This painting was created by artist KATRINA COUTURE through Community Access to the Arts (CATA), a Berkshire-based nonprofit that nurtures and celebrates the creativity of people with disabilities. CATA recently opened the doors to its new, fully accessible arts center at 420 Stockbridge Road in Great Barrington, with studios for visual and performing arts. During these times, the headquarters has brought virtual arts programs to people with disabilities in isolation across Berkshire County, and when in-person programs resumed in the new studios, Lady Liberty was the first painting to be done there. Couture, a Williamstown native, has created work at CATA since 2008 using an adaptive technique called Artistic Realization Technologies, or A.R.T. Using a laser pointer and working closely with an assistant who acts as her hands, Couture brings her creative vision to life on canvas. Lady Liberty was commissioned for CATA’s virtual gala film in 2021, which chronicled Couture’s creation of the painting from start to finish, alongside performances by CATA actors, dancers, jugglers, and musicians. CATA’s 2022 Gala & Annual Performance, titled “AND,” will take place on May 7 at Shakespeare & Company’s Tina Packer Playhouse, with a virtual gala to follow on May 21. cataarts.org
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