Torchlight Retrospective

Art can be used in so many ways, from exploring one's identity and making sense of the world around oneself to expressing ideas to wider audiences. CANDOR's art residency program, Torchlight, utilizes creativity to educate and empower Disabled students. The program teaches disability history and the principles of disability justice through creating art as a practice of activism. The goal is for students to experiment with many mediums and feel comfortable communicating through their creativity.

The original Torchlight Program was run in partnership with Durham Public Schools (DPS)and selected high school students for a semester-long program. The students would create individual, self-determined pieces in addition to a commissioned, collaborative piece that would exemplify some aspect of the curriculum. Mentoring the students through this program were locally established Disabled and allied artists. This culminated in a public gallery exhibition where students could choose to list their pieces for sale.

After seeing multiple cohorts of students flourish with Torchlight, CANDOR wants to expand the program so it can reach more students across North Carolina. The focus of 2026 has been on turning the semester-long visual arts residency into a physical curriculum, separated into units, with a program workbook and teacher guide for each unit, that could be distributed for use independently from CANDOR.

An imperative step in creating this curriculum manual is trialing the guides in schools, working with teachers and students as part of the iterative process. However, we experienced some barriers in being able to move through this process within Durham Public Schools in 2026 and are working to eliminate those for the coming school year. In the meantime, Hope Creek Academy, a school committed to education accessibility for neurodivergent minds, joined in as a partner in the project.

The trial was such a success. We were able to see parts we should definitely keep, parts we should shift, and got some new ideas on things we could add. We look forward to continuing this partnership, getting back into DPS and more classrooms, and really fine-tuning these lessons.

Torchlight creates opportunities for Disabled students to engage with both the arts and disability history in ways that are rarely available in traditional educational settings. The curriculum helps young people explore art as a pathway for joy, self-expression, connection, and potential future vocation while developing a stronger sense of agency and confidence in who they are. Making this curriculum available beyond the residency model would ensure that more educators can bring these lessons into their classrooms, expanding access and opportunities for Disabled students long into the future.