Anthony Tusler

Artworks

Little Tony Tusler (Self-Portrait), 1977. Digital print (original 35 mm negative). Courtesy of the artist.

Other photographs in the exhibition

It Will Happen, 1977. Digital print (original 35 mm negative). Courtesy of the artist.
We Shall Overcome, 1977. Digital print (original 35 mm negative). Courtesy of the artist.
Sign 504, 1977. Digital print (original 35 mm negative). Courtesy of the artist.
Jim Gonzalves and Hale Zukas, 1977. Digital print (original 35 mm negative). Courtesy of the artist.
AXIS Dance, 2017. Digital print. Courtesy of the artist.
Gaelynn Lea, 2019. Digital print. Courtesy of the artist.
Maxi-Selfie, 2016. Digital print. Courtesy of the artist.
Gimmee the Mic, 2017. Digital print. Courtesy of the artist.

Audio description

Anthony Tusler’s iconic black-and-white photos from the disability rights movement are often used in disability history projects. The 1977 occupation of the federal building by more than 100 people with disabilities for 26 days helped bring in the regulations for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the first civil rights legislation for disabled people. Back then, Tusler was just beginning to discover the importance of activism and the fight for disability rights. He began documenting the daily life of friends and colleagues as the Bay Area’s Independent Living Movement was taking shape.

Around the 2010s and the rise of digital photography, Tusler began to shoot the community again with enthusiasm and this time in color. His contemporary photographs reveal some of the important changes between the 1970s and now, but also indicate how much work there is still to do. By shooting from his power chair, Tusler gives us a lower vantage point than we may be used to, and his tender portraits of cultural gatherings and everyday connections bring us into the heart of the local disability arts experience.

Other works in the exhibition

Disability Action Figures Pride Parade, 2021. Varied materials. Courtesy of the artist.

Audio description

About the Artist

“I am a Disabled person. The world designates me disabled because I use a power wheelchair. Both the positive and negative aspects of that category have a powerful influence on how I see myself. My goal is to value and celebrate my membership in the disability community and my disability identity; while recognizing the prejudice I encounter and the day-to-day travails of being human and disabled.”—Anthony Tusler

Anthony Tusler lives in Penngrove, California, and has helped launch several non-profits, including the Institute on Alcohol, Drugs and Disability, Community Resources for Independence, Disability Associates, and the National Center on Disability and Journalism. His photographs have featured in the Oscar-nominated 2020 film Crip Camp and have been shown at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Atlanta, SOMArts, and the de Young Museum in San Francisco.