Careers in the Arts Toolkit Artist Profile: Anthony Ptak
Artist, Performer, Composer, Designer, Writer
New York, NY
Anthony Ptak is an interaction designer, artist, performer, writer, photographer and composer based in New York City. He is also a brain cancer survivor who, after his diagnosis and treatment in 2011, lives with the effects of TBI, traumatic brain injury.
“Disability has broadened my bandwidth for receptive communication and increased my mindfulness and attention to my adjacent communities,” he said. “I’m a better writer after my traumatic brain injury because I organize thoughts differently now. I’ve taken an interest in collaboration.”
Ptak earned his BA in media studies/cultural criticism from SUNY at Buffalo and an MPS (master’s of professional studies) from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program Tisch School of the Arts in 2010. Today, he is a gifted player of the theremin, an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact. In fact, he performed at the First International Theremin Festival and is a founding member of the New York Theremin Society.
In late 2007, before his own brain cancer diagnosis, Ptak’s son Aedan was born with Down Syndrome. Today, the pair experiment with ways to create art together; both have become visible and vocal advocates for individuals with disabilities. Ptak was an integral part of the inaugural cohort of disabled artists for the inaugural Artists Disabilities Institute in 2017.
“I advise curators and cultural administrators to, quite simply, ask us. Invite us. Include us. Value us,” he said. He encourages others to expect competence from artists with disabilities, and to follow the principles of universal design. “Provide a concise framework for time and tasks. Clear communication is your responsibility. Provide or accept alternate options towards the same goal. Adapt!”
Ptak has presented his works at Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS), School of the Art Institute, Chicago Cultural Center, St. Louis Art Museum, Institute for Advanced Study, Roulette Intermedium, the Kitchen, the Stone, Galapagos Art Space, Chelsea Art Museum, Media Lab Madrid, and Issue Project Room, among other venues.
Ptak encourages other artists with disabilities: “Be yourself. Be circumspect. Show up. Contribute what you can. Always try to learn new things. Expect the unexpected. Failure is a necessary stepping stone for success and insight."