Original, unapologetic, true, and joyful in the making

This is the manifesto of Arts Project Australia (APA), a social enterprise dedicated for artists with intellectual disabilities. They provide support, representation, and advocacy towards their inclusion in contemporary art spaces. The goal is not to ‘heal’ disability, but instead address the structural disadvantage faced by these artists.

James MacSporran. Image credit: Janelle Low

Established in 1974, the project was founded by Myra Hilgendorf OAM, who had cared for her daughter Johanna, an intellectually disabled artist. It was the first full-time not-for-profit art studio in Australia for artists with intellectual disabilities. Then, after producing professionally curated and mounted exhibitions, the attention of the art world was brought towards a previously overlooked and marginalised group. 

APA studio(Note Pre-Covid) Image Credit: Kate Longley

The years passed quickly with numerous successes. A studio space was created in 1984 to provide space and resources, and in 2003 a permanent studio space was created in Northcote. In early 2021, a dedicated gallery space was established in the Collingwood Yards.

All artists exhibit at the gallery at least once a year at their annual gala, though many of their artists also exhibit at national and international exhibitions, art prizes and awards. From collaborations with international galleries, Yarra Trams and Gorman, the accomplishments of the artists and the program are numerous. APA itself has won many awards, including the Melbourne Awards, and the Victorian Disabilities Awards.

It is largely forgotten that many great artists experienced disability in some form. Claude Monet had advanced cataracts in his eyes that profoundly affected his perception of colour and shape. Spanish artist Francisco Goya became deaf in his late forties, and experienced many other challenging symptoms including severe headaches and tinnitus. However, these are broadly considered an irrelevant detail to their work by abled society. This is not an isolated phenomenon. Disabilities are often erased from individual histories, either by the wish of the person, or from a society that stigmatizes and discriminates.

As such, this history of disability and expression remains largely unwritten, in stark contrast to the movement of the present moment, championed by organisations such as APA, where artists expose, articulate, and claim their own identity as disabled persons. 

Agency and ownership of work is critical to any artist, but particularly to those with intellectual disability.

As such, there are no restrictions on creativity. APA artists are free to express themselves about what they like, and how they’d like, resulting in a riot of process and themes. A key element is the on-hand staff artists that provide tailored support to each studio artist, encouraging the development of personal style and skill. Enshrined in their values, APA believe ‘that art is serious, but making it can be fun. The individual creativity triumphs over conformity and divergent voices make life much more interesting. That art is about revealing ourselves and creating meaningful connections – between artists, staff artists and art lovers.”

APA’s advocacy for artists with disabilities is vital.

Circleworks, Arts Project Australia. Image Credit: Janelle Low

Research from the Australian Council of the Arts in 2018 found artists with disability earn 42 per cent less than abled artists, experience unemployment at higher rates, and are more likely to identify a lack of access to funding as a barrier to their professional development. 

More recent 2021 research similarly found Australians with disabilities are the most active group in the artistic sector, but are less likely to be making profit that other groups. Though a complex issue, a cause of this could be that artists with intellectual disability are usually situated in a therapeutic paradigm, that is, that art is created for ‘self-improvement,’ rather than as a vocational choice.

This idea works towards the exclusion of those with disabilities from contemporary art, or relegates them to ‘outsider art.’ Outsider art is a term given to art created by individuals considered outside of ‘mainstream’ art, such as those with mental illness, disability, or minorities. However, the term is mostly used by individuals on the inside of the artworld. 

Arts Project Australia works to overcome this by facilitating a connection between these talented artists and the broader community. Between 2020-2021, over 1000+ artworks were curated and exhibited locally and internationally.

Bronwyn Hack Material World Perfomance 2021

Unfortunately, the pandemic poses a particularly dangerous risk to those with intellectual disabilities, in addition to the challenges already faced by the arts sector. In response to the pandemic, APA held a ‘virtual gala’ for over 150 artists, where over $20,000 was raised, and 100 percent of funds were given to the artists as a means of support. 

Over lockdowns in 2021, the enterprise stayed connected with the formation of Satellite Arts, an online artistic community and studio program for artists across Australia, making participating in APA programs even more accessible. 

Of course, with galleries now open exhibitions have been occurring in the Collingwood Yards gallery space and overseas, with the full 2022 program available on their website.

“Now more than ever, it is vital we support artists and programs like Arts Project Australia, that contribute so strongly to our cultural landscape.”

Arts Project Australia Circleworks. Image credit: Janelle Low

WORDS: AVA GOVANSTONE
PHOTOGRAPHY: JANELLE LOW, KATE LONGELY