If it feels predatory, dehumanising and ableist then it probably is.

This is a difficult blog to write because it is going to highlight some traumatising experiences I have experienced in the arts and a few other neurodivergent artists have had very similar experiences.

If anything is going to change in the arts then it needs to be written otherwise this behaviour and these policies just continue…

So… without further ado, everything that is wrong with this ableist email:

Text in the email screenshot above reads:

Hello Ambassadors, 

You may have seen online and in the newsletter that we are launching a new campaign to change the art world for good. We are reaching out to artists who need us most and we need your help to find them! As many of you know, the conversations between Outside In artists and new artists can be life changing. Ambassadors will be at the heart of this campaign. 

With this campaign, we are seeking to find artists who fall outside of the usual support networks and are increasingly isolated from society and the art world. For example, artists with no access to the internet, artists with experience of immigration, homelessness, the criminal justice system, substance misuse, people from traveller communities, LGBTQ+ communities, carers, single parents, people with financial problems, artists who are housebound. To read more about the campaign, please click here.  We have newly-designed flyers and posters which will be winging their way out into the world, with your help. 

You can help Outside In in two ways: 

1. Researching new organisations that we can send flyers to. This would be spending some time online searching for new organisations in your area and sending us what you find. This could be on an Excel spreadsheet template or we can post you a paper copy to fill in by hand. There is no minimum time you need to spend on this - it could be anything from 1 hour upwards, we appreciate any time you can spare.   

2. Giving out flyers in your local community. The flyers will be ready to give out in March after all the research is complete. If you're on social media, we would also like you to take a picture and post it using the tag @ChangeTheArtWorldForGood if you would like to do this. If you would simply like to give out the flyers but aren't able to do the research, that is OK too. Please send me your details and I will send you a pack when they are printed. 

If you would like to get involved, we are running information sessions to share more about the campaign and why it is so important, and also to give you research skills and advice on making connections with new organisations and artists. Marc Steene, Director of Outside In, will be introducing the campaign. The sessions will be on Zoom on the following dates: 

• Tuesday 15th February 10.30am - 12pm

• Tuesday 1st March 10.30am - 12pm

Please let me know if you'd like to come to one and which date is best for you. If you would like to help but are unable to come along to either of these dates, please let me know and we can arrange to talk on a one-to-one basis.  

Also, if you have existing links to any organisations we could reach out to with flyers and a poster, please do send me their details. 

Outside In really appreciate any time you can give to support the campaign and change the artworld for good. 

Before I set up Magical Women, which was a direct result of an extremely troubling and traumatising experience at Outside In’s training to become an Ambassador, I didn’t know how to complain to Outside In, or even explain to them that their training and policies are incredibly trauma inducing for neurodivergent particularly autistic people.

Receiving this email brings it all up again.

During the training session, the woman leading the training interrupted me during a role play to be incredibly condescending correcting me and telling me how to say and do things. I completely shut down, and went mute. Then I burst into tears. My group were very kind but told me the woman was ableist and obviously ignorant of neurodivergent people and to ignore her.

The same woman who had boasted she’s been a part of Outside In since its conception, and that she’s one of the longest serving members in their staff team, told us that Ambassadors were there to represent Outside In and not there for their own art practice. There were about 20 disabled and neurodivergent artists in this Ambassador training session, and the woman told us a story about how this one Ambassador was talking about Outside In with a potential “donor” and then began to talk about their art and then the “donor” wanted to buy their art. The woman explained “The Ambassador in this case was very unprofessional and put themselves in a sticky situation. What things had the ambassador done wrong?”

People put their hands up saying “They shouldn’t have talked about their art”

or “They should have only talked about Outside In.”

Yes, the woman explained, they’re not there about themselves or their art practice… it’s about making money for Outside In so that Outside In can continue to do its good work.

Now this deeply troubled me because then, what was Outside In’s aims?

Surely, a disabled arts organisation who showcases disabled artists should be out to supporting those artists to sustain their arts practice?

What’s so wrong with the artist selling their work?

The donor was genuinely interested in what the Ambassador had to say, and anyway, Outside In takes a cut of 25%, so surely, win win:

Win for Outside In - they get a 25% donation and win for the disabled artist who experiences significant challenges and barriers in their practice - they get a sale - an absolute rarity for neurodivergent artists but no…

This woman was more intent on demonising the disabled artist, the “Ambassador” for not fulfilling their role. (A role, let’s not forget, this Ambassador was doing unpaid!)

Imagine being that Ambassador for a second.

Imagine having someone interested in your art practice and you and offering to buy your work but the organisation you’re there representing not only tells you the donor can’t buy your work but then begins making you feel absolutely awful for “making a mistake” or “for making it all about you.”

I don’t know if I’ve missed the boat or something… but surely that’s autism…. sharing our OWN experiences is how we connect to people?

Or have Outside In, forgotten about us? About the people they supposedly represent…

Let’s look at that Ambassador again - so this person is disabled, neurodivergent and faces huge barriers in life, they have probably been excluded, bullied and teased and now they’re being used as an “example” of what not to be or do on a training course.

It’s harmful

It’s dangerous

And, friends, it made me cry.

Let’s look at this role of being an Ambassador for Outside In more closely shall we….

The role of an Outside In Ambassador is to “sell” Outside In to organisations and invited (very rich) people to art exhibitions in swanky spaces or environments to ensure that these rich people and organisations pay lots and lots of money to Outside In… so Outside In can continue with Inspiration Porn and Exploitation of disabled artists.

So essentially, Outside In are using desperate disabled artists by NOT paying them or covering their expenses to promote the work of Outside In…. sounds pretty predatory, dehumanising and ableist to me.

I had art selected and exhibited in a big swanky space, I even had a photo with Grayson Perry, who didn’t select any women in the finalists - same old same old 3 white men were chosen for 1st, 2nd, 3rd prize - and of course they didn’t come up for their awards but the manager of the community centre where they make art did.

Who gains from the prize?

The prize was £1000 and to exhibit at a renowned art gallery.

Did any autistic artists with no learning disabilities get chosen? No?

Did any autistic artists who have faced/experienced homelessness, lack of benefits and had to fight the system get chosen? No?

Did any autistic artists who are independent but struggling and may be survivors of MH or violence get chosen? No?

Did any autistic women get chosen? No?

Did any trans or marginalised identities identifying artists get chosen? No?

Yet, these are the very artists chosen to be ambassadors.

They’re not “disabled” enough to win prizes, but they’re disabled/desperate enough to sell the scheme to rich donors.

And they’re desperate because they meet and face so many barriers.

But let me tell you, neurodivergent people are skilled and talented and they need more help than a workshop or a showcase in a big swanky space, they need funding to sustain their practice.

Why is this email I received in my inbox so troubling?

1) They are not paying the Ambassadors to do this work for them.

If we want to really make a change in the arts - we will pay neurodivergent (“outsider”) artists whenever we ask them to do anything.

Why will we pay them? Because we respect their worth as artists.

2) They want more artists from these different demographics but then what? To exploit them even more? Just because you showcase their work doesn’t mean anything. When MW was funded, although we were funded on a small amount, artists were paid for their contributions.

we are seeking to find artists who fall outside of the usual support networks and are increasingly isolated from society and the art world. For example, artists with no access to the internet, artists with experience of immigration, homelessness, the criminal justice system, substance misuse, people from traveller communities, LGBTQ+ communities, carers, single parents, people with financial problems, artists who are housebound. 

No. Until they see that they are running on very dangerous medical model policies, they will NOT be able to make any kind of change in the art world.

Until they read their complaints emails and actually identify they are being exploitative and ableist, then their ableist and exploitative policies and actions will rage on.

Neurodivergent… “outsider” artists require to be paid for their time doing any type of work.

What do they get in return?

They are not there to wave the flag for Outside In, they believe or hope that through being showcased by Outside In that they will sell their artwork. But this rarely happens.

Another neurodivergent artist went on a training to learn how to write an artist statement. They told me it was incredibly traumatising and they made a complaint that again, was shut down by the team. This white non disabled team.

From an Outside In training

What is wrong with the training slide above?

The problem with the wording above in the slide - is that this is anti-neurodivergence and it is also telling neurodivergent people to not be neurodivergent. “Outsider artists, you need to stop being outsiders.”

This is the very narrative that demonises disabled artists and excludes them even further.

It is up there with the medical model waving the flag for them.

It panders to existing societal power structures: make sure your spelling and sentence structures are good etc.

Instead, they should be teaching artists about Access to Work and how they can get a proof reader and access worker from Access to Work so that they don’t have to feel inadequate any longer, but have someone to support them with their work.

From a neurodivergent artist on this workshop where this slide was used: “Do not use 'unusual' or flouncy words to describe your work (which I personally love to use and part of what makes me me). Anyway i'm pretty sure one of the words on their example 'no' list was Magical....I called them out on it in the workshop and again over the phone or by email.”

So if I’m not the only one calling them out, but so are other neurodivergent artists, then why are they not listening to us, and instead sending us more crap?!

Change in the art world can only happen if you start to listen to us and let us lead.

What's the incentive to alleviate the poverty and degrading circumstances that marginalised people experience when your charity, Outside In, is directly benefiting from its continued existence?