Passionately championing self-taught, disabled and overlooked artists from around the world with the firm intention of making the art world more inclusive and accessible for all.
Image courtesy of Andrew Hood, with works by Dan Miller and Nnena Kalu
About Jennifer Lauren Gallery
Established early 2017, the Jennifer Lauren Gallery is run solely by Jennifer Lauren Gilbert, an independent gallerist, curator, and producer with over fourteen years’ experience working within this sector. The aim of the Jennifer Lauren Gallery is to champion, advocate for, empower and exhibit disabled, neurodivergent, learning disabled, self-taught, deaf and overlooked artists from across the globe, showcasing undiscovered talents and evolving artists, as well as internationally recognised artists. Jennifer works closely with UK organisations, studios and communities supporting disabled artists and is passionate about being a voice and platform for these under-represented artists, promoting their artworks to wider audiences, allowing their true artistic language to shine.
The Gallery organises pop-up exhibitions and events such as artist talks and artist-led workshops, both online and in-person, as well as taking part in art fairs internationally. Alongside this, the Gallery provides consultancy and a solutions-focussed approach to large visual arts galleries and museums around the UK, to support working with this group of artists. Through her work Jennifer hopes to: demystify what is regarded as art and who can be an artist; stimulate audiences; re-look at how work is displayed and written about within contemporary art, and by art critics; and to continue to challenge the stigma surrounding this field of art thereby ensuring that the art is the main focus, and not the biographies.
Image courtesy of Andrew Hood, giving a speech at Monochromatic Minds exhibition
“It was a great privilege to work with Jen on To all the Kings in Margate. I am impressed by her unrelenting dedication and passion to the artists she supports, allowing them to flourish, be themselves, as well as creating memorable exhibitions that truly are inclusive for everyone.”
Gallery vision
The vision of the Gallery is to be seen and recognised as a space that supports, champions, showcases and empowers disabled, neurodivergent, learning disabled, self-taught, deaf and overlooked artists, with the intention of making the art world more inclusive and accessible for all.
“Jen, you are a trailblazer and a hero.”
Image courtesty of Andrew Hood, running a workshop with Mencap participants.
About Jennifer Lauren Gilbert
After receiving a BA (Hons) degree in Graphic Design and Illustration from Central Saint Martins in London, Jennifer completed a foundation in Art Therapy, with the British Association of Art Therapists. This led to completing a Masters in Art, Health and Wellbeing, whilst working as a support worker for a group of schizophrenic artists, separately running art workshops and being a link worker with adults isolated in the community for a variety of reasons including anxiety issues and learning disabilities.
As the Manager of a national arts charity for seven years, she gained extensive experience supporting, exhibiting, selling, and advocating on behalf of undiscovered, disabled, and self-taught artists’ works from around the world. This included working with galleries such as Pallant House Gallery, Compton Verney and Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, as well as with organisations such as HOUSE Festival Brighton, Arts & Health South West and Disability Arts Online. Jennifer has also worked 1-2-1 and in small groups with learning disabled artists in a day care setting, so understands the notion of personalised responses to the people she supports, as well as treating everyone as individuals. Finally, Jennifer is a CLORE fellow, having taken part in their leadership programme in 2019.
“You have done so much to further the cause of outsider art in the past three years than most of the great movers and shakers of the past. I am proud to be one of your artists.”
Freelance work
Alongside her Gallery work, Jennifer is a freelance producer, curator and consultant, often working with and supporting disabled, deaf and neurodivergent artists and disability art studios, as well as mainstream organisations, galleries and museums. This work is all about opening previously closed doors. This work has included:
Co-writing a toolkit for the Plus Tate network on working inclusively with deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists.
Giving talks on working inclusively and accessibly within the arts world.
Co-curating a show with actor and Talk Art podcast co-host Russell Tovey, at Flowers Gallery in 2021 called Prismatic Minds.
From 2021, leading on the new visual arts strand for DANC, the Disabled Artists’ Networking Community, based in Manchester.
Leading on peer-to-peer critique sessions for Disability Arts Online.
Guest judging competitions, including the Darbyshire Award for the Turps Banana Leavers show in 2022.
Mentoring Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists – both short-term and long-term, including through Arts Emergency, the Arts & Health Hub, and through her own Gallery.
Being an access support writer for funding applications for people with varying access needs, leading to being a producer, mentor and/or support worker on their projects.
Thoughtfully working with disabled and neurodivergent artists on talks, through careful listening and planning, and holding the space on the day.
Consultancy work with disability art studios on best practice, and support with growing artists’ careers and getting suitable and accessible paperwork in place.
“Jennifer has been an incredible partner at DANC on our Visual Arts strand, she is well immersed and connected in the visual arts community particularly through deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent (DDN) artists. She is an excellent choice if you want to connect with talented DDN artists”
Russell Tovey and Jennifer giving a tour at Prismatic Minds
Projects
Since 2019, Jennifer has been conducting interviews with outsider and self-taught art collectors from around the world. The Meet the Collector series has been a labour of love, that has been very well received and currently stands at sixty-five collectors from places as far afield as Cuba, America, the Netherlands as well as much closer to home. You can find out where their love of collecting comes from, which works they purchase, their favourite pieces and what still motivates them to collect to this day. A book is currently being planned.
In early 2020, Jennifer co-founded Signs of Art, to inspire, inform and engage deaf artists and the deaf and BSL community more widely. The team includes young deaf artists and is informed by a focus group of six leading deaf artists, who have been instrumental in supporting and growing the project. Signs of Art are aware of the poor provision made available for the BSL community both within galleries and museums, and in their online presence. Its goal is: to work directly with institutions to open up their accessibility, with varying packages of support; to work directly with young deaf artists to teach them new skills such as leading BSL tours; and to provide BSL information on living and historical deaf artists, accessible to all.
In April 2021, Jennifer became a co-founder of Art et al. – a new, inclusive, international curatorial platform that commissions and presents collaborations between artists from supported studios, artist peers and arts professionals. The co-founders identified a need for more inclusive programming and access in the contemporary arts for neurodivergent, intellectually and learning disabled artists to be seen, heard, and participate. Art et al.’s global collaborations and partnerships result in commissioned critical writing, exhibitions, and original multi-media content.
In December 2021, Jennifer launched SHIFT – a digital platform dedicated to raising the profile of UK based learning disabled and neurodivergent artists. Its original focus is on eight artists working out of supported studio, to include their artwork and short films. This runs alongside key conversations with other learning disabled and neurodivergent artists about how and where their works are shown, and how they are talked about. Too often these artists and their works are being lost within art history, are often not being properly documented and recorded, and rarely appear in gallery and museum shows. SHIFT aims to change this so watch this space for conversations with arts professionals and an exhibition.
“Jennifer has been the most incredible support since we first met, her encouragement and belief in me has helped me gain confidence, and through that my work keeps on growing and developing. It’s been a completely dream like time, I have to keep pinching myself. And due to all her guidance and connections throughout my DYCP, I have gone on rich and varied explorations. But the thing that stands out most for me is the support she affords all her artists, those in far flung places, incredibly hidden away and many who only communicate through their art. She is tireless in her passion to help artists with complex barriers be accepted into the mainstream art world.”
Getting in touch
Artists - Please get in touch if you need support or guidance with your work, be that mentoring, producing projects, curation, writing funding applications, etc. Please note, the Jennifer Lauren Gallery specifically supports deaf, disabled, neurodivergent, learning disabled and/or self-taught artists.
Organisations and Galleries - Please get in touch should you wish to collaborate in any capacity, be that consultancy work around access and disability, exhibitions, events, and working with deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent artists.
“Jennifer – your shows are always so well curated and this one is wonderful.”