Lessons in (Art Space Accessibility)

In this 90-minute session, program participants will discuss access practices within cultural institutions.

This program will begin with an invitation to explore Hyde Park Art Center (HPAC) and consider what is (in)accessible in the exhibitions, physical space, and overall visitor experience. Following this self-guided exploration, we will come together to share our findings and discuss how accessibility does and does not appear in cultural institutions more broadly. What is working? What do you feel is missing? What additional resources would you like to have available during visits to arts organizations? What are your personal access fantasies for art spaces?

Together, we will think expansively about access, moving beyond the Americans with Disabilities Act—the minimum standards for accessibility—to unpack access as relational, dynamic, and complex. Depending on comfort, we will share our own access needs, which, as artist Aislinn Thomas writes, are diverse and often in conflict with one another; “it is not so uncommon for one person’s point of access to be another person’s barrier.”[2] Building on this conversation, we will talk about access riders and the importance of sharing them with the institutions with whom we are collaborating.

This program is facilitated by independent curator Lauren Leving with an understanding that participants are entering with their own expertise shaped by their lived experiences. Lessons in: Art Space Accessibility embraces collective learning, generosity, and flexibility. This program is limited to ten attendees to allow for active participation. Please register early!

Access is hospitality. Access is love.

5 minutes: Meet in HPAC library for brief program introduction.30 minutes: Spend time in HPAC exhibitions and classroom facilities evaluating access.15 minutes: Participant introductions and sharing access needs. 25 minutes: HPAC accessibility audit. Sharing/brainstorming/dreaming about art space access.15 minutes: Discussing the importance of access riders and closing.

· Visiting Hyde Park Art Center and this program are free of charge.

· All HPAC entrances and public areas are wheelchair accessible.

· Elevators are located next to the main entrance and provide access to the 2nd floor.

· Parking:

o HPAC has a small parking lot outside of the main entrance on Cornell Ave. The lot fills up quickly but there is free street parking around the Art Center.

o If you cannot find parking directly around the building, it is suggested to park one block west of HPAC, to Lake Park Blvd.

o Harper Court, located at 53rd and Lake Park, has paid parking.

· Public transit:

o CTA bus options are #6 and #28, both of which stop on 51st next to HPAC. The #6 bus runs down State Street in the Loop (accessible from the red line, or a block from the brown/purple/pink lines).

o Metra’s “Metra Electric” line starts downtown and stops at the “51st/53rd” stop, right next to HPAC. When exiting the train, proceed north to the 51st Street exit, located across the southern side of HPAC.

· For snacks, Almendro Café is located at the south end of HPAC. Food is not allowed in the galleries.

· Gender neutral bathrooms are available on the second floor.

· HPAC has one wheelchair available for use. If you would like to request a wheelchair, please email Laurel Hauge at [email protected]. We want this program to be accessible to all! If more than one wheelchair is requested, we will do our best to secure them and communicate this via email.

· There is no in-gallery seating. An option to request seating while experiencing the exhibitions will be included on the program registration page.

· At least one of the exhibitions includes audio and video works. Two out of three videos have captions. The audio does not have a transcript.

· Masks are not required to enter HPAC, but we do have masks available at the front desk.

· This program will be held onsite at HPAC and in spoken English. Please contact Laurel Hauge at [email protected] at least two weeks in advance of the program if in-person attendance is a barrier and you would like to participate virtually, to request ASL-English interpretation, and/or to request additional accommodations.

Image description: A vintage yellow, red, orange, and white floral heating pad similar to the one Lauren used when she was a child. A warning label is affixed onto the top middle of the heating pad, and a coiled white cord lays off to the side.

*This class has been organized by Laurel Hauge as part of Lessons in (Hospitality) which offers a series of classes during the run of this year’s Ground Floor exhibition (August 9–November 1, 2026). While each class in this series has been conceived by a different thinker, maker, and/or professional, they are all centered around the subject: hospitality. The project offers the conditions for a multitude of definitions and interpretations of “hospitality” to be shared, enacted, and embodied.