Disability Rhetoric

1. Title:
   Disabled Gods of the Modern Age
   Why aren’t there more disabled gods in mythologies around the globe? Why are many of the ones who do exist disabled because of violence committed against them? I propose a series of paintings featuring possible new disabled gods fit to be worshipped by the modern person who values the disabled community and the power of the people within it.
   
   
2. Central Question:
   Through this series of paintings, I want to explore how disabled people are represented in various religious traditions by features some well known ones including Greek god Hephaestus, Egyptian god Bes, and the Hindu god Aruna. However to supplement these existing gods, I will make up gods of all races, sexualities, genders, sizes, ages, and disabilities. Through working on this project I hope to better understand how media representation influences our culture’s view on disabled people, taking care to make their godly domains and powers influenced by their relationships with their disabilities in ways that highlight the beauty of their disability. My aim is to be respectful of existing polytheistic religions while simultaneously recognizing a lack of deities in world religions that have disabilities, due to the widespread levels of hostility towards disabled people throughout the world.
   
   
3. Production Design:
   My collection of paintings will be in a quasi-zine format in the sense that they will all be bound together in a booklet. I’m not sure about the sizes of the paintings but my projection is that they will be around 6 inches by 9 inches each. When the booklet is opened, on the left side there will be an in depth description of the god as well as quotes and analyses taken from some of the readings we’ve consumed in this class. On the right side will be the painting so the viewer can reference the information on the left as they view the image. Ideally, I will make ten different paintings, some being real gods from world religions, and others being the ones I have invented. The beginning few pages I will introduce the concept of the piece, how it is influenced by disability studies, and what I hope to achieve with its creation.
   
   
4. Production Plan:
   My first course of action will be deciding which disabilities these gods will have, how best to represent them in a respectful manner as well their other intersecting identities after researching their specific disability. I will decide how to represent any prosthetics or tools they use such as wheelchairs, canes, and other equipment. Next I will decide upon their names and domains of power. I will collect images off of the internet for inspiration concerning the aesthetics of each god as well as how to visually represent their disability based on the real people with the disability. I may take inspiration from some of the stories featured in the book Disability Visibility while making sure to give those writers credit.
   
   -By November 13th, I will have the general information on each god solidified and a general structure for the presentation of my research.
   -By November 20th, I will have done at least one rough draft of each of the paintings.
   -By December 4th, I will have all of the final drafts of the paintings completed as well as my writing done.
   -By December 8th, I will have the booklet put together and the finishing touches done.
   
   
5. Consultation:
   My biggest concern with this project is the possibility of accidentally representing any of the disabilities I choose to feature poorly, and so I would love to check in with you on my ideas for each one once I have them, to make sure I’m being respectful. My goal and intent will be to use person/god first language as well as with the way they are depicted because the last thing I want is for them to look like a fantasy-world versions of medical images. I worry that the premise of this project might be skewed by my perspective as a non-physically disabled person, and so if you have any concerns with any part of this project I would love to go over them. My proposed project is very art-based, and less research-based focused mainly to inform my choices in the production of the pieces, so if the level of research I plan to do at any point seem subpar, I want to supplement it to the best of my ability using the readings we’ve gone over in class as well as outside readings I’ve found on my own. I can also have a conclusion section at the end of the booklet where I go into more depth on the research that informed the project if you think that would be beneficial.
   
   
6. Citations:
   A few possible readings that may influence my project:

https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Figures/Teiresias/teiresias.html

Disabled Gods: A Critical Disability Studies Analysis of Ancient Greek Myths (umsl.edu)

What is Metis? | Dolmage | Disability Studies Quarterly (dsq-sds.org)