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Disabled and Deaf People engaging with Galleries
Between April and June 2008 artist Alan Mclean took particpants from Ethnic Advocacy and Apna Women's Group to Madame Tussauds and the Start Struck exhibition at New Art Gallery Walsall
Photograph by Alan McLean
If I ask myself, why I think this project was successful I would say there was shared ambition; a willingness to include, as well as the ‘know how' to deliver this event. There was an understanding that showing people who do not have the opportunity to visit galleries, that the practice of art making and the process of engaging with artists work can be enjoyable and fulfilling.
The workshops allowed learning disabled people to experience art and to make art work in their own right. As a disabled artist myself, I identify with my groups exclusion and lack of choice. With this project I wanted to be mindful of assumptions. I aimed to empower individuals by using the opportunity this project affords, to demonstrate that learning disabled people can benefit and engage in high-quality art experiences. This belief and ethos was shared by the gallery, support workers and myself, so we set about ensuring that a structure was in place to deliver these values. We used torches and binoculars to focus our looking and increase the time spent with each picture. Each workshop included a visit to the gallery and an artistic activity in the studio.
In the gallery, individuals were given time to think about what they liked about the pictures in the current show ‘Start Struck’ and to choose an artwork. In the studio we talked about the gallery visit and what we liked before making choices about how to go about drawing and mark-making.
Before the workshops began at the gallery, the group discussed my proposal to make work on the theme of celebrity, in response to the exhibition. They were facilitated by advocacy workers, who joined us on the project. Together they decided they wanted to visit Madame Tussauds to see the celebrities who excited them. Visits to Madame Tussauds are about taking photographs, with your favourite celebrity. I welcomed a visit to the wax works because I wanted the group, parents and carers to feel comfortable with the task of taking pictures and being in the photograph. Over 300 photographs were taken between us, using disposable and digital cameras.
The Bollywood room with stars Salman Khan and Shah Rukn Khan was in every other photograph. I stayed with my camera in the Bollywood part of the exhibition for the afternoon. I coached people to get the picture they wanted and to create a narrative with the wax figures. Families and carers who came along to London, joined us on future trips to the Ikon Gallery and Compton Verney.
In workshops, we studied the pictures taken at Madame Tassaud's and used Bollywood DVDs to select film stills. Using camera trickery we place ourselves in the picture. The excitement and buzz from looking at stars we know, was perfect preparation for viewing the ‘Star Struck’ exhibition for the first time. Everyone got a lot out of seeing the photographs created by Alison Jackson and the intensity of colour in Gavin Turks work. A few were brave enough to pose and perform in the Jessica Voorsanger karaoke room.
I worked with two different groups. The ‘ladies group’, as they liked to be called, were calm, quiet, focussed, consistent with each task, fully participative and had an eye on the work made. They were comfortable using words to describe pictures. They had an overall appreciation for the image. The mixed group were more about activity, noise, openness in communication, and fluidity. They were sometimes resistant, and wanted to do, rather than to reflect. There was a lot of excitement and a willingness to jump in to each activity.
Overall there was a consistent enthusiasm for the project from all participants. In the final two sessions many said they felt they were at the beginning rather than the end of the project. For example, Siraaj, wanted to know more about the skills involved in making art work. He enjoyed using Photoshop on the computer to mix painting and photography. He said, “Painting puts our own stamp on the work”.
Mobeen, who enjoys the painting and drawing as much as making choices about composition and what is in the frame said, "We are starting to make our own pictures".
Siraaj, an articulate member of the group when asked about what he thought of the visit to the Ikon Gallery said he thought the ride in the lift was terrific fun. The lift plays a piece made by Martin Creed. It is the sound of a choir of singers which tonally changes according to whether you are going up or down.
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last updated: 2008-06-23 09:23:02
tags : black_asian training visual arts