Author: Spectra
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Shadowing and Letting Creativity Bloom
In this blog, Ray, who is a Shadow Artist with Spectra, writes about: Words by Ray VMFeatured image by Tod Jones My name is Ray VM. I am a freelance artist based in Birmingham. This includes but is not limited to poetry, performance, workshop facilitation, life modelling and papermaking. One day, I was noodling around…
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IDEAS Lab: Paid Opportunity for Learning Disabled Artists
Do you have an idea for a performance that you are passionate about exploring? Spectra’s IDEAS Lab can help! This coming January we are offering four Learning Disabled Artists time, funds and support to research and develop a creative idea. Q and A session – Open Zoom Room on Thursday 20th November 4.00 – 5.00pm.…
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What It Takes To Be A Boss
In this blog, Hazel, who is doing a research project with Spectra, writes about: Words by Hazel SealeafFeatured image by Kate Green The Boss. It makes me picture corny inspirational posters from the 2010s, or maybe fleets of suits marching into The Apprentice season 427. But it’s a word I’m warming to. For those of…
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It All Starts With A Seedling: An Update on our Environmental Book Club
In this blog, Maisy writes about: In July, our Environmental Book Club put the books aside for a session and instead temporarily became the ‘Environmental Film & Video Club’. As a group, we discussed three short videos; a campaign, a short film, and a movie trailer. We shared how they made us feel, the moments…
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An apothecary garden: Resilience, close looking and the seed bank
Words and illustrations by Ruby Lewis, Community Lead Seed banks exist in soil. They can lie dormant for years, waiting for the right opportunity, to be exposed to light, for moisture to reach them, for the right conditions to arrive.
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Spectra is seeking a Researcher
Applications to this role are now CLOSED Purpose: To evidence, analyse and demonstrate the impact of Spectra’s work Aim: To use historical and newly collected data to create a report / resource about our current and potential impact that is both meaningful and genuinely accessible to people with learning disabilities. Terms: Freelance contract, October 2025…
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Documenting The Commons: Baking in Access From The Very Beginning
Words by Hayley Guest, Creative LeadFeatured image by Tod Jones *Fade from black* The film opens on a shot of a garden. In the foreground, an intricately decorated wooden sign reads ‘Welcome to The Commons’, and behind this there are areas of lush green grass, light gravel paths, juvenile trees and curved wooden planters. In…
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An Update on our Anti-Racism Action
As we regroup for another year, part of our reflections include reviewing our action plans to recognise what we have achieved and where we can push ourselves further. Progress So Far Below is a brief list of actions that have been achieved and embedded into our practice so far since our Anti-Racism Action Plan was…
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Weaving and Drawing with the community: The People’s Gallery
Our vision for the exhibition was to tell the story of how Spectra works in the world; our guiding principles that drive i) what we do, and ii) how we do it. The physical, creative output from workshops represent a proportion of our delivery. We also create nourishing, sensory spaces that centre nature and play,…
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Finding Ways In: Using Digital Tools to Improve Access
Words by Maisy Neale, Marketing and Communications Lead. Earlier this month, we opened The Commons, a co-designed community garden installation at Midland Metropolitan University Hospital. As with all of Spectra’s work, the garden has been designed and co-created with radical inclusion at its core. This is reflected in the community co-design workshops and practical design…