Meet the artists who refuse to left disabilities get in the way of talent; What are the obstacles faced by disabled artists? David Whetstone spoke to three among the hundreds who applied to win a prestigious bursary.
Byline: David Whetstone
Adam Reynolds was an artist who didn't let his disability undermine his talent or thwart his dreams.
He was a determined optimist and an inspiration to many.
"I am clear," he once said, "that my greatest strengths stem from the fact of being born with muscular dystrophy, apparently my greatest weakness."
He made art out of scrap, explaining that he wanted viewers to reconsider the value and beauty of overlooked and rejected stuff.
This was "founded on my lifelong experience of disability and the desire to challenge the commonplace assumption that this renders life all but useless and without value".
When he died in 2005, aged 45, Sir Nicholas Serota (then director of Tate; now chair of Arts Council England) recalled Adam's "belief in developing the talents of everyone, especially those with special insights into the world gained through their impairment".
Part of his legacy is an annual bursary set up in 2008 and run by Shape Arts, an organisation dedicated to improving access to culture for the disabled and creating opportunities for disabled artists.
From among hundreds of applicants, this year's winner is Sophie Hoyle who received [pounds sterling]10,000 and a three-month residencyat Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.
Examples of Sophie's work and of the other shortlisted artists -- Amy Rosa, Leah Clements, Laura Genevieve Jones and Romily Alice Walden -- are on show at Baltic 39, Baltic's Newcastle offshoot at High Bridge.
It's an opportunity to view the world as others see it and to consider the array of conditions, mental and physical, that make life so challenging for many among us.
Baltic also showcased the work of Caroline Cardus when she won in 2011.
Its curator Emma Dean, who was on this year's selection panel, is delighted to see it back.
"The idea is to give disabled artists a platform and provide them with the kind of support they often can't get in other ways," she said.
"It's brilliant that we're able to give these artists a show and it's been really exciting to have had Sophie here."
You might wonder, especially given the example of Adam Reynolds who ran his own gallery and exhibited other people's work as well as making his own, why a disabled artist needs special help.
The fact he was a trustee of Shape Arts for many years suggests he saw the need.
Sara Dziadik, programme manager for Shape Arts, said at Baltic 39: "Disabled people face all sorts of barriers and it's no different for those wanting...
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