We believe the arts and culture can play a leading role in showing how a more open and inclusive social model leads to the well-being of everyone in a society.

The Unlimited aims to support and champion disability arts in Georgia through learning from the lessons learnt by the UK disability arts experts and creating a sustainable network of practitioners, venues, producers and decision makers, and developing their skills to create and present inclusive work.

Programme objectives

Overall Objectives of the programme:

More open, inclusive and creative societies through the development of the disability arts sectors in the South Caucasus and Ukraine

Programme objectives

  • To increase participation of disabled people in the creative economy and policymaking;
  • To develop skills of disabled artists for the creation and presentation of artistic work in the four countries that is of quality and inclusive;
  • To build sustainable networks and establish new partnerships and collaborations with UK disability artists and companies for sector development and internationalisation;
  • To influence social policy and legislation, and public perceptions towards greater understanding and sensitivity to the topic of disability.

Partners

The project is the partnership between the British Council in Georgia, Creative Georgia (CG) and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia (MESCS).

We have established the project advisory board to make the disabled people’s voices and needs heard. After the discussions with the project advisory board, disability NGOs, state and cultural actors, events’ organisers, the UK expert will design guidelines for the arts and culture events’ organisers aimed at improving the integration of disabled artists in the arts practice as well as improving access to arts products and arts venues for the disabled people in Georgia. 

Activities

The UK consultant will work with Creative Georgia, and in close association with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, disability NGOs and cultural actors and events managers to design the guidelines for arts institutions and venues organizing cultural events. 

In addition to the development of the guidelines anintensive workshop to introduce the guidelines will be organised. 

This project builds on the British Council’s four-year Programme - "Unlimited: Making the Right Moves’’ (2016-2019). The British Council delivered the programme in the South Caucasus countries and Ukraine. Its aim was to stimulate a disability arts sector within a wider objective to foster more open, inclusive and creative societies. The four years have revealed a number of gaps in the knowledge and need to cover a number of areas in the disability arts sector development. A full evaluation was completed on this project by an independent evaluator, Juliet Schofield. Recommendations of the evaluator can be summarised into 3 inter-related points:

  • Continue to use and develop the expertise of disabled activists and artists themselves.
  • Find ways of channelling funds in the most strategic manner to facilitate further development of the sector.
  • Provide more training and professional development opportunities.
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