An article written by Jesse Cooper, a Writer, Curator and Gallery Assistant
I’m Jesse (He/they) and I’m a writer, curator and gallery assistant living in Bristol. For me International Day of People with Disabilities is an opportunity to celebrate our community, the connections we’ve made and the amazing things that happen when we work together. Living with a disability can sometimes feel isolating and I’m forever thankful for my disabled friends and colleagues and allies who show up when things are tough and remind me that we’re all in this together. I also know that I’m not alone in my work, which builds off the work of countless disabled activists, artists and theorists. Whether I’m doing research for an exhibition or writing a poem, I feel connected to the long history we have as creatives and activists and I know that we’ll continue to do so, year after year.
Community and collaboration were also at the heart of a project I created recently. DART (Disability Art Representation Talks) is a discussion group centred on disability representation in the South West’s visual arts sector, which I created as part of my MA in Curating at the University of the West of England. The project provided a space for local artists and arts workers to come together and think about disability representation throughout the sector. Each session focused on a different barrier to representation, including accessibility, ableist attitudes, lack of resources and the difficulty of creating disability networks. For me the project highlighted not just the importance of representation and access in this sector but the real opportunities for change and connection when we all work together as a community.
For more information about DART contact me at jessecoop@gmail.com
Leave a Reply