Art & Disability - Coping With Chronic Illness Through Creative Expression

Collin Walsh

In this deeply personal and thought-provoking lecture, Collin will explore how art, craft, and design are powerful tools for processing and coping with the daily realities of chronic illness. Drawing from his own experiences, he will discuss how disability has shaped his life, creative practice, and relationship with glass. Through this lecture, Collin aims to open a dialogue about a creative practice's health and cathartic impact. He hopes to inspire others facing similar challenges to embrace their creativity by sharing his story. Collin will also do a flameworking demo to showcase his murine glass eye technique.

Demo: Lampworked Eyes! - From Cane to Ball, We Show it All!

Artist Bio: Born, raised, and still residing in southern Ontario, Collin Walsh began working with glass in 2013. His perennial fascination with the macabre, the surreal, and the beautifully grotesque has led to an artistic career dedicated to exploring the aesthetics of disgust and achieving "resplendence through repugnance."
Through his work, Collin hopes to provoke a confrontation with uncomfortable, often visceral emotions and sensations, in order to confront deep-seated biases and promote conversations about sensitive topics like illness and disability.