They Say Art Is Healing – Allison Masangkay
Allison Masangkay’s project for the 2024 Jack Straw Writers Program is a zine that will be a culmination of past work exploring manananggal (a female presenting winged mythical creature in Filipino folklore) based on her experiences of disability, gender, colonization, imperialism, and more. In her conversation with curator Nisi Shawl, Allison delves into why she decided to make the manananggal the centerpiece of her project, the academic authors she wants to introduce to non-academic audiences, and how her work challenges colonizers’ ways of thinking when it comes to disability and ableism. “Sometimes people take in different media, such as visual art or even speculative fiction . . . versus academic essays and critical theory writing, some people are able to process that information better than an essay. So, kind of part of why the zine will be incorporating all those different genres and media is to hopefully meet people where they’re at.”
Music by EarthtoneSkytone, produced in part through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program.
Applications are open now for Jack Straw’s 2025 artist residency programs – and Writers Program applications are due October 31st. Visit us on Submittable for more information: https://jackstraw.submittable.com/submit
