Amanda, S., Horace, L., Matthew, G., Sophie, L., Sarah, L., Juliet, D., Barry Anthony, F., Simon, R., Tanya, R.W., David, J., Ro, R., Leslie, T., Jane Louise, G., 2016.

OutsiderXchanges Collaborative Symposium

OutsiderXchanges is a collaborative visual arts project, between 12 artists exploring new ways of inter-responsive visual arts practice.

Over a period of seven months, ten artists worked from Castlefield Galleries New Art Spaces in Chorlton, Manchester and two from Baltic 39 in Newcastle exploring new and innovative ways of collaborative art practice. The project brought together 6 learning disabled artists and 6 emerging artists, to examine disability arts aesthetic and investigate its place within the contemporary visual arts scene.

Throughout the process, each artist was given cause to deeply reflect on their own individual interests and practice including (and not exclusively) schools, life histories, popular culture, celebration, action figures, food, architecture, film, found objects, acting, writing, period fashion and local history. All these themes are demonstrated throughout the exhibition, as well as recurring themes of communication, memory and identity.

This symposium will reflect upon this project and the collaborative methodologies that emerged over the 7 months.

The Symposium is accompanied by an Exhibition in The Baltic Quay Gallery.

A Venture Arts project in partnership with Castlefield Gallery, CVAN and Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts. OutsiderXchanges is supported through public funding by Arts Council England.