Published: 25 Mar 2024
Waldos Circus of Magic and Terror, Extraordinary Bodies. Photo by Paul Blakemore.
Unlimited have announced the names of the 15 projects who will receive between £15,000 to £80,000 to create new work. These projects span a diverse array of artforms, from dance to photography and beyond. Audiences can anticipate groundbreaking performances, thought-provoking exhibitions, and boundary-pushing international collaborations that challenge perceptions and inspire change.
Unlimited's biannual Open Awards provide disabled artists with an opportunity to be commissioned on a national and international scale. This round of awards opened in August 2023, with 484 artists submitting proposals, showcasing the breadth and depth of talent within the disabled arts community across the UK.
Jo Verrent, Director at Unlimited, said: “The applications this year were at an incredible standard, making choices very tough. As artists are at the centre of what we do and why we do it, we decided to stretch the original budget and award not 14, but 15 awards this year. The world is hard at the moment for so many different reasons. It’s only right that any spare cash we can find within our funding goes to the people who need it most and who we’re here to support.”
The 2024 recipients of the UK Open Awards are Aisha Mirza, Bea Webster and Ciaran Stewart, Farrell Cox, misery, Nadenh Poan, Nelly Kelly and Afton Moran, Sam Brewer (FlawBored), Sarah Ezekiel, Taking Flight Theatre Company, and Tink and Abra Flaherty.
The 2024 recipients of the International Open Awards are Birds of Paradise Theatre Company and Diverse Patterns, Byron Vincent and Elif Simge, Chisato Minamimura and Alice Hu, Extraordinary Bodies and Pamoja Dance Group, and F. Zeeshan Choudhury and Rasel Rana.
The projects funded include a photo series documenting the lives of queer, Black/brown and disabled boaters, a satirical performance playfully interrogating the framing of trans rights as a debate, a live radio drama connecting disabled communities in Scotland and Nepal, and a BSL piece inspired by Dungeons and Dragons.
Unlimited is currently the world’s largest disabled arts commissioner. We back disabled artists and have done since we got started in 2013. When disabled artists are represented at a proportional level across the cultural sector, we will cease to exist. Today’s announcement takes our total funding levels awarded to £6.5 million to 521 artists.
Isabella Tulloch Gallego, Programme Manager at Unlimited, said: "I’m proud to unveil the lineup of commissioned artists for our 2024 Open Awards! These awards, true to their name, embody openness and innovation. It's a thrilling moment to champion this wave of disabled artists to bring their ideas, stories, and experiences to life. From diverse perspectives to boundless imaginations, these commissions showcase the vibrant spectrum of disabled artists across the UK today. Join us in celebrating these projects, where creativity ignites transformative change!"
The UK Awards are made possible with support from Arts Council England, Arts Council of Wales, and The National Lottery through Creative Scotland. The UK funders supported the awards with £487,500.
Pete Massey, Director North, Arts Council England said “Unlimited is changing the perception of disability within the cultural sector and supports people in all communities to express themselves creatively and experience arts and culture. We’re proud that Unlimited is one of our National Portfolio Organisations. The work that it does to provide disabled artists with opportunities to gain commissions is unparalleled and it’s fantastic to see the number of artists who will benefit from 2024’s Open Awards.”
Equalities and Diversity Officer at Creative Scotland, Stuart Cameron, said: “The Unlimited Open Awards provide meaningful and tangible direct benefits to the broad variety of funded artists, allowing them to develop their work, establish invaluable national networks and continue to further interrogate perception of disabilities in the Arts. Collaborating with our partners across the UK strengthens the opportunities available through Unlimited, and we look forward to seeing the conversation driven by this year’s cohort.”
The International Open Awards are made in partnership with British Council, contributing £250,000 towards 5 International Awards.
ABOUT US
Unlimited is an arts commissioning body that supports, funds and promotes new work by disabled artists for UK and international audiences. Our mission is to commission extraordinary work from disabled artists that will change and challenge the world. Unlimited is funded by Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and British Council. Since 2013, Unlimited has supported over 521 artists with over £6.5 million, reaching audiences of over 5.5 million, making it the largest supporter of disabled artists world-wide.
OUR FUNDERS
Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences. From 2023 to 2026 we will invest over £467 million of public money from Government and an estimated £250 million from The National Lottery each year to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. www.artscouncil.org.uk.
The Arts Council of Wales is the country’s official public body for funding and developing the arts. Every day, people across Wales are enjoying and taking part in the arts. The Arts Council of Wales helps to support and grow this activity. They do this by using the public funds that are made available to them by the Welsh Government and by distributing the money they receive as a good cause from the National Lottery. By managing and investing these funds in creative activity, the Arts Council contributes to people’s quality of life and to the cultural, social and economic wellbeing of Wales.
British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. They support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. They do this through their work in arts and culture, education and the English language. They work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021-22 they reached 650 million people.
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot.
