Presented as part of our 2026 rotating faculty series:
Cultivating a Studio Art Practice with Bill Porter
About Bill Porter:
Bill Porter is a multidisciplinary artist and educator whose research-based studio practice examines how personal histories, cultural narratives, and visual systems shape perception and reinforce social inequalities, drawing on his lived experience with an inherited retinal disorder and the broader realities of blind and low vision communities to critically examine systemic ableism. Bill teaches studio art at the College of Art and Design at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, and develops accessible studio courses for artists with disabilities through museums and nonprofit organizations, including the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s Access Studio program. An active disability advocate, he founded the Lesley University Disability Advocacy and Education Group and organizes exhibitions and public programs that amplify the perspectives and lived experiences of people with disabilities. His teaching and scholarship focus on cultural narratives of blindness, inclusive studio instruction, and peer-based learning. Bill has collaborated with an interdisciplinary faculty team researching student-led peer critique, contributing to the development of a widely presented three-step feedback protocol and the co-authored publication Student-Led Peer Review: A Practical Guide to Implementation Across Disciplines and Modalities (Routledge, 2022).
About This Workshop Series:
This studio art course focuses on building a sustainable studio art practice within a supportive learning environment. Students will develop a single art project over the course of the program, working through research, making, feedback, and revision. The course also introduces art history and contemporary art through the perspectives of blind and low vision artists and scholars, grounding studio work in critical and creative contexts.
This seven-week course meets weekly for two-hour online sessions that include lectures, group discussions, and critiques. Creative individuals of all levels of art training and experience are welcome. Students are encouraged to work with the materials, modalities, and methods that best support their projects, including non-visual media. Attendance and active participation are expected, including engagement in class critiques and the shared process of giving and receiving feedback.
Workshop Dates and Details:
These workshops will be offered virtually on Zoom.
Each workshop is two hours long:
- Thursday April 9, 2026 — 7 to 9 PM (Eastern/New York Time)
- Thursday April 16, 2026 — 7 to 9 PM (Eastern/New York Time)
- Thursday April 23, 2026 — 7 to 9 PM (Eastern/New York Time)
- Thursday April 30, 2026 — 7 to 9 PM (Eastern/New York Time)
- Thursday May 7, 2026 — 7 to 9 PM (Eastern/New York Time)
- Thursday May 14, 2026 — 7 to 9 PM (Eastern/New York Time)
- Thursday May 21, 2026 — 7 to 9 PM (Eastern/New York Time)
To register for this workshop series, send an email to info@darkroomballet.com with the subject line Cultivating a Studio Art Practice with Bill Porter