Kaleido Arts, formerly EQUATA, the regional agency run by Deaf and disabled artists in south west England, is to close following the removal of its £125,000 grant from Arts Council England South East (ACESW). An ACESW spokesperson told AP that it has withdrawn the grant because Kaleido has been “unable to secure wider funding to deliver their business plan, and that this funding gap is significant in comparison to other similar organisations”. The grant money will now be ring-fenced to support disabled artists in the region. A spokesperson from Kaleido expressed concern that the lack of disabled staff at ACESW “[affects]... their understanding of the issues and barriers facing disabled artists and audiences”, and said that many disabled artists in the south west would now feel isolated. ACESW says that a plan is being put in place following consultation with 700 disabled artists in the region, and that the decision “reflects the unanimous outcome of these discussions to support funding artists’ practice and development directly rather than through an agency”. However, Barry Goodfellow, a visually-impaired painter, told AP that he and other artists were “devastated at the loss of Kaleido, who have given us quality arts support for many years”.
