1. Resources
1.1. "Visualizing the Disabled Body: The Classical Nude and the Fragmented Torso" by Lennard Davis
1.1.1. "Disability, in this and other encounters, is a disruption in the visual, auditory, or perceptual field as it relates to the the gaze. As such, the disruption, the rebellion of the visual, must be regulated, rationalized, contained. Why the modern binary - normal/abnormal – must be maintained is a complex question. But we can begin by accounting for the desire to split bodies into two immutable categories: whole and incomplete, abled and disabled, normal and abnormal, functional and dysfunctional."
1.2. (AT HOME) ON ART AND REPRESENTATION: ARTIST TALK WITH RIVA LEHRER
1.3. "Golem Girl", memoir by Riva Lehrer (book)
1.3.1. "The vividly told, gloriously illustrated memoir of an artist born with disabilities who searches for freedom and connection in a society afraid of strange bodies"
1.4. the artist's website
1.5. (possibly) to reference other expressions of water as aid: The Acorn People by Ron Jones (book)
1.6. S.B.A.
1.7. The Faraway Nearby, By Rebecca Solnit (book)
1.8. very short article on Riva Lehrer's life story
1.9. "‘‘Swimming Against the Tide’’: Disability Represented Through Fish Symbolism in (and on) Middle Grade and Young Adult Novels" By Megan R. Brown
1.9.1. A journal article that identifies stories from the early 21st century that feature a fish with a disability and their tropes/themes, which translate disability in aquatic metaphors
1.10. The Columbia Encyclopedia entry on molting
1.11. scholarly journal on water symbology: "The Taoist Spirit of Haier: The Metaphor of Sea Based on the Symbolism of Water"
1.12. The Nude That Looks Back: Self-images, by Violeta Bubelyté
1.13. Newspaper article: Riva Lehrer ans the evolution of 'Risk'
1.13.1. "She started out working in the realm of lesbian sexuality, but her focus shifted to what she found the more difficult identity. "For me, frankly, being a lesbian has been a lot easier than being a crip," said Lehrer. "When I came out it was in the 70s, there was movement, a national movement. So I walked into something that had context. There was nothing for disability. Plus, I had been stigmatized around being a crip from the time I was the smallest child. If you were a lesbian there was fashion, music ... no context other than hospitals for being disabled. And being a lesbian was about pleasure-about desire and pleasure. There was nothing positive to move towards at all, in terms of identifying as a disabled person. There certainly were positive things waiting for me being a lesbian. And also, frankly, if I wanted to pass, if I didn't feel like being an obvious lesbian on any given day, I could mostly pass. I've never been able to pass as anything other than a crip.""
1.14. “Theoretical Foundations: Intersectionality and Crip Theory", Samantha Dawn Schalk
1.15. Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, “The Politics of Staring: Visual Rhetorics of Disability in Popular Photography”
1.16. "A Scar Is More than a Wound: Rethinking Community and Intimacy through Queer and Disability Theory"
2. Similar Artwork
2.1. more Riva Lehrer self-portraits
2.1.1. Corner (terra incognita), 1994
2.1.1.1. terra incognita = unexplored land, unknown territory
2.1.1.1.1. this phrase is explored in The Faraway Nearby by Rebecca Solnit, first two chapters
2.1.1.2. torso, visual (exaggerated?) representation of her disability
2.1.1.3. her shadow is still the same as a body without Spina Bifida
2.1.2. Cauda Equina, 2005
2.1.3. Edgewater Beach, 2006
2.1.4. Blue Veronika, 1999
2.1.4.1. image from cover of Golem Girl
2.2. Ophelia, Sir John Everett Millais, 1851-52
2.3. Stream of Consciousness, Susan Dupor, 2004
2.3.1. artist was born deaf
2.3.2. also conveys the lack of disability bias in water, or through using water as a visual symbol
3. Visual Analysis
3.1. removing the gold sequin suit resembles molting animals, a metamorphosis?
3.1.1. gold sequins as a symbol of status?
3.1.2. her disability is as natural for her as molting is for reptiles/amphibians
3.2. the setting: both realistic/nature and surreal/mystical, what does this dichotomy symbolize in terms of Riva Lehrer's disability experience
3.2.1. water as a symbol for...
3.2.1.1. healing
3.2.1.2. physical freedom
3.2.1.3. Daoism
3.2.1.4. flexibility
3.2.1.5. seremity
3.2.1.6. life force
3.2.1.7. "The metaphor of sea, the central theme in the speech 'Haier Is a Sea', has four key features. First, sea is described as embracing water flowing from diverse sources and combining them into one large entity, so diversity-in-unity is the first key feature of the sea. Second, sea is perceived as symbolizing commitment and contribution to a collective cause. Third, sea can purify itself. Fourth, sea is powerful with a sustained influence even though its constituent elements are as tiny and powerless as drops of water."
3.3. body language: figure's back turned towards viewer, but stretches their gaze back to light shining on them from the lefthand side of the painting, body expresses both discomfort and relief
3.4. water filling pond, ripples, cold analogous palette, her signature hair, crispy/dry foliage in background
3.4.1. queerness in the sequin outfit and colored hair
3.4.1.1. intersectionality
3.5. nudes with their backs turned—a popular figure composition
4. Brainstorming Thesis
4.1. original thesis: "...Riva Lehrer invites us to look at an intimate image of what she feels living in her body—a body diagnosed with spina bifida."
4.2. What does Riva Lehrer communicate about living with spina bifida?
4.2.1. Within a world that misinterprets and oppresses bodies like her own, Riva Lehrer invites us to look at an intimate image of what she feels living in a body diagnosed with spina bifida. By challenging society to understand what would otherwise be "terra incognita", 66 Degrees is proof that the experience of living with a physical disability is not fixed, but rather an oscillation between meeting comfort and discomfort.
4.2.1.1. external factors that influence comfort and discomfort: accessibility, the public stare, social constructs, gravity, aging/time, strenuous vs. less strenuous activities, clothing, climate, company, etc.
4.2.1.1.1. It is clear, after writing this list, that every human body is 'disabled' by multiple forces beyond their control. So, it is foolish to propose/enforce a hierarchy between bodies on behalf of an 'able-bodied' standard—an ideal that doesn't even exist.
4.2.2. her hands appear strained, her fingers stiffly bent—maybe she has a more severe case in which her disability affects many areas of the body
4.2.2.1. "Pain in other areas can be caused by problems with internal organs (visceral pain). Common locations of visceral pain include upper and lower abdomen, chest, pelvis, jaw, neck, upper arm, and upper or lower back. Pain associated with spine and spinal cord problems can affect any areas of the body but often involve the back, neck, arms or legs. As people with SB age, they often have pain associated with degenerative conditions that affect the spine, joints, or muscles (musculo skeletal pain). In SB, commonly seen conditions are: arthritis, osteoporosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and tethered cord syndrome."
4.2.3. her facial expression communicates the relief of taking off her clothing and/or soaking in water
4.3. Being in water eliminates some physical complications for some disabilities, remember chapter from "The Acorn People" by Ron Jones
4.3.1. Physical Freedom, no wheelchair needed in the water
4.4. her self-portrait is a commentary on what she experiences on account of multiple facets of her identity—being a lesbian (sexuality), being over 50 years of age (age), and being disabled (having Spina Bifida).
4.4.1. "with what Magrit Shildrick calls "anomalous embodiment," a term that creates common ground between queer and crip" (Karen Hammer)
5. Information
5.1. Title: 66 Degrees
5.1.1. What does it mean?
5.1.1.1. Degrees references temperature?... perhaps it is the most comfortable temperature for her, climate is a huge part of the natural environment so this would make sense in terms of the painting's setting
5.1.1.2. Degrees as in the measurement of an angle?... could be the angle at which her spinal chord is split
5.1.1.3. Degrees as in diplomas?
5.2. Artist: Riva Lehrer
5.2.1. diagnosed with Spina Bifida since birth
5.2.1.1. Spina Bifida
5.2.1.1.1. It’s a type of neural tube defect (NTD) that occurs when a baby’s neural tube fails to develop or close properly – the literal meaning for Spina Bifida is “split spine.”
5.2.1.1.2. consult Melinda Kremer (my step mother who founded American Dance Wheels in honor of her daughter, Jenna Kremer, who was diagnosed with Spina Bifida at birth)