Portsmouth and London-based participatory arts organisation This New Ground are pleased to be bringing We Rise, a collaborative artwork celebrating the learning-disabled artist community across the city, to local audiences this spring as part of an exciting new installation.
Created in collaboration with internationally-renowned digital artist Jason Wilsher-Mills and delivered in partnership with MAKE at Aldingbourne and Aspex Portsmouth, the We Rise project is This New Ground’s flagship project in Portsmouth, working alongside the local learning disabled community in a series of developmental digital art workshops.
Since September 2022, Wilsher-Mills and a group of talented artists with learning disabilities have been working on collaborative digital art which expresses the vibrancy, pride and desire for visibility to be shared by Portsmouth’s learning disabled residents.
Taking inspiration from Portsmouth’s historic coat of arms, the outcome of these workshops is a large, highly decorated inflatable sculpture which references the iconic landmarks and rich history of the city and features a series of drawings, self-portraits and words created by the project’s participants.
Audiences are invited to see the captivating inflatable sculpture for themselves this spring, as this community artwork comes to popular retail outlet shopping centre, Gunwharf Quays. On display from Friday 31st March – Sunday 2nd April 2023, locals and visitors to Portsmouth will have the opportunity to explore the giant, vibrant inflatable artwork and learn more about the We Rise project and the
integral work This New Ground does within the city to remove barriers and increase access for people with learning disabilities to make, participate and lead in the arts.
“We Rise project has been a fantastic way for This New Ground to establish our participatory arts hub in Portsmouth, in the beautiful community space at Aspex. We’ve loved collaborating with the artists from MAKE. Throughout the project the
group has produced exciting and innovative digital art, gained new skills and confidence. We plan to continue to work alongside our project participants to further develop their skills by sharing their knowledge with peers and local schools.” says Lucy Groenewold, Co-Director of This New Ground.
“What I enjoyed about the art workshops is being included, seeing new people and I enjoyed working on the ipads, and learning a new skill. With art I can express myself, I can do really fine detail. I enjoyed working with Jason, he was super fun, and it was nice to work alongside someone with a disability. It’s nice to put our heads together with someone like us and it’s nice to be included.” Says Emma, a workshop participant.
This New Ground will also be hosting a celebration event. Taking place at Aspex Portsmouth on Thursday, 9th March, from 1:00pm – 3:00pm, the event will bring the project participants and local community together as This New Ground officially marks their arrival in Portsmouth and launch of this flagship project.
Audiences will have the opportunity to explore a fantastic collection of new artworks produced by the creative community and can get an exclusive first look at the inflatable sculpture ahead of its public installation at Gunwharf Quays later in the month.
The event is free to attend and all are welcome.
We Rise is a project funded by Arts Council England, Victorious Festival, Portsmouth Creates and Portsmouth City Council, and has been supported by MAKE at Aldingbourne and Aspex Portsmouth.
