Explorers is a dynamic collaborative programme of art and action that opens up routes into artistic practice for neurominorities, dismantling attitudinal and systematic barriers to representation and rights in art and society.
Throughout 2022 and 2023, MK Gallery collaborated with Project Art Works and other organisations across the UK, with a focus on expanding the reach of IPA to work with young adults. Through the co-development of a supported studio initiative, MK Gallery delivered an exciting programme of workshops, residencies and open studios nurturing the development of individual creative practice and increasing the visibility of neurodiverse talent both locally and nationally. This initiative has now become MK Gallery’s monthly Our Studio programme.
In Process: Explorers Event 2023
Celebrating the close of Explorers, this event at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in November, brought together national conversations about how cultural institutions can evolve into more caring and inclusive spaces. Event contributors included artists, studios and institutions from around the UK, as well as those with lived experience of disability, neurodivergence and as caregivers.
MK Gallery’s IPA team and young artists from the Our Studio programme created an immersive sensory space as part of the event. Visitors were invited to experience the playful and colourful environment that Our Studio offers, alongside a showcase of digital artworks made by the young artists.
“Just seeing all the artwork people had made and the cinema – our film as the best! Inspiring innit. Definitely. And seeing a new place I hadn’t been before.” Timi, Our Studio artist.
The Explorers Project
- Creates platforms for neurodivergent artists.
- Creates pathways for cultural organisations to deepen their understanding and commit to inviting neurodivergent people and carers into their spaces.
- Works towards changing the discourse of how neurodivergent artists are positioned and described in culture.
Explorers Project Partners
The Explorers Project is supported by Arts Council England and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
www.explorersproject.org
@Explorers__Project | #ExplorersProject
