Dada-Exchange - Artist-Advisors

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have your very own dedicated Artist Advisor? Someone who had been there, done that and had lived to tell the tale? Someone who you could call on for free professional and creative advice? Someone who, like you is a Deaf or Disabled Artist, who has firsthand experience of the issues involved in developing and managing a career in the arts? Well, join Dada-Exchange and find out!

Dada-South is inviting Deaf and Disabled Artists from across the south east region to join Dada-Exchange, the Disabled Artists’ Advisors Network, created by Dada-South, in partnership with All Ways Learning and supported by Arts Council England, South East. This initiative will create a dynamic and empowering regional network, led by Deaf and Disabled Artist Advisors to inspire the professional and creative development of Deaf and Disabled Artists.

The programme began in 2007 with the recruitment of 8 fantastic Deaf and Disabled Artists, who have joined Dada-Exchange and been trained as Artist Advisors. The team is now offering Deaf and Disabled Artists 1-1 advice surgeries across the region. Advisors utilise their knowledge, experience and understanding of the key issues that disabled people face in managing their arts careers, to provide career development advice, support and mentoring.

'For me, it (Dada-Exchange) has allowed me to form Professional relationships with Arts Organisations and their contacts.  The process has been insightful in terms of opportunities, current Disability Arts practices, and discovering new skills.  It has opened doors which I didn't know where there, or could even find a year ago....the Exchange programme helped me to focus on which of my skills and interests are the most important and productive for my future.' 

Suzanne Rose, Professional Development Manager for Dada-South says: “Dada-Exchange offers a unique and exciting opportunity for peer to peer mentoring and the chance for Deaf and Disabled artists to work together creatively to shape their artistic careers.” Deaf or Disabled Artists based in the SE region and who would like to access free 1-1 advice sessions with a dedicated Artist Advisor are invited to join Dada-Exchange by requesting a Dada-Exchange Artist Application Form.
Dada-Exchange is fast becoming a vibrant, thriving network, fostering the exchange of ideas, creativity and inspiration between Advisors and Artists alike. It is hoped that it will nurture and support the creative and professional development of Deaf and Disabled Artists in the South East region.

If you would like to find out more contact Suzanne Rose, Professional Development Manager for Dada-South and Dada-Exchange. Email: suzanne@dada-south.org.uk

Or you can download an application form.

 

Lynn Weddle

Lynn Weddle is a dyslexic, professional photographic artist who has studied to Postgraduate level. 

To date, Lynn has had photographic work from the ‘Being Dyslexic project’ published through Millennium images in the Guardian Educational supplement and the Sunday Telegraph.  In 2006, Lynn took part in a project organised by the Tate Modern and the London College of Communication. ‘The Elephant Vanishes’ creatively documented the regeneration of the South London area of the Elephant and Castle, culminating in a group show at the Tate Modern. 

Lynn’s main focus is working with a strong socially engaged practise, facilitating workshops and collaborative projects within a variety of differing social groups. Such work is run through museums, charities, communities centres and art galleries. With groups such as young refugees, young disabled people, HIV suffers, children with learning difficulties, street children and young offenders.

Lynn’s work is focussed on using the visual image for social change, empowering the people she works with and offering the viewers insights into others way of life.

Lynn is currently project manager of a participatory photography project called ‘Beyond Vision’ with street children in Ecuador and Mexico run through the International Children Trust.

 

David Dixon

David Dixon is an installation artist interested in the uncertainty of binary divisions.

Drawing on concepts that harness this uncertainty, his work often refers to western physics, chaos theory, and eastern philosophical dialogues focussed around interdependency and impermanence. Through these David looks for connections and relationships that call attention to the breakdown of preconceived dualities.

Over the last couple of years, David’s work has been evolving into a more process oriented exploration, which places an ever increasing emphasis on the network: whether cognitive, biological or social. These concepts have been realised through teamwork and collaboration, with artists and helpers, during the construction process of his installations, and are expressed through the use of particle-based materials such as quartz dust and dyed rice-flour.

David uses the impermanency of the unfixed dust, and it's potential to be damaged, in order to frame the work as a process rather than a discrete object. Throughout each show, the exhibited work will deteriorate, always requiring repairing, and often complete rebuilding. The insubstantiality of the particle-works has now started to branch into new directions. The introduction of video has created multi-levelled installations, and David is most recently experimenting with magnetic fields as a way to isolate and intangibly suspend the particle works.

 

Jon Adams

Jon Adams, 46, is an active creative practitioner based in Portsmouth both as a self employed artist and as an employee of the University (Research fellow in Disability Arts). His practice is as both a visual artist, conceptual interventionist and a ‘sound’ or ‘sonic’ artist, whose Dyslexia/ aspergers have informed his creative practice. He brings personal experiences of not only being a creative person but also an ‘earnt’ empathy based on both the positive/ negative sides of having a creative practice as a person with a disability.

He is not a ‘disabled’ artist, a label that conjures up negative images of a ‘basket weaving will do him good’ mentality but a disability artist who’s work stands within both mainstream and disability arts contexts. He is committed to work with both the Arts Council England’s South East office and Dada-South, (Disability Arts Development Agency) to promote positive views of Disability Arts and especially people with Dyslexia and to see not only his work mainstreamed but also helping to develop work by other ‘disabled’ artists as a role model.

He has been involved in collaborative creative practice for the last 2 years. Prior to this he had little confidence and as such ‘hid’ as an illustrator of children’s books. Something he could comfortably do from home, on his own. Since ‘coming out’ he has been involved in the following projects:

Art Plus 06 Squaring the circle.  As a guest artist at first and now as one of the core artists on this ACE:SE/SEEDA funded project. His work within this project has been graphical, tutor, workshop leader, Sound artist and liaison between Dada-South/ Ruby associates and Portsmouth University.

Art Plus 07 ‘alternative platform’. Jon was awarded an individual artist development award and six months late won the full Art plus award from ACE:SE and SEEDA. This is for a collaborative project with the regional rail network and ATOC. It will see Jon’s artwork at every station in the south of England over the next 3 years. This arts project hopes to change the views of as wider audience as possible in the south of England about people with Dyslexia.

AA2A: Having been an artist in residence on this scheme in 05/06 to becoming ‘mentor’ 06/07 for the new intake, to a prospective core role as co-ordinator, planning for and running AA2A 07/08.

Creative champion for CIBAS:  Creative Industries Business Advice Service as a shown artist in Portsmouth/ South Hampshire.

Jon’s Work has been shown in both mainstream and disability contexts:

Artsway open New Forrest, Aspex Gallery Portsmouth, Spotted@ICI   ICI London, ‘Space between’ Artshape, Slimbridge-Taunton- Holton Lee- Salisbury, ‘In other words’ Weald Gallery Kent,  ‘Judges prize’ at 1st Open, Holton Lee, Dorset, Tate Modern and ‘Other’ places (hidden/ left artworks).

Jon is currently working on prospective projects and commissions with:

Arts Council England: SE, Aspex Gallery, Scan/ Artsway, U of P Library, Signdance Collective, Light box Gallery, Dada-South and many Disability Arts organisations. Jon is hoping to be chosen to show at Olympics 2012

 

Liz Porter

It's fantastic to be part of the Dada-Exchange Artist Advisor team. When I left Drama School if someone had given me advice about how to go about setting up my own projects and given me the confidence to believe in my own projects, this would have been invaluable, if I'd had the confidence to realise that I could ask people for access when I needed it, this would have saved me from a great deal of frustration and feelings of isolation. Finding my way forward was an interesting and often hard journey that continues. 

I have worked in and been involved with Disability & Inclusive arts practice both as a practicing disabled artist (performer/storyteller) and arts developer since the mid 90's. I have gained a wide range of experience and knowledge, having worked both in Disability and Mainstream Arts settings. I passionately believe that storytelling is for everyone and is a rich part of our cultural lives.

I graduated from London Theatre School in 93 but quickly realised the need to generate my own projects, a swift learning curve in freelance arts management commenced and in 2000 I co-founded ‘The Spider's Web Storytellers', which amongst other work explores the metaphor and themes of Disability. We worked for such organisations as National Maritime Museum, Harlow Arts, Jackson's Lane Xposure commission and performed in the first Liberty Festival as well as delivering workshops and performances in the mainstream circuit.

In 2004 I established Portertales to offer storytelling sessions to schools, arts and heritage sites. I am currently involved in a residency with Sussex Past working with Lewes Castle and Anne of Cleves House Education department developing storytelling activities with school and community group's.

In arts development I have worked with Shape, EXTANT, ARTSREACH, ARTSLINE, and am currently delivering the Dada-South Living Newsletter and Know Your Business training programmes which provide fantastic opportunities for Deaf and Disabled artists to come together share their work, experience and ideas. 

 

Sally Booth

Sally Booth is a visual artist. Her practice is principally as a figurative painter, but her work includes drawing, photography and printmaking. She has also worked on many cross disciplinary collaborative projects with other artists and writers.

Sally has exhibited widely in the UK and abroad, including the Whitechapel Art Gallery, Sadlers Wells and South Bank Centre. She has built up links with Japan following an exhibition tour of her work to Okayama, Nara and Fukuoka in 2005. She was invited to speak at Tokyo Contemporary Art Museum and Fukuoka Disability Arts conference and ran arts workshops for visually impaired adults and children for "Able Art", Museum Access View and Fukuoka School for the Blind. She returned to Kyoto in 2006, at the invitation of the University of Art, where she worked with the Japanese students and made her own work inspired by the temple gardens in Kyoto. This work was shown at a solo show following a residency at Holton Lee in 2007.

Sally has a work background in the arts, with a particular emphasis on working with other disabled and deaf people and with arts organisations.  She worked as Arts Development Manager for many years at Shape, and was responsible for devising and implementing a diverse arts programme. She also regularly worked as a sessional artist for Whitechapel Art Gallery facilitating access workshops. She continues to have a long- standing working relationship with the Chisenhale Gallery, where she initially worked as an artist on the gallery education programme, and is currently a board member, and with the Tate, where she is a member of the Access Monitoring group.  As a freelancer, Sally has worked as access consultant for a number of arts organisations, including Museums Libraries and Archives, Royal College of Art, and engage.

Sally says: "As a self employed disabled artist it seems to be taking me years to learn the ropes about the business of being self employed and it all works in the arts. I have always fundraised for my own projects but still find all the things you have to do to market yourself, cover your access requirements, keep yourself motivated and keep the cash flow going alongside the work itself a real juggling act. I don't know that I will ever get the balance right myself, but hope I can offer those embarking on a similar path some shared experience, the odd practical tip,  and some humour  and support for their own journey along the way".

You can see examples of Sally's work on her website: www.sallybooth.co.uk

 

Sarah Scott

Sarah has 30 years experience working within deaf/ disability arts as performer, producer and development officer. Since leaving the Arts Council in 2001 (as Combined Arts and then Disability Arts Policy Officer) Sarah has worked as a freelance advisor and mentor for Deaf and disabled individuals and organisations.

More recent work has included facilitator CreativeCapital's Accessing Creative Development (ACD) project, mentor for Foundation for Community Dance's "Potential" co mentoring project and writer of its documentation "Reflectors". Mentor for East London Dance's "Cultural Shift".

Sarah is part of the DALI Hub investigating the benefits of Action Learning for Deaf and disabled people in the arts and Scott O'Brien Associates have completed research validating the demand for such.  

Sarah is also a Yoga Teacher and raw and living foods guide, she teaches deaf and hearing people and those deaf, with mental health issues.

 

Lynn Cox

Since completing my MA in Fine Art, I have exhibited my concept driven mixed and multi-media art nationally and internationally, including group shows in London, Glasgow and San Francisco.

My art is informed, but not dominated, by my visual impairment. In fact the art is intrinsic to my work as a Disability Arts Consultant, Mentor and Equality/Awareness Trainer.

As an established Shape Advisor/Mentor, I have discovered that passing on ones extensive knowledge of the disability and mainstream arts sectors, business support opportunities, entrepreneurial skills of running a business and the possibility of empowering artists to have a SMART vibrant practice is extremely rewarding.

As well as continuing to run my own creative portfolio business, I am also a mother of two young children. Therefore, I have experience of juggling many balls in the air at one time. I can assist with advising on time management and prioritisation strategies and maintaining a good healthy life/work balance.

 

Clare Smith

Clare Smith has her studio in Dover. She is a founding partner of Dover Arts Development, a partnership with fellow artist/curators Joanna Jones and Christine Gist, whose objective is to deliver contemporary arts projects of relevance to Dover. Dover Arts Development has recently successfully secured funding from Arts Council England and Europe (Interreg) for a project called Embarkation. She is also a trustee of Crate studio and project space based in Margate.

Clare Smith received her BA Fine Art in 2004 from the Kent Institute of Art and Design now the University College for the Creative Arts. Since graduating she has exhibited in East Kent and in France, in particular in Defend/Défendre, a collaborative initiative started by Christine Gist and then developed as a bigger cross-border Interreg project, between DAD and Espace 36 in St Omer.

Clare Smith has experience of organising art events and exhibition curation, working as independent guest curator for The Metropole Galleries in Folkestone in 2005 and as mentee curator on Kent County Council's curatorial development programme in 2006 (CD:EK). She was involved in the 2004 edition of Les Rencontres de l'Ecole de la Rue/White Window, a film workshop which took place in Dover bringing together fine art students from France, Belgium and England. She worked with the invited artist David Medalla on his film ‘Homage to Rimbaud', and completed a collaborative project making a short film documenting the Rencontres.

Very recently she curated, with Joanna Jones, a living Museum of Arrows and Archery to coincide with the Archery World Cup in Dover. This was a participatory event with contributions to the one-day museum from Dover residents, archery enthusiasts and other interested members of the public and artists.

In addition to practicing as an artist, Clare Smith runs her own company (Studio 308 Ltd, formerly CS Financial Translations Ltd). She is an excellent linguist with fluent French and German and has a first-class degree from Cambridge in Oriental Studies (Chinese). Before returning to the UK, Clare Smith lived in Luxembourg for 15 years, gaining valuable experience in working in a multilingual environment with people from different cultural backgrounds.

She continues to cultivate her European connections and for the past two years has had a job as Creative Business Co-ordinator and project co-ordinator of Mode Future, a cross-border fashion project led by the University College for the Creative Arts (Rochester campus). In this role she has mentored advised many creative practitioners.