EXPLORERS is an innovative programme of art and discourse that challenges perceptions through creating supportive and deeply affecting interactions between neurotypical and non-neurotypical collaborators.
EXPLORERS 2021+
We are currently preparing a publication that will help initiate what we hope will be a new 3-year body of EXPLORERS work, nationally and internationally, carrying on some partnerships and developing some exciting new ones. Watch this space for more details soon.
EXPLORERS 2017-2019
The original EXPLORERS project was a three-year programme of conversation and relationship-building between cultural organisations, social care organisations, and artists/individuals. Its aim was to recognise the extraordinary contribution people with complex needs can make to mainstream culture, positioning them as decision makers, producers and creators.
The programme 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 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 was aimed at breaking down barriers with people who are often some of the most marginalised in society.
The inherent awareness raising within EXPLORERS opens 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 original EXPLORERS partnership of 12 national and international organisations was selected for their individual expertise, their openness to change and commitment to socially connected practice. The project legacy includes creative producers who are experienced and sensitive to including neurominority people at the heart of cultural programmes.
Partners included:
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 has been supported by the Arts Council Ambition for Excellence Programme and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
