Film earns Emmy nomination, explores impact of art

UNC Charlotte researcher Margaret Quinlan and colleagues received a regional Emmy nomination for the film “Creative Abundance,” which explores how art can redefine vocational opportunities and expand the lives of people with developmental disabilities.

Quinlan, an associate professor in communication studies and core faculty with the Interdisciplinary Health Psychology doctoral program, is a co-producer on the film. She was nominated by the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the category “Documentary – Cultural/Topical,” along with lead producer Lynn Harter, professor, Scripps College of Communication, Ohio University; and Evan Shaw, chief videographer/editor, WOUB.

“It is a huge honor in so many ways,” Quinlan said. “It is an honor that the individuals in the film allowed us to tell their stories. This documentary draws from years of research. Dr. Harter invited me into a research project she was working on in 2003 related to disability and sheltered workshops. My passion for creating these films started with that work over a decade ago.”

The film will be shown on PBS affiliates during a four-year period, through a national distribution arrangement with the National Education Association. The schedule for broadcast in North Carolina is not set.

The documentary is part of a series, “The Courage of Creativity,” which explores the role that artists and creativity can play in people’s well-being in health-related contexts. In 2014, the series won a regional Emmy award from the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, based on the strength of a promotional trailer.

“Our research and creative activity is inspired and informed by the stories of individuals,” said Quinlan. “Storytelling is a powerful form of experiencing and expressing.”

The most recent film, the second in the three-part series, examines services in place for individuals with developmental disabilities, usually in the form of vocational and rehabilitative workshops that often are sheltered from the public eye and from community interaction.

The film looks at the roots of organizational innovation and social change, focusing on the efforts of artist and social innovator Patty Mitchell of Collaborative Art International and Susan Dlouhy, president of Norwich Consulting Services, which consults with human service organizations.

Sheltered workshops offer vocational and rehabilitative services for individuals with developmental disabilities. Despite earnest efforts to “think ability first” workshops remain organized around people’s limitations and often fall short of community integration. Activists Mitchell and Dlouhy envision workshops as spaces for creative activity and illustrate the power of art to imagine a future beyond the familiar. “Creative Abundance” documents how Mitchell and Dlouhy integrate art programming into workshops to foster human expression, develop individuals’ talents, and build community.

“It really is an honor to be able to work with this organization and learn from them,” Quinlan stated. “Collaborative Art International works on a shoestring budget, and what they are able to do with very little to improve people’s lives is incredible. It shows that we haven’t really tapped into all that art can do.”

For Quinlan, the documentaries and the recognition they are receiving draw attention to the underlying research. “We hope to show an ongoing commitment to the applied nature of scholarship that fosters meaningful difference in the lives of people,” she said.

With this research, she and colleagues have found that the use of art can help medical and other professionals understand and address the impacts on people’s lives caused by illness or disability.

“Artists do not eliminate the uncertainties surrounding illness,” Quinlan said. “Even so, they answer suffering in ways that go beyond the traditional reach of biomedicine. We hope that ‘Creative Abundance’ will offer people a glimpse of creative programming that integrates artful encounters in various settings.”

The Ohio Valley Regional Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences will present its Emmy Awards on Aug. 6 in Lawrenceburg, Ind. The film and various people involved with it also received three additional Emmy award nominations for videography and production.