Recoverist Curators

A participatory project in partnership with Portraits of Recovery, working to reinterpret the gallery’s collection through the lens of recovery.  

Over a six-month period, we are inviting people in Manchester who identify as being in recovery from substance abuse to use the Whitworth’s art collection to explore the aspirations, fears, desires and dreams experienced by Greater Manchester’s recovery community. 

Facilitating conversations within a safe space, these sessions will work towards the development of a Recoverist glossary – reinterpreting art from the Whitworth’s collection through the lens of recovery. It positions art as a tool for connecting with and learning from others, while supporting the journey of recovery and generating knowledge about the community’s lived experience. 

Aiming to better represent our recovery communities within the gallery, our collection and across wider society, the Recoverist Curators project will form the basis of an exhibition at the gallery.  

This participatory project builds on the learning the gallery has developed from other constituent-based exhibitions including Still Parents and (Un)Defining Queer. 

Funded by the Baring Foundation.