Artist Skye Shadowlight, Hull exhibition launch. Photographer, Jerome Whittingham

Exchange 62: northern disabled artists exchange

Opportunity for disabled artists based in or near Hull, Leeds and Manchester

Exchange 62 is an exciting new partnership between Artlink Hull, Pyramid, Leeds and Venture Arts, Manchester that aims to increase opportunity for disabled artists in the North of England. A disabled artist from each of these areas will lead a creative exchange project that will promote opportunity and change.

Funded through the Co-Creating Change programme led by Battersea Arts Centre, we envisage that those artists selected will work together to use visual arts practice to make a difference to the lives of disabled people in the North of England.

Beginning from November 2019, commissioned artists will be free to interpret, build and lead their own exchange projects, collaborating closely with one another in a close exchange of ideas and practice, then bring their combined experience and work together in July 2020.

How the exchange manifests itself in each city will be artist-led and may vary from artistic collaboration to engaging with other disabled people and activist groups or with cultural institutions and/or setting up events or activity in the public realm. The only parameter being it must be collaborative work with the goal of longer-term social change. The artists from each region will be selected by a panel of disabled artists.

Each organisation in the partnership will support the artist and facilitate each exchange in their respective city.

It is expected that at least one artist selected will be a learning disabled artist for whom full access support will be provided.