Zero Project Inclusive Arts

Transformative power of Arts and Culture

#ZeroBarriers in the Arts

To make this vision a reality, we advocate for the creation of job profiles, a legal framework, and dedicated resources to fully integrate people with disabilities into the Arts and Culture sector.

CONNIE VANDARAKIS, ZERO PROJECT AMBASSADOR


The Zero Project seeks innovative forms of art and expression worldwide that allow people with disabilities to actively participate in the arts and realize their full potential. The Essl Foundation supports inclusive art projects.

#ZeroBarriers in the Arts

To make this vision a reality, we advocate for the creation of job profiles, a legal framework, and dedicated resources to fully integrate people with disabilities into the Arts and Culture sector.

CONNIE VANDARAKIS, ZERO PROJECT AMBASSADOR


Explore the initiative's activities:

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In the quarterly Inclusive Arts newsletter, Isabella Essl, Head of Zero Project Inclusive Arts, shares updates and highlights from the initiative and its community. Sign up by sending an email:

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Innovative solutions and a growing community

The Zero Project Inclusive Arts initiative is involved in a range of activities to remove barriers for persons with disabilities across all forms of expression.

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Subscribe to the newsletter!

In the quarterly Inclusive Arts newsletter, Isabella Essl, Head of Zero Project Inclusive Arts, shares updates and highlights from the initiative and its community. Sign up by sending an email:

Subscribe

Zero Project Inclusive Arts Community

Join the Community!

Contact for enquiries:
Isabella Essl, Head of Inclusive Arts

Get in touch

Sharing ideas and solutions for inclusive arts

Based on the insights gathered from the Zero Project Inclusive Arts Community, the core focus areas for its activities are:

  • building a network and collaborations to amplify the visibility of inclusive arts in society;
  • promoting intersectional socially engaged work by creatives and professionals across various sectors worldwide;
  • advocating for the intersection of arts and sustainability;
  • sharing web/digital accessibility advancements in the arts;
  • prioritizing inclusion and the elimination of various human barriers;
  • highlighting the importance of the arts in society and its economic value;
  • recognizing the far-reaching impact of inclusive arts on society.

Join the Community!

Contact for enquiries:
Isabella Essl, Head of Inclusive Arts

Get in touch

#ZeroCall26: Accessibility for and in the Arts

Meet the #ZeroCall26 Shortlist!

13 inclusive arts initiatives have been shortlisted for the inaugural cohort of Zero Project Arts Awardees.

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About #ZeroCall26

Every year, the Zero Project invites changemakers from around the world—regardless of sector, organization size, or country—to nominate innovative solutions for the Zero Project Awards. The Zero Project Call for Nominations 2026 (#ZeroCall26) is focused on the topics of Accessibility, ICT, and Crisis Response. Solutions are evaluated based on their innovation, impact, and scalability, all with the goal of advancing the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). 

Awardees receive more than recognition—they become part of the global Zero Project Network, present at the Zero Project Conference at the United Nations Office at Vienna, join the Zero Project Inclusive Arts Community, and receive other opportunities to advance their solutions.

Zero Project Arts Awardees 2026

In this year's selection process a specially designated cohort of innovative solutions relating to accessibility for and in the arts will be recognised as "Zero Project Arts Awardees" for the first time. This milestone aligns with the growing momentum of the Zero Project Inclusive Arts initiative.

Learn more

 

Discover Arts Awardees

Launched in 2024, the Zero Project Inclusive Arts initiative enhances efforts to find and share innovative solutions that advance inclusion and accessibility in the arts.

Inclusive Arts Innovations

Replicable solutions that remove barriers

The Zero Project's mission is to find and share solutions that remove barriers for persons with disabilities. The Inclusive Arts initiative builds on this mission by connecting artists and innovators around the world to replicate innovations that remove barriers in the Arts.

Discover innovations:


Accessible Street Art

Museum Guide

 

Accessible street art: "Inclusion"

Street Art Belgrade at #ZeroCon23

At the Zero Project Conference 2023, Street Art Belgrade created an accessible artwork titled “Inclusion”. This inspired replication in the US and Austria.

The "Inclusion" mural, unveiled during #ZeroCon23 at the United Nations Office at Vienna, showcases the transformative power of street art. Created by Serbian artist Jana Danilović, this mural embodies the universal truth that love and touch transcend barriers, depicted through two women embracing—one seated in a wheelchair. Their sweaters, adorned with blue polka dots on a coral background, symbolize unity amid diversity. Turquoise hues backdrop the scene, with sparrows soaring freely, evoking a sense of boundless possibility.

 

Pioneering tactile models

This landmark project, made possible by Street Art Belgrade, pioneers inclusive street art practices globally. "Art in Passing," initiated in 2021, aims to make street art accessible to visually impaired individuals through 3D printed tactile models. These models, enriching the art experience with texture and perspective, underscore the belief that street art should be enjoyed by all.

  • Jill Wells is pointing to the tactile board

    Iowa, USA

    3D mural models by Jill Wells

    Inspired by Street Art Belgrade, Jill Well began to create 3D mural models, with a first one installed at King Elementary School in Des Moines.

  • Daniele Marano touches the tactile board at Karl-Farkas-Park

    Vienna, Austria

    Tactile models of three artworks

    In the public square Karl-Farkas-Park in Vienna's 7th district, three tactile models of the local street art were installed.

  • A photo of the landmark mural on one of the iconic towers of the United Nations Office building in Vienna; showing a woman with a dove

    Vienna, Austria

    United Nations Office Mural

    A tactile model of the landmark art project at the Vienna International Centre, where the Zero Project Conference is hosted every year.

Accessible Street Art in Vienna: Audio Guide

Learn about the artworks at Karl-Farkas-Park in Vienna and the tactile models:

Audio Guide in English

Audio Guide in German


 

A guide to accessible museums

“Museums Guide inklusiv”

The “Museums Guide inklusiv” offers an overview of everything museums in Austria have to offer in terms of accessibility and inclusion; a first of its kinds anywhere in the world!

Making art and culture accessible and tangible for everyone is a key objective for museums on the path to an inclusive society. The majority of Austrian museums are not only barrier-free, but also offer a wide range of inclusive ways of presenting information and communicating art. However, these offers are often not widely known, as a comprehensive overview of what Austria's museums do and offer in this area has been missing.

The Museums Guide was made possible through a cooperation with ICOM Austria and the Essl Foundation. 

Explore the guide online