Meet 7 Studio A Artists Championing Accessibility
Starting today and in celebration of International Day of People with Disability, over 650 artworks by Studio A artists can be viewed online at Google Arts & Culture (desktop or through the Google Arts & Culture mobile app on Android and iOS). Audiences from across the world are now able to enjoy the work of acclaimed neurodiverse artists championing accessibility, like Emily Crockford, Thom Roberts, Katrina Brennan, Jaycee Kim, Skye Saxon, Guy Fredericks, Greg Sindel, and so many more.
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‘The Pattern in the Mountains of Studio A, Best Friends Emma and Gabrielle.’ by Emily Crockford.
“I want to inspire others. I was a finalist in the Archibald with this painting. I was so thrilled, happy and joyful.”
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‘Peacock Landscape.’ by Guy Fredericks.
“I chose this work as it is an environmental piece. It shows a dry landscape. I’m very conscious of environmental change. I’m still hopeful that the landscape can still recover if it’s left alone. Nature can come back again.”
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‘Harmony Day’ by Jaycee Kim.
“It features a lot of multicultural people dressed in their traditional clothing based on their culture. It contains many colours too, I like the many colours and patterns.”
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‘A portriff of Adam (Shane Simpson AM)’ by Thom Roberts.
“That’s Kylie’s (Gabrielle Mordy) friend called Adam. He’s my friend as well. Adam’s like my big brother.”
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‘ZigZags’ by Katrina Brennan.
“This tapestry took me around a year to create. I like zig-zags and I love colour.”
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‘I am Dracula!!’ by Greg Sindel.
“I chose this artwork so people will understand my love for the creepy and macabre. I actually have reworked and published a graphic novel titled Dracula, people should check it out and buy it!”
If you haven’t heard of them, Studio A is a Sydney based social enterprise and arts company that makes great art and tackles the barriers artists with intellectual disability face in accessing conventional education, professional development pathways and opportunities needed to be successful and renowned visual artists.
“Studio A transforms entrenched community perceptions that limit people with intellectual disability. We do this by professionally platforming their artistic talent. Our artists are exhibiting and selling their work, receiving commissions for new work and even licensing their intellectual property. We are driven to ensure artists with intellectual disability have a voice in contemporary Australian culture,” said Gabrielle Mordy, Artistic Director & CEO of Studio A.
Before you dive into their work on Google Arts & Culture, sit down with 7 Studio A artists to learn a little more about their art and process:
Meet Jaycee Kim
Who would you like to see your art, and how does it feel now people around the world can see your works?
Firstly, my family and then people in South Korea which is my cultural heritage.
It is really exciting, in fact highly exciting! Also, well, I’m slightly nervous as so many people are seeing my art, but yet I could feel amazed about it and feel so proud of myself in the end too.
What does art allow you to feel or express?
It makes me feel happy and feel being really creative and also to myself something very colourful. In my paintings I can be more free and flexible, imagining myself in different ways. It makes me feel powerful.
What role does technology play in your art practice?
It all starts with sketches in my sketchpad. Then I use programs like Adobe to create digital artworks. I also use other digital apps to create 3D artwork.
Meet Thom Roberts
What does it mean to you that people around the world can see your art?
I would feel shocked and excited. I would love to inspire other people to become a famous artist. I would like to be an artist until I am a very old man.
What does art allow you to feel or express?
I make art about things I love like painting trains and playing with photocopies. I get to have things the way I like them.
What role does technology play in your art practice?
I do animation stuff. I call it ‘magic’. I work with guest artists/friends to do this like Harriet Body who I call Angelmouse. Angelmouse cuts the faces out and prints them and I line them up. We use the IPAD to make the animation stuff. I move the pictures and she makes the clicking noise.
I love photocopiers. I like to put images of faces and trains and babies into the photocopier and I blow that up big or shrink them down. I change them and play around. It is fun. Sometimes I get to go to Photocopier Heaven (FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia head office). I play with all their photocopiers. I made an artwork using Augmented Reality technology inspired by their photocopiers. I want to go there again someday.
Meet Katrina Brennan
Who would you like to see your art, and how does it feel now people around the world can see your works?
I feel over the moon. I’d love famous pop stars including Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Young Divas, S Club Seven and Little Mix to see my work.
What does art allow you to feel or express?
Making art makes me nice and calm.
What role does technology play in your art practice?
I make digital designs, drawings and illustrations. I use a timelapse of my artwork being created.
Meet Skye Saxon
Who would you like to see your art?
European royal families, people at NASA, astronauts, Michaelangelo and Da Vinci (I love time travel)
What does art allow you to feel or express?
My creativity. Making art makes me feel like I want to sing and dance, it feels like that's what I am doing on the paper. Other times it makes me feel like I am telling stories. Like I am weaving magic.
What role does technology play in your art practice?
I have used technology to animate my dreams.
One time I woke in the night after having a strange dream. I was inspired to shine a black light through fabric and photograph the patterns it created. These photos were then developed into a series of digital images and animations depicting the world between worlds I had dreamt of. A place where the animal spirits of this world were guided into the next.
Meet Guy Fredericks
Who would you like to see your art?
The general public, David Attenbourough, the Environmental Minister, and environmental activists.
How do you feel knowing that these people are seeing your art?
It makes me feel happy;
It would make me feel like I'm reaching a wider audience.
It would make me feel like my art may have a positive effect in the world and create awareness around environmental changes and caring for all living animals...and all the insects as well!
What role does technology play in your art practice?
I use Photoshop and create my artworks using this program; it enables me to use digital painting tools such as watercolour brushes and techniques.
Meet Emily Crockford
Who would you like to see your art, and how does it feel now people around the world can see your works?
More than 200 people, lots and lots of people! I want millions of people to see my artwork, it would be good.
That would make me happy and I’d enjoy it. Makes me feel professional and respected.
What does art allow you to feel or express?
How I enjoy patterning and bright colours. It is relaxing. The colours in your mind tell your heart to go for it. It gives you confidence. It gives you joy.
What role does technology play in your art practice?
I use technology to research and find beautiful things to inspire me with my artwork. I digitally draw and experiment with colours and patterns before I paint it on the canvas.
Meet Greg Sindel
Who would you like to see your art?
Personally I’m into the movies and one of my favourite directors is Tim Burton and one of my favourite actors is Samuel L. Jackson. So I’d like them to see my art and any other famous people that would like to adapt my work for the silver screen. I’m into the movies you know and am trying to be a script writer. It’s kind of my dream to do so. My big dream is to also publish more of my graphic novels.
What does art allow you to feel or express?
It allows me to bring my original characters and stories to life. I feel like I am being a good creator, making things come alive. The genre for my art is mainly horror movie monsters and super hero comics so I tell stories about good against evil, right against wrong and bravery against fear.
What role does technology play in your art practice?
Well I usually draw by hand but also use Photoshop and my laptop to do them digitally too.
“My hope is that audiences recognise the quality and valuable cultural contribution of the artwork in this collection and that they reach out to Studio A to buy and commission work from our artists! All Studio A artists sell their creative work. This ranges from original artwork on paper and canvas, to private commissions, to licensed imagery that is applied on fashion and even displayed on giant hoardings outside construction sites. Our artists receive meaningful income when their work is sold, which is essential to sustainable creative careers,” concluded Gabrielle Mordy, Artistic Director & CEO of Studio A.
Explore the incredible works of Studio A artists on Google Arts & Culture now.
