QUAD Curator chosen as 'Champion Of The Arts Sector'

QUAD Curator chosen as one of thirteen UK ‘champions of the arts sector’ by National Lotteries for her work with QUAD’s QClub. Abbie Canning, a Curator at QUAD, is one of thirteen people from across the UK who has been chosen to represent ‘the unheralded, everyday champions of the arts sector’.
 
The arts sector having been one of the hardest hit areas during the pandemic, thousands of dedicated and devoted artists have made it their mission to keep the arts in their local area alive and accessible for all. The National Lottery’s 2020 Portraits of the People exhibition honours 13 of these artistic champions for making a significant difference to lifting people’s spirits this year, using some of the £30m raised by National Lottery players every week for good causes.
 
Abbie Canning is one of the thirteen people being honoured for her work at QUAD’s QClub, a BBC Children in Need funded project supporting youngsters with additional support needs through digital and visual arts. QClub offers a vital creative outlet for children and young people on the autistic spectrum or with a wide range of support needs including those not in mainstream education, young carers and those confined to their home. During lockdown Abbie hosted online digital creative sessions to tackle feelings of isolation and loneliness that many faced. Sessions included photography, animation and digital play as part of a range of arts activities.
 
QClub Programme Curator Abbie Canning said “Since the pandemic we’ve had to adapt to a really different way of working in order to provide marginalised and vulnerable groups with continued access to digital technologies and art. When our building closed at the start of lockdown in March, I wanted to provide a framework for the young people we work with, a constant and consistent part of their lives through this difficult period while everything else in the world was in flux. I am hugely grateful for the funding that has come from National Lottery players, as without it, we would not be able to keep helping our young people.”

QUAD’s Artistic Director, Louise Fedotov-Clements, added “I am extremely proud of the programmes that Abbie has devised for the QClub participants and their families. Her work deserves to be celebrated, it has offered an important lifeline and essential engagement that has creatively empowered the young people and enhanced the wellbeing of all involved for many years”
 
The National Lottery’s 2020 Portraits of the People exhibition is freely accessible online throughout November on the websites and social media of: The National Portrait Gallery, London, The National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, The MAC in Belfast, IKON Gallery in Birmingham, Summerhall in Edinburgh, Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham, Ruthin Craft Centre in Ruthin, Wales, The Photographers’ Gallery in London and the British Film Institute (BFI), and the portraits will also be on display at BFI Southbank in London.

For more information please see:
https://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/news/view/iconic-art-galleries-and-film-institute-join-forces-to-celebrate-unheralded-champions-of-the-arts-sector

For more information on QUAD’s QClub, please see:
https://www.derbyquad.co.uk/whats-on/get-creative-families-and-young-people/q-club