How Art Works: Stories from Support Studios by Chloe Watfern is a book that should be on every arts worker’s shelf, regardless of whether they work with neurodiverse artists or not (yet).
Putting two major supported studios in the spotlight, Studio A in Sydney and London’s Project Art Works, Watfern positions herself not simply as a researcher or writer, but as someone who constantly reflects on these experiences to unravel unconscious biases and unexpected learnings. Her recount of the time spent at these studios, with their workers and artists, feels incredibly lived in – almost biographical in a way that manages to remain humble and insightful.
In How Art Works, Watfern encapsulates what many neurotypical people may have felt when interacting with neurodiverse peers, in hopes that it leads to better understanding of the different ways that our brains can function, and how these differences may be shared, acknowledged and destigmatised through the process of art-making. Concepts like ‘calm bafflement’ (adopted by Project Art Works) and the double empathy problem taps into the cognitive side of how we can build these relationships.
With a background in art history and psychology, Watfern brings into consideration questions around empathy, care, dependence, vulnerability, collaboration… and, importantly, what the supported studios are actually striving towards in their advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities – and how we might all benefit.
Through her words and documentation, Watfern created detailed collages (an aspect of her own artistic practice) of some of the studio artists, including individual chapters dedicated to Studio A artists Thom Roberts, Lisa Tindall and Skye Saxon (aka Madame Witch). She accompanied them to events, talked about their lives, works and families, participated in workshops and made art together. It’s through these mundane moments that readers can glean the most truthful and un-sensationalised insights that other material rarely offers.
Apart from the theory, philosophy and activism, the book is also colourful, humorous and silly, reflecting the art and attitude of the people that it captures. Watfern found that not everyone in the studios has “a political imperative to their making” and she has tried to let those aspects shine through too.
Read: Book review: Translations, Jumaana Abdu
The book coincides loosely with the launch of Studio A’s new platform, bringing works by its stable of over 15 artists to potential collectors. Both offer a glimpse into the breadth of creativity that artists with intellectual disability want to share with the world, and paves the way for new opportunities, partnerships and collaborations.
How Art Works: Stories from Supported Studios, Chloe Watfern
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 9781032739274
Format: Paperback
Pages: 284pp
Published: 11 June 2024
RRP: $75.99
