Conversations Series II – Other Transmissions, Grundy Art Gallery, 7 – 21 March

  This exhibition is the latest iteration of the Venture Arts-led Conversations Series and brings together artists, with and without disability, from Blackpool and Manchester who have worked together to investigate how artists are labelled, who makes art and who it is for. The exhibition includes works on loan from the Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection, the UK’s largest collection of Outsider art which is housed at the Whitworth.   From October 2019 to February 2020, artists with and without disability met regularly at The Blackpool Centre for Independent Living as part of The New Langdale’s communication through art programme. The New Langdale is a community based daytime service for adults with a learning disability. Here, working with Blackpool based artist Tina Dempsey, and supported by the group’s regular coordinators, participants made new work together, testing out new approaches, techniques and materials. The participants enjoyed research visits to Grundy Art Gallery and the Whitworth (experiencing a talk and tour of The Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection), and a visit to Venture Arts to meet other artists and to hear more about their work.   Conversations Series II - Other Transmissions is presented by Grundy Art Gallery as part of its participation in Access Fylde Coast, a Coastal Communities funded project that is being led by Disability First, Blackpool. It follows on from Grundy Art Gallery’s summer 2019 presentation, NDACA - Art, Anger and Rights from the Disability Arts movement, an exhibition curated in partnership with the National Disability Arts Collection and Archive (NDACA).   Accompanying Event - CANCELLED Saturday 21 March 2020: 2pm- 4pm EXHIBITION TOUR AND TALK Due to the ongoing Coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak it has been decided to cancel Saturday's Conversations Series II - Other Transmissions exhibition tour/artist talk. The well-being of audiences and participants is paramount at this time.