From Barriers to Pathways

While supported studios have played a vital role in developing and representing neurodivergent artists and artists with intellectual disability, there is growing recognition that more models of support are needed to reflect the diversity of artists. Jump Left, founded in 2024 by Sim Luttin, is part of this shift, offering bespoke frameworks that prioritise agency, choice, and professional growth for disabled artists.

Created in response to systemic barriers that continue to limit opportunities, Jump Left exists to expand the pathways available and to ensure disabled artists are not only included in the arts but positioned to lead and transform them. In our latest Platform Series, Sim shares her motivation for starting Jump Left, what meaningful inclusion really looks like, and how new approaches can create a more sustainable and equitable arts sector.

What inspired you to start Jump Left, and what gap does it fill in the arts sector?

I started Jump Left because while supported studios are doing important work professionally developing and representing neurodivergent artists and artists with intellectual disability, we need more models of support and greater choice. I saw talented disabled artists hitting barriers, not only accessibility issues but also limited options for professional frameworks that truly serve our diverse community.

I founded Jump Left in 2024 to fill that gap. We create additional bespoke support systems and expand the range of pathways available to disabled artists. With more models and genuine choice, disabled artists do not just participate in the arts, they transform them.

How do you define inclusive practice, and why does it matter?

Inclusive practice means designing with disabled artists as co-creators from the start, not retrofitting accessibility afterwards. It is about genuine choice in how we work and recognising that our perspectives do not just deserve accommodation, they enrich what art can be.

It matters because when we build inclusively rather than adding accommodations, we create reciprocity and innovation that benefits everyone. Disabled artists bring unique creative approaches the sector needs, but only when frameworks actually work.

Ultimately, it is about power, ensuring disabled artists have agency over their creative journeys and access to the audiences they want to reach.

CONVERGENCE launch July 2025. Image Astrid Mulder.

What challenges do disabled artists commonly face in the arts?

Disabled artists face barriers at every level such as inaccessible venues, lack of funding for support workers, and being seen as charity cases rather than professional artists. These challenges are amplified for neurodivergent artists and artists with intellectual disability. Career pathways remain limited, and existing support systems are often one-size-fits-all.

The biggest challenge is systemic. The arts sector still operates on ableist assumptions about how artists should work and present their art. Until those structures change, individual accommodations will only go so far.

We need more diverse support models that recognise disabled artists as experts in their creative practice, with frameworks built around their strengths instead of forcing them into existing systems.

How can artists advocate for their needs while working with venues, curators, or organisations?

Many neurodivergent artists and artists with intellectual disabilities need advocates to help navigate and connect with the broader arts sector. That is where supported studios do crucial work. But advocacy should always keep the artist at the centre of decisions about their own practice and career.

For artists, families, or support networks, I recommend connecting with organisations like Jump Left that understand these complex needs and can provide professional frameworks and communication links to the broader sector. We help bridge the gap between how an artist processes and develops their work, and what the industry expects.

The responsibility is not only on artists and their advocates. Venues, curators, and organisations have a responsibility to educate themselves and commit to genuine inclusion. When we successfully advocate for one artist’s needs, we create a more accessible sector for everyone who follows.

The goal is not just accommodation, it is transformation. Every collaboration, every barrier removed, every conversation builds lasting change.

What does meaningful access look like beyond compliance?

Compliance gets you the bare minimum such as ramps and accessible toilets. Meaningful access is about disabled artists being able to do their best work and connect authentically with audiences.

It means providing multiple ways to access  art, supporting material in different formats, and offering tactile or multisensory experiences that welcome different ways of processing information. It means flexible programming that accommodates different energy levels and communication styles.

Real access requires disabled artists to be involved in decision-making from the start, not consulted after everything is already planned. Designing inclusively often produces something more innovative and engaging for everyone.

At Jump Left, we see meaningful access as a creative opportunity. When venues and organisations move beyond tick-box compliance and genuinely collaborate with disabled artists, that is when the magic happens. You get art that reflects community diversity and pushes boundaries.

Ultimately, it is the difference between letting disabled people into existing spaces and creating spaces where they can thrive and lead.

CONVERGENCE launch July 2025 with artist George Macaronis of Studio 92. Image Astrid Mulder 

How does Jump Left support artists to grow their practice and careers?

As a niche micro organisation, Jump Left provides highly targeted, personal support that larger institutions cannot offer. We work closely with individual artists through one-on-one mentoring, whether that is developing a specific project, building their professional profile, or strengthening their industry connections.

Our programs create intimate opportunities where artists can experiment and connect with peers in small, supportive cohorts. We also coordinate accessible residencies with hands-on creative support and mentoring.

Because we are specialised, we can be incredibly responsive to each artist’s needs and goals. We are not trying to serve hundreds of artists, we focus on providing deep, meaningful support to the artists and supported studios we work with.

We also act as curators and producers, collaborating on exhibitions that connect our artists with galleries, museums, and international opportunities. Our size means we can move quickly and create bespoke pathways that match each artist’s vision.

Being small allows us to fill gaps that bigger organisations miss. We are building the specialised professional frameworks that many disabled and neurodivergent artists have not had access to before.

Can you share a recent project from Jump Left?

Our current exhibition CONVERGENCE is a perfect example of how we work. It brings together seven artists from regional supported studios across Victoria and Albury, including Geelong, Warrnambool, and Albury, challenging the idea that all the important art happens in Melbourne.

We collaborated with studios such as ArtGusto, Find Your Voice Collective, and The Art Factory Albury to showcase work by artists including Jessica Madden, Housecat, and Stella Childs. The exhibition runs until the end of September 2025 in our project space, with artist talks, workshops, and programming that connect these regional artists with Melbourne audiences.

It is exactly the kind of bridge-building we do, creating genuine opportunities for artists who might not otherwise gain broader exposure.

What role do partnerships and collaboration play in your work?

Partnerships are central to everything we do. As a micro organisation, we rely on collaboration to create the scale and reach that individual artists deserve.

We have a Think Tank of advisers who bring diverse perspectives and expertise. We collaborate closely with supported studios, co-creating opportunities that give their artists broader exposure while showcasing outstanding work.

We also partner with platforms, venues, galleries, and funding bodies such as ArtSupport, DFAT, Creative Australia, Creative Victoria, and City of Melbourne to access spaces and resources we could not provide alone.

Most importantly, we partner with artists themselves. We are not imposing a vision, we are amplifying theirs.

Collaboration multiplies impact. Every partnership creates new pathways that would not exist if any of us were working alone.

What would a more inclusive and sustainable arts sector look like to you?

A truly inclusive arts sector would involve neurodivergent artists and artists with intellectual disabilities in decision-making and leadership, not just participation. There would be multiple pathways to success beyond the traditional gallery model.

Sustainability would mean proper funding for the support systems these artists need and long-term investment in supported studios, not only project-based grants. It would mean recognising that different ways of thinking and creating require different frameworks, time, and support.

Venues would be designed with sensory and communication needs in mind from the ground up. Programming would naturally include neurodivergent and intellectually disabled voices because decision-makers would understand the richness and innovation  they bring to the arts.

Most importantly, these artists would have genuine choice, with multiple models of support, different career pathways, and the agency to define success on their own terms.

When that happens, we will not just have inclusion, we will have an arts landscape that truly reflects the full spectrum of human creativity and thinking.

How can people connect or work with you?

You can connect with Jump Left in several ways:

• Website: www.jumpleft.com.au/contact
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 0437 448 758

We would love to hear from artists, support workers, arts professionals, and organisations interested in collaborating on art and access projects.

→ Visit www.jumpleft.com.au

→ Follow @jumpleft_art.co.lab

Platform is an interview series by ArtSupport Australia, where founder Sophia D'Urso chats to great people doing important, innovative, and impactful work in the arts. From independent artists to cultural leaders and creative entrepreneurs, these conversations spotlight those shaping a stronger, more sustainable arts sector.