilton has found her art has helped her advocate for others who are seen as different.
As someone living with cerebral palsy, Ms Chilton suffers a lack of muscle control.
“It is frustrating when people treat me like I am mentally disabled. I try to excuse people’s ignorance.”
“My hope is that this exhibition creates a platform for discussion on how we can work towards an inclusive community in Ipswich,” she said.
After creating her first doll in 2014, the idea grew into this exhibition.
“I enjoy painting faces so an art teacher suggested I paint them on dolls” Ms Chilton said.
“I have never used a sewing machine, I needed some help to sew,” she said.
Ms Chilton would like to see her vision realised, to establish an Ipswich arts community network that fosters the development of artists living with a disability.
Ipswich ArtsConnect president Glen Smith believes Deb should be proud of herself and what she does.
“Deb doesn’t see her disability as a disadvantage. She strives to have a voice and she breaks down barriers by having people focus on her art,” he said.
She would encourage anyone who wants to give art a go to just try it.
“I give it a go, if it works it works if it doesn’t that’s okay, there is only one way to find out,” she said.
“I’ll give anything a go, but obviously I can’t ride a bike.”
The gallery is located at Ipswich Arttime Supplies, 203 Brisbane Street, Ipswich
Opening hours are Monday 9am – 2pm
Tuesday to Friday 9am – 5pm
and
Saturday 9am – 1pm
Entry is free
Facts about Cerebral Palsy
Deb Chilton suffers from Spastic Cerebral Palsy and it is the most common type of cerebral palsy.
The muscles of people with spastic cerebral palsy feel stiff and their movements may look stiff and jerky.
Spasticity is seen in a number of different conditions including cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke and multiple sclerosis
People may have difficulty moving from one position to another and controlling individual muscles or muscle groups needed for performing certain tasks like handling objects or speaking.
In Australia there are approximately 34,000 people with cerebral palsy. Worldwide, the incidence of cerebral palsy is 1 in 500 births. There are currently 17 million people in the world who have cerebral palsy.
There is no known cure for cerebral palsy.
Courtesy: cerebralpalsy.org.au
