EXPLORERS is an innovative programme of art and discourse that will challenge perceptions through creating supportive and deeply affecting interactions between neurotypical and non-neurotypical collaborators.
The project is a three-year programme of conversation and relationship-building between cultural organisations, social care organisations, and artists/individuals. It recognises the extraordinary contribution people with complex needs can make to mainstream culture, positioning them as decision makers, producers and creators
The programme has resulted in 6 co-commissioned exhibitions across the UK and in Sydney, Australia as well as events, seminars and a national conference on Art, Rights and Representation in November 2019.
Each co-commission has engaged with neurodiverse communities and the people and systems of support around them, placing a discourse around inclusion at the centre of mainstream exhibition spaces. This in turn is aimed at breaking down barriers with people who are often some of the most marginalised in society.
The inherent awareness raising within EXPLORERS will also open up greater understanding of diverse states of being within art and culture. Different ways of perceiving and interacting with the world provide rich territories for creative programming and new art.
The EXPLORERS partnership of 12 national and international organisations has been selected for their individual expertise, their openness to change and commitment to socially connected practice. The intention is that the project will provide a legacy of creative producers who are experienced and sensitive to including neurominority people at the heart of cultural programmes.
Partners include:
1. Tate Liverpool
2. MK Gallery
3. Autograph ABP
4. Fabrica
5. Photoworks
6. UNSW, National Institute for Experimental Arts, Sydney, Australia
7. De La Warr Pavilion
Visit the Explorers Website at explorersproject.com.
For more information about the project please contact Martin Swan at [email protected].
EXPLORERS is supported by the Arts Council Ambition for Excellence Programme and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
