Jade French is an artist-facilitator, museum professional & academic
Dr Jade French is an artist-facilitator and academic currently based at Catalyst Museum and the University of Leeds in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies in the UK. Jade’s practice and research broadly examines access and participation in the arts and museology. With a background in social care, Jade has worked extensively alongside learning disabled people to explore creative facilitation, with a focus on issues of intellectual access and inclusion within cultural spaces. Most recently this has focussed on devising applied methods to enable public participation in the curating of exhibitions, collections and artist commissions.
RESEARCH ON INCLUSIVE CURATING
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Art as Advocacy was a three year research project exploring the potential for curating by learning disabled artists to act as a site for self-advocacy. Via a practice-led research approach, it brought together members of self-advocacy group Halton Speak Out and members of Bluecoat's inclusive arts project Blue Room, to curate a visual arts exhibition titled Auto Agents. These curators developed an exhibition theme, collaborated with artists, commissioned new artwork and designed accessible interpretation for audiences. This attention to the curatorial process resulted in curating not only becoming more usable by more people, but also more transparent and rigorous. By achieving this, this research delineates to understanding the processes and practices by which our cultural spaces can be democratised READ MORE
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NEW BOOK COMING SOON...
INCLUSIVE CURATING IN CONTEMPORARY ART:
A PRACTICAL GUIDE
INCLUSIVE CURATING IN CONTEMPORARY ART:
A PRACTICAL GUIDE
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ASSOCIATE ARTIST AT THE TURNPIKE
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In March 2018 Jade was appointed as an Associate Artist at The Turnpike, a new, independent arts organisation. Since January 2017, it has occupied the first floor of an iconic 1970s brutalist building in the centre of Leigh, Greater Manchester. Jade will be working with The Turnpike to develop opportunities for local disabled residents, as well as working with artists to develop an inclusive and accessible gallery space. Image of Potted History project |
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