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Wendy Univer

BSR Contributor Since April 26, 2023

Wendy Univer (she/her) is a writer, documentary filmmaker, and nonprofit communications consultant. Wendy is currently researching the intersection of disability and the arts with a focus on access as its own art form.

Wendy Univer (she/her) is a writer, documentary filmmaker, and nonprofit communications consultant. A native Philadelphian, she has deep interests in arts and culture, education, social justice, and nonviolence. Wendy is currently researching the intersection of disability and the arts with a focus on access as its own art form. You can find more writing samples and information at WendyUniver.com. She posts on Instagram at @WUpics.

By this Author

7 results
Page 1
Kearney sits on a sculptured, large, mostly white boot several times her size. Other shoes rest on shelves in the gallery.

Shoes, A Love Story reveals curator Jill Kearney’s special journey

Every shoe tells a story
ArtYard’s visionary founder Jill Kearney talks about her new exhibit that considers footwear as more than just a pair of shoes. Wendy Univer previews.
Wendy Univer

Wendy Univer

Previews 3 minute read
Alice Sheppard & Laurel Lawson dance together using their wheelchairs and balancing off of each other onstage.

“Access artists” like Alice Sheppard, Natalie de Segonzac, and Carolyn Lazard ignite new languages in dance, theater, and visual art

“The access is the art”
Disabled artists like Alice Sheppard, Natalie de Segonzac, and Carolyn Lazard prove that access is its own art form, defying a deficit mentality and centering inclusion from the start in exhilarating new art forms. Wendy Univer explores.
Wendy Univer

Wendy Univer

Features 8 minute read
Chang, an Asian woman in a short gray tunic, moves gracefully with ensemble members behind her, some dancing and some sitting

“A responsibility to open the door”: how do we embrace disability on an institutional level?

What else can theater be?
Last month, writer Wendy Univer explored a cutting-edge cadre of artists whose work centers on inclusion from the ground up. Now, she speaks with institutional leaders about integrating and prioritizing disability inclusion.
Wendy Univer

Wendy Univer

Features 8 minute read
Book cover. Yellow title text with floral illustrations intertwined w/ text against solid blue background, review quote atop

This Terrible True Thing, by Jenny Laden

A visual look at the AIDS epidemic
Jenny Laden’s new young adult novel captures the AIDS epidemic, shock and isolation, and more through a 17-year-old’s voice and drawings in 1990s Philadelphia. Wendy Univer previews.
Wendy Univer

Wendy Univer

Previews 3 minute read
In the crowded gallery, Wong, holding papers, looks down smiling at Steinborn, who sits on the floor and looks up.

Meet FRIEDA, where an intergenerational community (re)connects over food, arts, and culture

An antidote to the loneliness epidemic
With its versatile Walnut Street storefront in Old City, FRIEDA has become a magnet for transplants and Philly natives alike. Wendy Univer talks to the founders about this burgeoning cultural hub’s found family and latest exhibition, POMBAA.
Wendy Univer

Wendy Univer

Features 5 minute read
A gold, slender halter-style dress with a long, delicate pleated skirt and opulent beaded bodice in muted purple and blue.

Drexel University presents Modern Ritual: The Art of Mary McFadden

A “design archeologist” arrives at Drexel
Globetrotting fashion designer Mary McFadden’s archive is now housed at Drexel’s Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection, and its first exhibition there offers a tantalizing glimpse of her world. Wendy Univer reviews.
Wendy Univer

Wendy Univer

Reviews 5 minute read
Seated at a long table full of arts supplies next to a large window, 14 people make colorful designs while Henbo watches.

FRIEDA explores how fine art and tattoo intertwine with A Closer Look: Henbo Henning

“It’s rare that you touch another person in the world of art.”
British-born artist Matthew “Henbo” Henning straddles the worlds of tattoo and fine art. Now, his work lands in Philly with A Closer Look: Henbo Henning at FRIEDA’s Old City gallery space. Wendy Univer visits.
Wendy Univer

Wendy Univer

Features 6 minute read