Venture Arts In Focus 2020-22

Venture Arts In Focus 2020-22

Venture Arts is an award-winning charity that supports learning disabled people to reach their potential through visual arts and culture.

Through our work we are ensuring that learning disabled people are empowered, celebrated, included and valued in the arts, culture and society.

Director’s welcome

It gives me great pleasure to be able to present Venture Arts In Focus, documenting the wonderful and varied work and projects, progress and above all, strength of our people over the past two years along with a small taster of the exciting times ahead.

2020 and much of 2021 was a challenging time for us all, filled with closures, uncertainty and anxiety about what the future would hold. I am so proud of our team, who came together so rapidly to ensure that we could carry on working despite the challenges. Throughout the closures our talented team delivered 130 Zoom sessions every week, providing one-to-one arts support to over 90 people, many of whom were at crisis point. I applaud all our artists for their strength in getting through such a difficult period, and continuing to make art from home.

Huge thanks to the families and care organisations for helping to make this happen too, such a major team effort!

2021-2022 has been all about getting back to what we do best: building talent at our studio, creating opportunities in the cultural sector, and working with partners to ensure that the work of our artists is shown professionally, at the heart of the art world.

We continue to advocate with our people to make arts and culture accessible and welcoming for all. Through our partnerships, collaborations, and our Cultural Enrichment Programme, we’ve been breaking down barriers that hinder inclusion. Working digitally in the pandemic opened up new possibilities as we saw our artists connect to and exhibit with cultural venues across the UK, and even in the US and Australia.

Our many supporters helped us so much during the pandemic, allowing us to buy technology for people to make work from home and to renovate our studio spaces, to make them Covid-safe. Thanks to all those who gave us their time and money. Great thanks go to our grant funders too, many of

whom stepped in with emergency funds and/or supported us to change our plans and keep on working. The future looks brighter with some brilliant collaborations, partnerships and opportunities in front of us, though we are ever mindful of the threat of hardship ahead, which is likely to raise significant challenges for those we work with.

This has been a time of great sadness too, and we send all our sympathies to the families of Christine Blackburn, Anthony Whitfield, Fred Collins and Marian Adjuah Bahsali who lost their lives during this period.

The way that people have pulled together in these times has been humbling; our artists have shown enormous resilience and positivity, the Venture Arts board have led and advised with great care, our amazing volunteers have supported us throughout and the Venture Arts team have given us so much with their complete commitment, hard work and kindness.

This publication is testament to this and we hope you enjoy reading it.

Amanda Sutton, Director.

Amanda Sutton by Leslie Thompson

Artist highlights 2020-2022

Here are some individual and collective successes by our artists, spanning April 2020 to April 2022.

During the pandemic Justin Lees was commissioned by Manchester City Council to produce an illustration about his experience of lockdown. The result was a nine-page comic strip entitled An Ordinary But Artistic Young Man Vs The Lockdown .

You can find it, along with many more of his illustrations and blog posts at his website, www.justinplees.com, which he continues to build with support from Venture Arts.

Justin Lees, An Ordinary But Artistic Young Man Vs The Lockdown , front page

Justin was commissioned to produce a mural for co-operative arts and social space Partisan Collective, in September 2021. And in March 2022 he staged his first solo show, The Behold! Room at The Horsfall Gallery, Manchester. In it he created a domestic environment full of animated and illustrated elements, creating (in his own words) ‘a trick on the people to make them think they are in another dimension…’

Justin Lees, detail from The Behold! Room

During the first lockdown Sally Hirst created a textile piece, inspired by her hero, Greta Thunberg. As part of the 2021 International Women’s Day celebrations, sewing group Mcr Sew Social selected Sally’s piece for a textile art exhibition entitled What Does International Women’s Day Mean To You? The exhibition opened with a Zoom private view, in which Sally talked about her work and why she finds Greta such an inspiration.

‘My textile piece is a Greta Thunberg rag doll who wears a cape with the autism infinity logo as she says autism is her superpower’ – Sally Hirst

Sally Hirst, Greta Thunberg , textiles, 2021

In October 2021 Sally took part in a residency at The Art House, Wakefield, where she spent a week screen printing. Her artwork included a HazMat suit printed with her illustrations, inspired by a placement with VA at The Wellcome Collection.

Sally is passionate about accessibility, and so was invited to provide audio descriptions for online exhibition Electric Dreams (see p18). She developed her own unique style of interpretation, creating poems to accompany works. As a result, she was asked to audio describe more exhibitions, including Venture Arts’ full studio show at Manchester Central Library.

Sally Hirst, HazMat Suit , screen printed garment, 2021

Since 2019 Louise Hewitt has been creating ceramic sculptures called Garden Monsters that help people to connect with nature. They were originally conceived at Hulme Community Garden Centre and have been exhibited at The Portico Library. In Summer 2020, Louise was commissioned by Manchester City Council to create a monster-making project for families with learning disabled children in the city. One hundred families received an ‘Art Box’ with everything they needed to create their own clay creatures, accompanied by a step-bystep video tutorial by Louise.

In 2021 Louise began a bi-monthly blog in which she reviews exhibitions as Venture Arts’ ‘Cultural Correspondent’. So far she has shared her insights into shows at Manchester Art Gallery, Salford Art Gallery, The Portico Library and the Turner Prize exhibition at The Herbert Gallery in Coventry.

Following its acquisition by the Grundy, Blackpool, Amy Ellison’s lightbox triptych Cocktails went on display at The Lights (Sep-Dec 2020), a show of all of Grundy’s light-based art

Louise Hewitt, Gravel Monster, ceramic, 2019 works. It was shown alongside work by world renowned artists Tracey Emin and Joseph Kosuth.

Amy and fellow VA artist David James had work selected for ArtWorks Together (online, Mar 2021), a new international arts competition which celebrates the work of artists with learning disabilities and/or autism. The exhibition showcased 34 artists from thirteen different countries.

Amy Ellison, Audrey Roberts and Lewis, stencil print, 2020

From Oct-Dec 2020 Barry Finan, Jennie Franklin and Ahmed Mohammed displayed artworks in a window of the Royal Northern College of Music on Oxford Road, as part of 50 Windows of Creativity , a city-wide art trail produced by Wild in Art.

Ahmed Mohammed, untitled, oil pastel on canvas, 2019

Jennie Franklin, Join And Enjoy All This For Free, felt tip on paper, 2018

Manchester Histories DigiFest (Sep 2020) marked the 50th anniversary of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons’ Act, pioneered by Alf Morris, the first Minister for Disabled People. It featured an online gallery with work by disabled artists, including VA’s Dominic Bennett,

James Desser, Amy Ellison, Louise Hewitt, Sally Hirst, Andrew Johnstone, Justin Lees, Horace Lindezey and Emlyn Scott.

George Parker-Conway was commissioned to create artwork for the festival’s digital brochure, including a portrait of Alf Morris.

George Parker Conway, Alf Morris, acrylic on canvas, 2020

On Halloween 2020, Dominic Bennett launched his first solo exhibition, Your Nightmares are Coming to Life. It brought together his lockdown artwork, which he described as his ‘spookiest, scariest and most thrilling’ to date. The exhibition, designed and built online by Dominic, featured drawings, ceramics, papier-mâché, video tutorials, movie reviews and original musical.

‘I love making art – it makes me feel awesome and powerful!’ - Dominic Bennett

Dominic also featured on BBC North West news in June 2020, in a piece filmed by Heart and Sold, an organisation that represents artists with Down’s Syndrome. In it, he talked about his Weasel Army - an ever-expanding collection of handmade ceramic weasels. Dominic was contacted by a viewer, Stephen Charnock of Bronzecast, who offered to cast one of his weasels in bronze (see left).

Exhibition poster, Your Nightmares are Coming to Life

Dominic’s bronze weasel from Bronzecast

In January 2021 Horace Lindezey exhibited at the 33rd London Art Fair, a showcase of ‘the most outstanding contemporary art being produced today, both nationally and internationally’. He was one of three artists in the show represented by VA’s partner organisation Outside In.

Horace was also one of thirteen VA artists to show at the 2022 Manchester Open exhibition at HOME, a biennial celebration of creative talent from Greater Manchester. He featured in the show’s marketing campaign, holding his ceramic blue plaque dedicated to Eastenders’ Pauline Fowler.

Horace Lindezey, Princess Diana’s Dress, ceramic, 2018

Manchester Open campaign poster featuring Horace.

Photo credit: HOME

Rahima Imtiaz, Covid During Lockdown, acrylic on canvas, 2021

In May 2020 Rahima Imtiaz featured in a short film by our funder BBC Children in Need, about our Young People’s Art Club, running via Zoom during lockdown. She was also interviewed by the The One Show about her artistic practice and was featured on BBC Radio 1, Radio 2, 6 Music and Asian Network.

Rahima also had work selected to show at The Manchester Open 2022. Her piece Covid During Lockdown was shortlisted for the Granada Foundation Gallery Award.

Other VA artists invited to exhibit at the Manchester Open (HOME, Jan-Mar 2022) were Matthew Bell, Danielle Dalton, Amy Ellison, Jennie Franklin, Emma Horton, Andrew Johnstone, Bilal Khan, Deborah Makinde, Louise Paterson, Leslie Thompson and Terry Williams.

Deborah Makinde, Men in Black, watercolour, 2018

Jennie Franklin, Rupert Bear and Bill Badger, ink on paper tile, 2021

Andrew Johnstone, untitled (shell), Posca pens on paper, 2020

Eight Venture Arts artists (Luca Agathogli, Amy Ellison, Barry Finan, Jennie Franklin, Andrew Johnstone, Justin Lees, Leslie Thompson and Terry Williams) showed work at Baltimore-based Make Studio’s fourth Cordially Invited exhibition (Oct-Nov 2021). This online international show celebrated ‘the exciting and thought-provoking art produced in progressive studios, to better understand and appreciate our neurodiverse world.’

Leslie Thompson, 1980 Cyborg, ink on paper, 2021

Amy Ellison, Kylie Platt, stencil print, 2020

x3 was a series of three virtual exhibitions by Venture Arts, ActionSpace (London) and Project Ability (Glasgow). It provided a platform for neurodivergent artists to exhibit their work and connect with other artists across the UK during the pandemic.

The first show, Electric Dreams (Mar 2021) was curated by Young People’s Art Club member Daniel Elms. Inspired by ‘inner-world dreamscapes’, it featured Daniel’s own photographs alongside those of Gary Turner and Declan Leslie.

Altered Space (May 2021) was the second in the x3 series and reflected on the year gone by and the resulting shift in how we interact with space. It featured VA’s Luca Agathogli alongside Thomas Owen and Ronnie and Paul Stokesley.

The final x3 exhibition (Sep 2021) was Ritual Patterns . VA’s Neelam exhibited alongside Kwaga Sillingi and Marina Devlin. It explored rituals, repetition, and pattern.

Luca Agathogli, Castle (Mow Cop), digital illustration, 2017

Neelam, from Henna Project, digital illustration, 2018

Daniel Elms, Lilypad, digital photograph, 2020

In 2021 Leslie Thompson’s Animals from Memory was acquired by the Government Art Collection, to go on display in British Government offices around the world. Leslie also sold his Peter Pan embroidery to a collector and curator based in Missouri, USA.

In June 2021 Leslie exhibited at Project Ability’s exhibition It’s in the Detail , as part of the delayed Glasgow International 2020. And in September he was commissioned to

produce a mural for co-operative arts and social space Partisan Collective, alongside VA’s Justin Lees.

Leslie has two solo exhibitions lined up for 2022: My Favourite Shop (Paper Gallery, Apr-Jun, an exhibition of intricately crafted ‘action figures’ of some of Leslie’s favourite people. In the Making Since a Hundred of Years (45 Hilton Street, May-Jul) brings together Leslie’s illustrations of black comic book heroes from 1935–2020.

Leslie Thompson, Animals from Memory, ink on paper, 2018

In September 2021, Artist David Blandy worked with three of our artists to produce a new zine entitled LOST EONS – Three Worlds, which reimagines Manchester 8,000 years from now. In partnership with Castlefield Gallery, Blandy collaborated with Niamh Ball, Raven Keating and George Parker-Conway through a series of online workshops.

(Top-bottom) Raven, Niamh and George’s illustrations for LOST EONS

In November 2021 we showed the work of eight VA artists at The Manchester Contemporary at Manchester Central. They were Liam Ashworth, Michael Beard, Dominic Bennett, Madelyn Daye, Amy Ellison, Annabelle Hurst, Andrew Johnstone and Justin Lees. The works represented artistic triumph over lockdown, and included a wallpaper print of Liam’s surreal

Biscuit decorating VA’s stand.

Showing alongside VA was The pARTnership, a project partnership between The Grundy and the New Langdale (Blackpool), artist Tina Dempsey and Venture Arts. The pARTnership began in 2019 to discover and nurture the talents of learning disabled artists in Blackpool.

Liam Ashworth, Biscuit, digital drawing, 2021

Andrew Johnstone, The Queen, Posca pen on paper, 2021

Luca Agathogli, Darren Bates, Josh Brown, Chelsea Dalton, Amy Ellison, Darren Gallagher, Justin Lees, Ahmed Mohammed and Luke Smith took part in Hotbed Press’ annual 20:20 Print Exchange in November 2021. Around 450 artists each submitted an edition of 25 prints, and in return received a box set of 20 randomly selected prints from artists across the world.

Chelsea Dalton, Tina, stencil print, 2021

Darren Gallagher, Rovers Return Inn, stencil print, 2021

In January 2022, the Government Art Collection acquired eight works, by artists Luca Agathogli, Amy Ellison and Ahmed Mohammed, for the new DCMS offices in Manchester.

In March 2022 Sarah Lee was invited to show her work at textile artists’ group Manchester Sew Social’s 2022 International Women’s Day exhibition. Her piece was an intricately hand-sewn patchwork quilt that took around two years to complete. She exhibited alongside 21 other artists, including VA facilitators Louisa Hammond and Laura Nathan.

Sarah Lee, untitled embroidery, 2020-22

David James and Barry Finan were invited to show work at Cromwell Place, London SW7 in March 2022. Season One presented neurodiverse artists from the UK and Australia. Led by Art et Al this was part of the Australian Government's and British Council's joint initiative highlighting the two countries’ cultural connections.

A year earlier David James took part in an artistic collaboration with Australian artist Alasdair McLuckie. The pair met several times on Zoom to explore and experiment with each other’s practice, leading to several works shown at Cromwell Place.

David James, Eyes in the Sky, mixed media on paper, 2021

In March 2022 Venture Arts presented FLORA VICTORIOUS , a collaborative performance piece featuring Joe Mills, Raven Keating and audio-visual/ performance artist Ruby Tingle. Taking place at The Yard Theatre, the event was part of ‘VA Collectives’, Venture Arts’ series of happenings by and for Manchester’s artist community.

Ruby and Joe worked together over several months to create a one-off soundscape and performance in which they worked together intuitively as performers.

Raven Keating collaborated with the pair to produce an animation and projection mapping work to accompany the performance.

In a first for Venture Arts, Ruby, Joe and Raven were invited to the 2022 Venice Biennale – the most high-profile and prestigious event in the international arts calendar – to perform FLORA VICTORIOUS in April 2022.

Ruby Tingle and Joe Mills perform FLORA VICTORIOUS

Studiotech, a specialist architectural lighting company, partnered with Venture Arts to install a giant illuminated cube at the Manchester Flower Show in May 2021, in consultation with our artists and partners Sutton Creative.

Situated on King Street, the installation projected Barry Finan’s distinctive textbased work. An additional light cube displayed work by eight VA artists: Maureen Callaghan, Emma Horton, David James, Elsie Kilbane, Ahmed Mohammed, Quinza, Emlyn Scott and Nevaeh Willis. The display could be controlled by members of the public, enabling anyone with a smart phone to change the colour and the artwork featured.

Light installation by Studiotech and Venture Arts

Completely A Hustling Place (Manchester Central Library, Oct-Dec 2021) was Venture Arts’ first full studio show in three years and featured work from over 70 artists. A massive celebration of creative triumph through times of adversity, Completely A Hustling Place took its name from a description of the vibrant, buzzing and at times overwhelming city of Manchester, aptly described by artist Justin Lees.

Completely a Hustling Place at Manchester Central Library

Artwork

Over the following pages is a selection of artwork produced at our studio, and from people’s own homes during the pandemic. Most of it featured in the Manchester Central Library show, Completely a Hustling Place.

Luca Agathogli, Docks, edited digital photograph, 2021

Quinza, Star of Youth, Nature Trail, The Design, Rays of The Sun, embroideries, 2020

Quinza, Lala Land, edited digital photograph, 2020

Liam Ashworth, from Books Series, photograph, 2020-2021

Dominic Bennett, Weasel Banquet, edited digital photograph, 2021

Amy Ellison, Flying Birds 2, digital drawing, 2021 Violet Emsley, Sean The Bird, embroidery, 2020

Barry Anthony Finan, POSSTCARRDSSERRSS FRROMM LLANNDDUDNO, porcelain, 2020

Michael Gleave, still from MicTV, 2 Channel Video, 2021

Ben Goring, Tiles, ceramic, 2021

William Hall, Terry Seabrooke Paul Daniels and David Nixon, digital drawing, 2021

Louise Hewitt, Bananas, embroidery, 2020

Andrew Hylton, Oil, that is. Black Gold Texas Tea , acrylic on canvas, 2021

Bilal Khan, A Flower Tray, ceramic, 2021

Emlyn Scott, Pink Moon, photograph, 2020

Emlyn Scott, Pigeon , photograph with digital editing, 2020

Poppy Maguire, Kickboxing Boy, watercolour, 2018 Joe Mills, Sunshine, acrylic on paper, 2021

Ahmed Mohammed, untitled, household objects with thread, 2020

Deborah Makinde, Genie Lamp, My Mum, Marian, ceramic, 2021

Catherine McEvoy, untitled, carbon monoprint, 2020

Josh Nisbett, 66 Super MAX, photograph, 2019

Sam Ratcliffe, TV Shows , text on acetate with digital colour, 2022

Jessica Taylor, Sun Trees, photograph, 2020

Emma Horton, Katy Perry Firework Patterns , watercolour, 2018

Leslie Thompson, 1947 Jackie Robinson Baseball Hero, ink on paper, 2022

Kathy Wilmott, untitled, watercolour pencil on paper, 2020

Maureen Callaghan, untitled embroidery, 2021 Horace Lindezey, Stacey and Bradley Branning, embroidery, 2021

Amy Bell, Rainbow Cake, stencil print, 2019

Amy Bell, Today You Are You, embroidery, 2020

Terry Williams, Disposable Camera Series: front living room, disposable camera, photograph and ink on glass, 2020

Darren Bates, Flamingo, stencil print, 2021

Matthew Bell, A Year of the Dreams, watercolour, 2020

Darren Gallagher, Bistro, stencil print, 2021

John Groake, untitled digital drawing, 2021

Chelsea Dalton, untitled, acrylic on canvas, 2020 James Desser, untitled photograph, 2020

Becky Hislop, Bring Me The Horizon, photograph, 2020 Chloe Bell, The Lowry , papercraft and photography, 2019

Christine Blackburn, Self Portrait, embroidery, 2018

Josh Brown, My Big Greek Wedding, stencil print, 2021

George Parker Conway, William’s Mother, ink on paper, 2020

Joe Sharples, Haworth, stencil print, 2021

Laura Wilde, K K Slider, embroidery, 2021

Tom Johnson, untitled, ink on paper, 2022

Sam Banfield, Flying Scotsman, collograph wax pastel, 2019

Michael Beard, Words , ceramic, 2019

Caryn Egerton, Flowers, iPad photograph, 2018

Michael Beard, untitled, coloured pencil on paper, 2021

Florence, Birds and Flowers, hand embroidery and appliqué, 2020-22

Malik Jama, untitled still from digital projection mapping, 2021

Fred Collins, untitled still from digital projection mapping, 2021

Helena Bradley, Fairies at the Beach, screen print, 2022

Work programmes

Art mentors and schools

In 2020 we received a major five-year grant from the National Lottery Community Fund for a Skills Development Programme. With this funding we planned to develop several aspects of our work, including a scaling-up of our school projects.

Venture Arts has been employing learning disabled artists as ‘art mentors’ on school projects since 2013, where, supported by a VA facilitator, they share their creative skills with pupils. In this development of the work we recruited mentors from both within and beyond Venture Arts, and offered a full training package, developing leadership in project delivery. Training sessions were led by Venture Arts, Odd Arts, The Edge Theatre, and Z-arts, covering safeguarding, confidence building, project planning and more.

This work was originally due to begin in April 2020, but the pandemic and school closures put a temporary halt to our plans. We are happy to report that the programme is back up and running with ten schools booked in for projects in 2022 and a full cohort of trained mentors now ready to start work.

While the programme was on hold, we found innovative ways to connect to children in Manchester. Funded by Manchester City Council, VA artists Louise Hewitt and Dominic Bennett, developed ‘Art Boxes’ for 100 families with learning disabled children. These contained everything families needed to make their own ceramic creature (monster or weasel), accompanied by video instructions by the artist. Later, VA’s Sally Hirst developed a mosaic Art Box project for families in collaboration with artist Jack Brown.

Cultural Enrichment Programme

Twenty-five of

artists took part in our Cultural Enrichment Programme over 2020-22, completing a supported placement with a museum, gallery, theatre or festival.

This ground-breaking programme supports learning disabled people to experience working in culture. Those working in the sector, and visitors to venues, experience and learn about the benefits of working alongside our artists. In 2020-21, the programme had to move online. Although our artists missed visiting venues in person, online working enabled the programme to expand. Our ‘virtual’ placements reached new venues as far afield as London and Scotland.

2020-21 ‘virtual’ partners:

Placements took place at Open Eye Gallery (Liverpool), The Wellcome Collection (London), Scottish Sculpture Workshop (Aberdeenshire) and The British Museum (London), plus existing partners HOME, People’s History Museum, The Whitworth, Manchester Museum, Portico Library, Elizabeth Gaskell’s House. We also ran a 16-week ‘multivenue’ placement, which included Castlefield Gallery, The Grundy (Blackpool), Artlink (Hull), Saul Hay Gallery (Manchester), and Outside In (Sussex).

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Participants were able to explore collections online, and create responsive artworks, blogs, virtual tours and ‘show and tells’. They also found out about different roles within venues through online meetings with staff including curators and directors. In some cases there were surprising, lasting outcomes. For example, Sally Hirst and Emlyn Scott created an accessibility manual for placement host The Wellcome Collection, and taught staff how to engage better with their disabled audiences. As a result their second host, Scottish Sculpture Workshop, invited them to provide accessibility advice.

Three participants, Michael Nash, Sally Hirst and Daniel Elms undertook further work experience following their placements. Michael worked on a digital design project with HOME, Sally on a podcast with Castlefield Gallery, and Daniel on an architecture project with TASC (The Architecture School for Children) and Editional Studio.

Drawing by Bilal Khan, from People’s History Museum placement

Drawing by Michael Nash, from People’s History Museum placement

2021-22 placements

So far our artists have worked with Manchester International Festival 2021, HOME, Salford Zine Library, Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, Manchester Museum and Royal Exchange Theatre. We have also facilitated an in-house placement, focusing on marketing and curating at Venture Arts.

With the reopening of cultural venues placements were able to take place in-person once again.

Jess and Malik take photographs at The Royal Exchange

Michael and Liam on a curating placement at Venture Arts

Starting in March 2021, artist George ParkerConway took part in an eight-week Cultural Enrichment Programme with the British Museum, a new partner for us.

He told us about the experience:

What was it like working with the British Museum?

It was really interesting, I got to meet loads of different members of the team, it’s a huge place! I met lots of different collections experts, one for coins, one for African textiles, which I really loved.

How did it influence your own art?

I was really inspired by the ancient coin collection, they have so many and they’re so interesting. So I created my own Athenian coin by drawing it by hand and then editing it with Photoshop. Seeing the collection has given me lots of inspiration for the future as well I think. It’s a great resource of ideas for my illustration.

What did you get out of the Cultural Enrichment Programme?

It was very nice engaging with the staff at the museum and meeting Sarah who I did the placement with. The Cultural Enrichment Programme really helped me take away the stress and get involved in something arty! I don’t know what I’d have been doing without it. I think Venture Arts is really good, it’s enabled me to build contacts. I’m doing volunteering now, I love it and it’s really building my confidence.

A huge thank you to the Henry Smith Charity, our main funder for CEP, who awarded us three more years’ funding to continue the programme from 2021-2024. Thank you too to HOME, who continue to fund their own CEP placements.

George’s Athenian Coin

Joe’s work experience

He worked with VA facilitator Jacenta to create his own logo and screen printed fabrics, and with volunteer Eloise Pearce to create a range of merchandise including hair scrunchies, t-shirts and sweatshirts. In another project he worked with Textiles in Practice student Daisy McClay from Manchester Metropolitan University to create a banner, inspired by the collection at the People’s History Museum.

Over 2021 VA artist Joe Mills was funded by Manchester City Council LEA for a bespoke education package with VA, encompassing several projects. Joe has an interest in fashion and spent a period researching designers and fashion brands.

Joe’s screen printed fabric

Joe Mills and Daisy McClay, Awesome Rainbow Sunshine Grooving Moving People , screen printed and hand stitched textiles, 2022.

Young people’s programmes

Young People’s Art Club

Our twice-weekly programme for artists aged 8-18 is funded by BBC Children In Need. Young artists work with a different facilitator each term, giving them the opportunity to develop their individual talents and explore mediums including ceramics, textiles, photography, printmaking and animation. This also moved online during 2020-21, and our young people made art at home supported by our facilitators on Zoom.

Inbetweeners

The Inbetweeners group supports emerging artists aged 19-25. We run three sessions per week where young people develop their artistic voice and practice. VA supports them to access further professional development such as work placements, residencies and commissions. The project is funded by The National Lottery Community Fund as part of Venture Arts’ Skills Development Programme.

We showcased the work of all our young artists at You Can’t Stop Us, The Lowry, Salford Quays, Dec 2021 – Sep 2022. Here’s a taste of what they produced.

Anabelle Hurst, Cow, digital photograph, 2020

Anas Aldeeb, Marcus Rashford, embroidery and acrylic paint, 2021

David Parker Conway, untitled print and embroidery collage (detail), 2020 Izzie Alcock, untitled lino print, 2018

Anabelle Hurst, untitled, resin and acrylic on canvas, 2021 Daniel Inwood, Troy, ceramics, 2020

Elsie Kilbane, untitled, ceramics, 2020

Maddi Lingard, Sushi, ceramic, 2020

Maddy Daye, Tiger, acrylic paint, 2021

Nevaeh Willis, Marsha The Duck, applique and embroidery, 2021

Niamh Ball, Doll, textiles, 2021

Maryam Vohra, untitled embroidery collage, 2020

Archie Howells, Dumbo Ride, lino print, 2018

Baykai Haidarah, Justin, lino print, 2022

Michael Nash, Anti War Poster, digital illustration, 2020

Laura Khoryati, untitled, ink on fabric 2021

Luke Smith, Ghost, stencil print, 2021

Rahima Imtiaz, The World Of Art, acrylic paint, 2021

Sally Hirst, Starry Night Weave, hand spun wool, 2020

Raven Keating, still from untitled animation, 2021

William Griffin, untitled photograph, 2020

Arts Award

In 2021-2 Izzie Alcock, Sally Hirst, Rahima Imtiaz and Michael Nash completed their Bronze Arts Awards with support from VA facilitator Laura Nathan. Michael was nominated for a ‘Trinity Talent Award’ from Trinity, the awarding body for Arts Award, for which he received a Special Mention. Trinity commended his use of painting software Fresco and the video tutorial he produced to help others make their own digital paintings.

Michael Nash, Garden, digital painting, 2021

Rahima Imtiaz, Cats Unicorns, embroidery, 2021

Izzie Alcock, drawing from Arts Award portfolio

Sally Hirst, Sensory Quilt, textile, 2022

PhD: ‘How are learning disabled artists informing contemporary art?’

In October 2018 artist AnneMarie Atkinson began her PhD research, ‘How are learning disabled artists informing contemporary art?’ with Venture Arts in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University.

In 2020 she had planned a visit to supported studio Creativity Explored in San Francisco, but with the lockdown, AnneMarie and her research had to adapt. She moved much of her activity online, working with VA artists Josh Brown, Amy Ellison, Louise Hewitt, Sally Hirst, Poppy Maguire and Emlyn Scott, and Creativity Explored artist Rory White over Zoom. Anne-Marie told us:

‘It is through our ever-evolving artistic identities that the project participants and I find commonality. Currently, I am both writing about the Zoom sessions I shared with participants and spending time in my own studio making artworks that fill-in the gaps created by the pandemic. When I am in the process of making, I learn more about what builds and sustains an artistic identity. Through borrowing and mimicking some of the lessons drawn from the participants, I think of myself as “citing” them, as I cite established theorists in my writing. My aim is to foreground the experience and expertise of the participants to shine a light on what it means to be an artist, and how artists who experience a range of barriers could be better supported to share their gifts.’

In March 2021, Anne-Marie held an ‘Artist Open Studio’ via Zoom in which Poppy, Josh and Rory shared their artwork and discussed the process and ideas behind it.

Anne Marie has now finished her participatory data collection and has begun the writing-up phase of her PhD, which she hopes to have completed by January 2024.

Amy Ellison, illustration of Manchester Museum produced as part of Anne-Marie’s research. Digital drawing, 2021

What next?

Exciting developments are planned at Venture Arts in 2022-3, including a new website and brand, a ‘VA Collection’ and catalogue of works, and more international opportunities for our artists. We are exploring options to build our reach and impact by finding alternative art spaces to work from including in the digital realm.

VA across the North West

Working in partnership with Outside In and the Whitworth, in 2020 we were awarded a National Lottery Project Grant from Arts Council England to employ a Regional Artist Development Officer. Working across the North West they would identify learning disabled and neurodiverse artists to build their practice and profile. Participants would develop their artistic talents and careers through VA residencies, Artist Support Days, ‘Share Art’ events and a training programme based at the Whitworth. Following pandemic delays, we were delighted to appoint Ellie Page to this new post. She has researched the field, connected to 22 organisations across the region and built opportunities for over 50 artists working with all three partners. We’ve facilitated one artist residency at VA and have two more in progress, with another seven to follow. We’re excited to see what new and lasting connections this project brings.

Creativity is Mistakes

In 2021 we were invited to be a partner on Disability Arts Cymru’s Creativity is Mistakes, a project that connects disabled artists across Wales to arts institutions and creative opportunities. In April 2022 Venture Arts facilitated a residency for artist Leila Babbe, and over 2022 will support more neurodivergent artists in Wales to build their careers. Other project partners include G39, Artes Mundi, Oriel Davies Gallery and Gallery Mostyn.

Conversations Series: Narratives

Narratives is the third in our Conversations Series of artist residency programmes, beginning April 2022. Like our previous projects OutsiderXchanges (2016) and Other Transmissions (2018-19), Narratives will see learning disabled artists working alongside and in collaboration with emerging contemporary artists. This time we are exploring the personal stories that inform our artists’ identities, and linking to the people and histories of our local area. Participating artists are VA’s Jennie Franklin, Sarah Lee, Horace Lindezey, Deborah Makinde and Leslie Thompson, plus Omid Asadi, Jackie Haynes, Raheel Khan, Millie Loveday, Laura Nathan and Merida Richards. Partnering on the project will be The Lowry, Castlefield Gallery, Project Artworks, Manchester Jewish Museum and Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre.

Explorers 2021-2023

We are delighted to be joining the second phase of Explorers , a project led by Turner Prize nominees Project Artworks. Explorers aims to change discourse around neurodivergent artists in culture, by creating platforms for artists and helping cultural organisations improve understanding and access. Other project partners include BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, MK Gallery and Outside In. Our Narratives project will tie into Explorers, along with a new series of x3 exhibitions in partnership with Project Ability and ActionSpace.

Our people

Our board

We are grateful to all the members of our trustee board, each of whom offers their time and skills on a voluntary basis.

• Atul Bansal • Stephen Evans (Secratary) • Steph GrahamCowle (Vice Chair since Nov 2021) • Vanda Hagan (Treasurer)

Michelle Haller

Tanya RaabeWebber

Our learning disability-led steering group

Our steering group meets monthly to ensure that our beneficiaries have a strong and authentic voice in how we run the organisation. They help us to put accessibility, and meeting the needs of all our people, at the heart of everything we do.

Liam Ashworth

Dominic Bennett

Josh Brown

Chelsea Dalton

Amy Ellison

Becky Hislop

Bilal Khan

Josh Nisbett

Amber OkpaStother (Chair)

Emlyn Scott

• Howard Rifkin (Chair)

Lynn Setterington Goodbye and huge thanks to the following trustees:

Kim Gowland (former Vice Chair)

Denise Price (former Vice Chair)

Emma Shubrook

Amber’s advocacy

Our Public Engagement Assistant Amber OkpaStother has continued to advocate for our work and for the rights and talents of learning disabled people, particularly the right to employment.

During this time she presented at The Autism Show, Studiotech, and to Tommy and Carol Judge, The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Manchester, when they visited our studio in November 2021.

She also met Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to talk about the rights of disabled people to work.

Amber appears twice a month on All FM 96.9’s Out of Our Shell , ‘a show about disability and lots more besides’, where she talks about her experiences.

Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress visit Venture Arts

Our team

• Muhammad Abby, Studio Assistant and Arts Award Project Assistant

• Laura Biddle, Projects Officer (maternity cover)

• Sarah Boulter, Curator and Creative Producer

• Denise Brett, Finance Administrator

• Lydia Burke, Projects Officer

• Debbie Cowley, Marketing and Communications Officer

• Sarah Crosby, Artist Facilitator: Ceramics, and Cultural Enrichment Programme Coordinator

• Marisa Draper, Operations Manager

• Louisa Hammond, Artist Facilitator: Textiles

• Martin Livesey, Artist Facilitator: Photography and Film

• Katherine Long, Artistic Manager

• Aziza Mills, Fundraising and Development Manager

• Laura Nathan, Artist Facilitator: Textiles, Arts Award and Volunteer and Placement Coordinator

• Maddy Norman, Engagement Worker

• Amber Okpa Stother, Public Engagement Assistant

• Ana Osborne, Development Officer

• Ellie Page, North West Artist Development Officer

• Dominic Pillai, Cultural Enrichment Programme Coordinator

• James Pollitt, Artist Facilitator: Illustration and Animation

• Merida Richards, Artist Facilitator: Ceramics

• Anna Scarisbrick, Finance Manager

• Jacenta Sellars, Artist Facilitator: Printmaking and Cultural Enrichment Programme Coordinator

• Amanda Sutton, Director

• Caroline Tattersall, Artist Facilitator: Ceramics

• Kathryn Wolstencroft, Events and Fundraising Officer

• Alison Yates, Administrator and Receptionist

A fond farewell to the following staff:

• Naomi De Maio, Cultural Enrichment Programme Coordinator (2020-2021)

• Jack Hale, Finance Manager (2010-2022)

• Chelsie Jones, Finance Manager (2021-2022)

Our volunteers

Our volunteers bring energy, commitment and warmth to Venture Arts. While the studio was closed, they continued to help us in a huge variety of ways such as fundraising for us and running online social activities for our artists.

We were delighted to welcome volunteers back to the studio with our reopening in March 2021. A huge thank you to all our volunteers, past and present - we couldn’t do it without you.

Our supporters

Business supporters

A big thanks to Chris Ross of J&K Ross, a Warrington-based company that supplies health and safety clothing. Chris is already a generous monthly supporter, and we were delighted when he granted us an additional £1,000 to help us through the pandemic.

Thanks also, as ever, to our supporter and trustee, Atul Bansal, of Manchester-based design company Sheila Bird Studio. Atul continues to donate generously to Venture Arts and is a great ambassador for the work we do.

We are grateful to Baker Roberts, Contact One and Forbo Flooring, who kindly provided materials, services and designs for new socially-distanced studio layouts, enabling artists to return to in-person sessions as early as possible.

In March 2020 we received a donation from Bolton-based company Barry Bennett Ltd (the leading supplier of Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) assistive technology in the UK) and its sister-company, Bennett Workplace. Their wonderful staff took part in a sponsored Step Challenge and the Great Manchester Run 2021 for us, raising £5,000.

In addition, in 2021 the company commissioned VA’s Horace Lindezey to create a ceramic blue plaque for their head office in Bolton, to celebrate the business’ 50th anniversary. In exchange they donated an incredible £5,000 to Venture Arts, taking their total support for us so far to £10,000. Thank you so much Barry Bennett!

Thanks to Co-op (Birley Fields, Oxford Road and Whalley Range branches), The Eighth Day Co-operative and Unicorn Grocery for donating prizes for our fundraising events.

Thanks too to our neighbours at Kim’s Kitchen, who, since January 2022 have been giving us 10p from every brew sold, raising a fantastic £340 so far.

Horace presents his plaque to Barry Bennett

Individual supporters

A heartfelt thanks to every single person that fundraised for us or donated to our campaigns over the past two years. These included our C19 Emergency Appeal, the Manchester Run 2021, our Warm Hearts Winter Challenge and our virtual Bake Off. We are overwhelmed by your individual efforts and generosity.

Special thanks to fundraisers Amber OkpaStother, Sally Hirst, Chris Hirst, Sheila Tarpey, Shirley Nash, Florence and Rosalind, Maddy Norman, Steph Graham-Cowle, Sarah Crosby, Merida Richards, Debbie Cowley, Fiona Gilliland, Amanda Sutton, Muhammad Abby, Sarah Boulter, Sarah Elms, Alison and Guy Ellis, Tom Lloyd, Michael McGuire, Paul Brown, Renee Goulet, Josh Brown, Chris Brown, Megan Pritchard, Kathryn Wolstencroft and Liam Ashworth.

A special mention to donors Barbara and David Perry (for their gift in memory of their friend Angela Morris), Claire Penketh, Jonathan Richards, Mark Tarpey, Holly Grange, Bridget Schilizzi, Jeremy Banks, Aleks and Lizzie Sadiku, Madeleine Penfold, Alex Lee, Joan Johnstone, Christine Pollitt, Kim Gowland, Christopher Lethbridge, Matt Girling, Stephanie Graham, Dominic McQuade, Marion Sorrell, Victoria Poulson, Leanne Green, Nigel Rose, Julia Jama, Marie and Michael Crosby, Colin Wilde, Nathaniel Pitt, Katherine Long, Laura Nathan, Nicola Burns, Candida Boyes, Sarah Crosby, Isobel Cecil, Margaret Howat, Victoria Karaban, Jenny Adie, Adam Sutherland, Stephen Jeans, Sheila Wolstencroft, Andrew Wolstencroft, Rosemarie Hughes, Sue Clark, Mark Rivers, Jane Scanlon, Amanda Ravetz, the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Tommy Judge and everyone else that donated to us during and since the pandemic.

An incredible £1,600 was raised by VA artist Fred Collins, who completed a sponsored walkathon in his home with support from carer Morna Rivers. In January 2022 we were heartbroken to learn that Fred, a much-loved participant at Venture Arts for over ten years, had passed away. Morna has continued to fundraise for us, by way of a memorial fund. We’re so grateful to both of them for their extraordinary kindness.

Fred and Morna

Sally Hirst raising an incredible £1,000 for us through a daily cycling challenge

This publication is dedicated to the memory of Christine Blackburn, Anthony Whitfield and Fred Collins

Words by Aziza Mills and Debbie Cowley

All photographs by Martin Livesey, unless otherwise stated

Design by Naomi Davies

Cover image: Florence, Birds and Flowers, hand embroidery and appliqué, 2022

To support our artists go to venturearts.org/supportus

@VentureArts | @VentureArtsManchester | @venturearts_

43 Old Birley Street, Hulme, Manchester M15 5RF T.0161 232 1223. www.venturearts.org. E:info@venturearts.org. Venture Arts is a Registered Charity, number 1176385 and a Company Limited by Guarantee, number 10823617.