Existing narratives surrounding autism, neurodivergence, and disability are mostly written by those who do not hold those identities, and many of those narratives perpetuate forms of oppression and harm on personal, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural levels.

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The Torchlight Residency is designed BY the Autistic / Neurodivergent / Disabled FOR the Autistic / Neurodivergent / Disabled AND strives to shift these narratives across ALL communities. 

 

This is a cohort-based program that follows the passions of Autistic / Neurodivergent / Disabled artists and storytellers. It forges an artistic journey towards justice, empowerment, accessibility, visibility, and self-advocacy. 

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Residents will engage in one of two self-determined pathways, visual art or literary art. Cohorts will come together under the guidance of an Anchor Mentor and Guest Artists to develop their personal works and create a collaborative project. Together, mentors and residents will move through a curriculum on disability justice, neurodiversity, and art/words as activism. They will learn and discuss these themes as a group and use these conversations to deepen their work on the collaborative project.

 

Throughout the program, residents will have the opportunity to learn and practice new techniques, receive feedback, make connections with established artists, develop self-advocacy skills, and see ways they could center their passions and talents in their post-secondary pursuits. 

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Collaborative Projects will be shared in a public show at Perfect Lovers, a zero-commission gallery and pop up coffee shop in Durham. Residents will determine the ways in which this work will be shared.