ATHAC Creative Artists | Exhibition at The Gap Arts Project

This exhibition is a partnership between Ort Gallery and ATHAC and will be presented at The Gap Arts Project.

The work for this exhibition spans across various media such as Painting, Drawing, 3D, Digital Work, Photography and Sculpture. The artists share lived experiences of growing up in Handsworth, identifying as neurodiverse and disabled; whilst also sharing a passion for the arts and nature as spaces of personal expression and inspiration, calm and connection. Though the exhibition is visually and thematically tied to the aforementioned premises, it is also held together by the group working together over the course of the last year to produce new artwork out of workshops led by various artist mentors and facilitators – many of whom also identify as disabled and / or neurodivergent.

This project was made possible with support from Arts Council England.

Special Thanks

Facilitators and Mentors: Ashok Mistry, Exodus Crooks, Malikah Holder, Roo Dhisoo and Sam Krankpod

ATHAC: Adlin Shorter and Carol Reid

Ort Gallery: Aaisha Akhtar and Josephine Reichert

ATHAC (Access to Heritage, Art and Culture) is a Handsworth-based social enterprise providing cultural access support services to children, young people and adults with disabilities along with support for carers. ATHAC also support families from disadvantaged backgrounds to access enriching activities. Adults with learning disabilities and autism are able to develop their creative skills whilst developing friendships through our timetable of activities. All of ATHAC’s activities are adapted as each new individual joins the sessions to ensure these activities remain agile and accessible to all.

Ort Gallery is a visual arts and poetry organisation based in Birmingham. They are on a social mission to redefine contemporary visual arts by rejecting the sector’s exclusivity, centring access and equity, and providing inclusive high quality art experiences. They support this mission with a care-centred approach and give artists, team members, and participants autonomy over their projects.

Ort believes everyone should have access to high quality art experiences and aims to meet that standard by providing exhibition and professional development opportunities to artists, creatives, and community members. They provide exhibition opportunities to Black and Brown artists, those from working class backgrounds, the LGBTQ+ community and artists with disabilities.