Arts Chat #2: “What about working class female artists?”- exploring curator Michaela Wetherell’s research and reflecting on Working Class narratives in culture

3 March 2022, 6pm-7.30pm

via. Zoom

Arts Chat is a new bi-monthly event from Sunderland Culture which brings together artists and creatives to discuss an issue we might all be thinking about but might not have the space to talk about! It’s a chance to listen to practitioners’ insights on a subject, explore research and good practice, ask questions and have a chat.

For our second discussion, we’re exploring curator Michaela Wetherell’s research into working-class women artists in the North East. During 2021, Michaela had conversations with over 30 working-class women artists about their practices and the challenges they have faced in finding space in the art world: this has led to the creation of a database of working-class women artists which will inform her own curatorial practice and be made available to other organisations. For Arts Chat, she will reflect on her research and will think about questions such as, what are the challenges faced by working-class women artists? Why is it harder for women? And what needs to change?

Michaela will be joined by Sunderland-born artist Annie Lee, who took part in the project and who will reflect on her own experiences.

The format will be 10-minute talks by the speakers and then a facilitated discussion with everyone in the zoom room.

To register

Register your interest for the workshop, by clicking here.

We will confirm your place and details of the sessions via. email.

If you have any questions about the event or would like to discuss access needs, please email [email protected].

This event is offered as part of the Unlock the City programme which supports the development of artists and creative businesses in Sunderland. Unlock the City is delivered in partnership by Sunderland Culture, Sunderland City Council, Digital Catapult, North East BIC and Sunderland BME Network, with funding from the Coastal Communities Fund.

About the practitioners

Michaela Wetherell

Michaela Wetherell’s curatorial practice concerns the promotion of underrepresented groups and using art to promote equality, her particular passions are female (under)representation within the arts and the relevance of working-class identity. She currently runs an online gallery called Pink-Collar Gallery and curating and marketing manager at Platform A Gallery in Middlesbrough.

Annie Lee

Annie Lee is a self-taught County Durham artist, creating quirky, personal and socially reflective pieces with what’s at hand. She is an activist, a feminist and a lover of nature and enjoys foraging for recycled items to add to her work. Her first exhibition “The Moon and Other Passions” was in August 2021 and she has exhibited at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in the Open Submission 2021. She is presently creating a series of works related to mental health.