Uncertain Futures: Women, Work and Aging
(2019-ongoing)
Uncertain Futures is a unique art and research work which aims to highlight and analyze the intersectional inequalities facing women over 50 around work in Manchester, England. This includes inequalities relating to gender, age, race, disability, migration status and other statuses. The project is a long-term collaboration based on equity and leadership-sharing with community-based leaders and researchers, formed around weekly zoom meetings during the pandemic and continuing today. Using an artistic framing that combines research and activism – the notion that genuine participatory research could take place with the Gallery as an instigating site—the project has developed over time around creative, activist, and research-led objectives.
Uncertain Futures has the following objectives:
To create three sequential exhibitions at MAG that perform the work of collecting interviews, hosting skills workshops, celebrating accomplishments, archiving the project and disseminating it to a broad audience;
To collect, analyze and report on the findings of our archive of 100 interviews through professional presentations and publications;
To create an empower a diverse constituency of older women activists and educators who will advocate for social and political changes.
Read more about the first and second installations at Manchester Art Gallery and learn more about the organization and research themes at the Uncertain Futures website.
The project was developed by artist Suzanne Lacy, Ruth Edson of the Manchester Art Gallery, with an Advisory Group formed of women over 50 from Manchester’s diverse communities in association with Manchester Art Gallery and Manchester City Council’s Work and Skills Team. It is supported by a research team led by Dr. Sarah Campbell from the Manchester Metropolitan University and Dr. Elaine Dewhurst from the University of Manchester.
The project was developed by artist Suzanne Lacy, Ruth Edson of the Manchester Art Gallery, with an Advisory Group formed of women over 50 from Manchester’s diverse communities in association with Manchester Art Gallery and Manchester City Council’s Work and Skills Team.
The Advisory Group: Akhter Azabany, Erinma Bell, Sally Casey, Atiha Chaudry, Rohina Ghafoor, Marie Greenhalgh, Teodora Ilieva, Jila Mozoun, Tendayi Madzunzu, Elayne Redford, Nadia Siddiqui, Circle Steele, Patricia Williams, Louise Wong.
The research is led by Dr. Sarah Campbell from the Manchester Metropolitan University and Dr. Elaine Dewhurst from the University of Manchester.
Participating Artists: Mark Thomas, Soup Inc. Photograph credits to: Audrey Albert, Andrew Brooks, Ahmani Vidal-Simon, Michael Pollard Video
Sponsors: Arts Council England, Art Fund / Evan Cornish Foundation / MICRA—Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing / Economic and Social Research Council, Festival of Social Science.