Arts&Disability: About

Arts & Disability work hand-in-hand to challenge, motivate, renew, and heal. Disability effects everyone, as do the Arts. All of the arts play a part in mind / body / soul connection.... music, visual art, movement, dance, writing, poetry, language arts, medical arts, therapy, massage, etc.. ..... Whether the observer or the artist, art reaches the soul in ways still not fully understood. But, the exploration, the journey, and the research continue to motivate the soul to reach ideals linking us to create, linking us to our Creator..... forever seeking God!

"Ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks find, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7:7,8

For clarity, as this blog increases...... We will repeat here a little of our history (from the first few blogs explaining some of our basic story / inspiration.)

Our Story

http://youtu.be/gHyE4zXLOL8

Latest News Interviews - Newest Prototype 2013
http://youtu.be/lxi1s8XBB_A http://youtu.be/LvstaT920Rs

Merry Lynn Morris CNN Interview Dance Chair Honors Dad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQaYyjgGjBg or http://www.twitvid.com/KBXD1

Merry Lynn Morris Dancing Wheelchair Flying!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqqxzXKmPM4 or http://www.twitvid.com/RPS54

This is an ongoing project from the Rolling Dance Chair Project initiated 10 years ago by Merry Lynn Morris from the inspiration and honor of her Father who is disabled. His disability stems from a severe car accident where two 18 year-old boys crossed the center line and hit him head on. He was in a coma for two months and never expected to live. But, he did indeed... since the 1980's he has been disabled. Merry Lynn wanted to keep dancing with him as she had until she was 12 years old. I wanted to have greater access to him and wanted freedom in mobility and interaction. Together we tinkered with over 6 wheelchairs... and then some! Finally, the project started officially, and continues in mostly research at USF at http://rdc.arts.usf.edu/ ..... a USF Foundation donation page has been set up (Fall 2013) for the project at http://usf.edu/ua/FUND?fund=230025 . A GoFundMe donation page has been set up (Fall 2014) at http://www.gofundme.com/cafxd8 . The GoFundMe donations have been set up with the assistance of the USF Foundation - and ALL* funds are made payable to "USF Foundation Rolling Dance Chair Project" and sent directly from the GoFundMe site to USF for deposit. *There is a fee taken out for GoFundMe which automatically goes to their website. But, there is NO FEE taken out of anyone's donation if one donates directly to the USF Foundation link (http://usf.edu/ua/FUND?fund=230025).

There has been so much publicity and wonderful news coverage.... including CNN! (See post above this or go to http://www.twitvid.com/KBXD1 ), MSNBC Craig Melvin http://youtu.be/lxi1s8XBB_A, Katie Couric: http://katiecouric.com/videos/daniels-list-22-acts-of-kindness/, and a presentation by Merry Lynn Morris on 12/8/2013 at THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE!: - http://newsdesk.si.edu/releases/future-innovation-comes-smithsonian-dec-8 ! It has truly been an answer to prayers for us with so much encouragement and inspiration ... PRAISE GOD! May the project, the disability, and our inspiration continue to encourage others in the same way we have been... our continuing prayer!

A Foundation of beauty, grace, ideals & especially of God's creation in making us.... can be seen in the following dance of love without words..... inspired by the genetic mixing of chromosomes in the process God designed of Meiosis..... Interestingly, between the actual X & Y cells they never actually "touch" ... yet somehow they know to breakoff a piece of themselves, exchange it with the other..... then let it heal over! Only our Lord could have imagined such a beautiful expression of Love... in a Dance only He could choreograph..... !

Merry Lynn Morris .... X & Y Dancing Chairs of Meiosis