Blog

Welfare cuts

Just some thoughts: as of this time of day, around 7am 18th March.

I tried to phone Nicky Campbell’s Radio 5 live show for the first time yesterday. There have been many times i have wanted to, this time i did. I couldn’t get through of course, i assume because of huge swathes of callers desperate to speak on the issue of welfare and these imminent cuts.

I’m genuinely frightened of what is coming today. I’m an educated articulate 43 year old woman, with autistic kids, their dad is autistic with very severe complex ptsd. I too am autistic and adhd (diagnosed as adult). The disability benefits are being massively misrepresented by the government and the media. For one, They are conflating sickness and disability. They are confusing sick pay and pip etc. there are important differences not being discussed and the negative rhetoric around this has been shocking. I work, when i can, but am largely unable due to the school needs of my children not being met. I spend 3 hours a day in a car driving to a SEN school and another child has no school at all! I could work more, but the disability system is so broken at every level, i can’t. It’s not easy or cheap being like this. The application process to get any of these benefits is traumatic, hard, many people don’t get what they are entitled. People will die. Especially people with mental health issues, and/or autism. I am disgusted that labour of all parties are doing this. I regret voting for them. My vote will now cost people their lives. 

I am Bernadette Louise. 

I am an autism ‘professional’ and advocate for change.

THE LANGUAGE THEY ARE USING IS ALL WRONG _ THEY ARE GETTING IT WRONG _ and my concerns now about the autistic bullshit being a ‘different ability’… not a disability, but a difference or a ‘superpower’, will only add to the assumptions that people with a diagnosis of autism can do more, when there are cohorts who physically and psychologically cannot not, The increased anxiety this has already brought up has likely already seen some suicide attempts, self harm, due to the the lack of certainty, the fear, and adding pressure of those who cannot work, who will subsequently be left without their entitlements and with no way to address the discriminations they face, they are not a part of this conversation. They cannot fight the changes, even if they would be eligible still under any new regime, change requires ability, and it is hard to muster that when overwhelmed, people will end up going without, simply by re-design and lack of access…and there are no support systems to help deal with this kind of thing. Charities to help with PIP forms are at capacity. There is no one.

I cannot truly believe that this is coming out of Labours mouths! Every one on yesterday’s 5 live show who said they like these cuts, said they didn’t like the government, they were Tory voters, and yet, they openly LOVE this. It made me feel sick, and i feel used, and dirty that i voted for a red tory party, for this to happen to the most vulnerable people, that i desperately try to advocate for, for my children, for my family. Disgraceful.

Accused 2023 (Keep Fighting)

NEW REPORT IN TO FII BY CEREBRA AND LEEDS UNIVERSITY

Fabricated & Induced Illness is the latest patriarchal institutional tactic, in a long line of historic and contemporary witch hunts against women, others & now, Mothers.

Parental Blame is the Stick they beat us with,

FII is the rope they hang us with.

Bernadette Louise 2023.

This is the last work i made about this topic, and the last time i made work (about 6 years ago) as a result of the impact bernadettelouise.com/artist/accused/

Mixtape No.9

Mixtape No.9 is the latest group show from Cultivate, once again curated by Cultivate founders Emma Harvey and Sean Worrall. Please do go explore, go find out more (and yes, there is a Spotify playlist to go with ot all again as well)

What about the labels on each piece of art? What are you looking at? Is it a drawing, a photograph, a painting? Go and find out, you are essentially looking at a digital image of a piece of art and (in most cases) not the real thing. Who are these artists? What do they do?  How big are these paintings? How small are these pieces? Where does the artist come from? Does she have a show coming up? Where is he exhibiting next?  What do they think? What are you looking at? Go hit the links. This time we’ve only labelled the pieces with the artist’s names, nothing more, none of the other clutter, the aim is to make you go to their websites to find the answers, go to their social media, get on their mailing lists, go follow them, this show is merely your open doorway, please go through it. 

Ofsted & CQC report outcome

“Widespread and Systematic Failings”

OFTSED logo. The OFSTED & CQC 20204 inspection results for Worcestershire: "Widespread and Systemic Failings". Worcestershire Parent Carer Logo.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM WORCESTERSHIRE PARENT CARER FORUM

The result & findings of the Ofsted & CQC inspection align with the perspectives shared by our members and ourselves, which makes them unsurprising.

As representatives of the Parent Carer community, we are deeply troubled by the findings of the Ofsted & CQC report highlighting widespread and systematic failings in SEND provision within our local area. We share the concerns expressed by families across the SEND community.

Worcestershire Parent Carer Forum are committed to advocating for the rights and interests of children and young people with SEND and their families. We stand in solidarity with all those affected by these failings and are committed to working collaboratively with the Local Authority, Education, Health, Social Care, and other stakeholders to address the issues identified and drive meaningful change.

Our priority is to ensure that the voices of Worcestershire Parent Carers are heard and valued. We will continue to actively engage with the local authority,  and relevant health agencies to hold them accountable for addressing the failings highlighted in the report and to advocate for improved SEND provision across Worcestershire.

We call for transparency, accountability, and swift action to rectify the failings identified in the report and to ensure that children and young people with SEND receive the support and resources they need to succeed. Together, we can work towards a future where every child, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

We look forward to the return of the inspectors in 18 months, where we hope the Local Area SEND Partnership leaders and stakeholders will demonstrate the effectiveness of the implemented measures with positive outcomes for children, young people with SEND, and their families.

The Worcestershire Parent Carer Forum team would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to everyone who contributed to our pre-inspection survey and submission.

Full details here of the inspection findings are here:

https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50252437

MIXTAPE No.7

Cultivate Gallery

Thank you again to Cultivate’s Sean Worral and Emma Harvey for putting so much effort and passion in to curating a wonderfully selected online exhibition. And thank you to all of the other amazing artists that i am lucky enough to share the Mixtape 7 online gallery exhibition with. It is always a privilege to know someone, anyone, likes my art. It is even more of a privilege to have the opportunity to see other artists and their work, and Mixtapes give us all this chance.

When i get a chance, i would like to add in some direct appreciation for those artists who i have discovered through Mixtapes and share their wonderful work, just to show some love. But for now, you will need to follow the group show and see what you like!

updated art bio

About my art career: I am a multidisciplinary artist, working across live art, installation, photography, sculptural/collage, and sound/video. I have always made work that represents life experiences, no matter how personal and painful. The work often takes the form of a visceral delving in to the domestic, medical and social realms. 

I spent my art education split between working for Arts organisations, and attempting to retain interest in the ‘proper’ route of University. I have a BA Hons in Fine Art, and a MSc in Psychology, as well as a whole lot of other knowledge around the body as a vessel and how we inhabit it.

I am particularly interested in the intersectionality of women/mothers, autism and mental health as well as socio-economic differences. As a late diagnosed Autistic woman, I am very conscious how labels can change how we present to others and how we feel about ourselves. I also explore the perceptions and repercussions that the wrong labels can have on us, and what this means. I make art about that, and the day-to-day scenarios we face as an entirely autistic family, trudging through the quagmire of malevolent and oppressive systems created by local and national governments created to keep us in our ‘place’. 

I have been an Artist for the whole of my adult life and I have been creating artworks and projects sporadically over the course of those 20+ years, factoring in the many barriers i faced as a result of my miss & missed-diagnoses. Before taking a ‘parenting hiatus’ from the art world to focus on the many faults with Health, Social Care and Education, I was  fortunate enough to receive Arts Council England grants several times, and work with some of the most influential artists in the scene. 

I was programmed at shows Fierce Festivals 2003 – 2008, The Barbican ‘Surreal House’, Act Art, and Visions of Excess. I worked on projects with the amazing Ron Athey and Lydia Lunch. I assisted and performed for Nicole Blackman, and L. Gabrielle Penabaz and met many other performance greats along the way. I shared billing with trailblazers like Kembra Pfahler, Marissa Carnesky and Kira O’Reily, and produced shows, such as ‘Deathtripping’ at Vivid Projects with work from Nick Zedd, Lydia Lunch and Richard Kern. I also had many performances and exhibitions solely in my own name, such as, ‘EostroxenEostrogen’, ‘Petticoat Nightmares’ and ‘Accused’ during which time I  never stopped fighting the internal battle, and one way or another, it still pours out of me through creativity.  

I am really proud of the work I achieved then and how it has led me to be the most transparent and eclectic version of my creative self that i can be. Something has shifted in me in recent months, and things artistically are falling back in to place.

I am looking to get a permanent space to work and show other’s works too, I’d like to work collaboratively with with like-minded people and bring together our talents as well as reforge my own path in the direction I am supposed to be on. 

I am based in Worcestershire, England. I would be pleased to hear of opportunities both locally and internationally and be contacted by potential collaborators, organisations and patrons t about supporting and creating together.

Autism Resources

Here are several links and resources that i have worked on:

The LeDer programme that now includes adults with an autism diagnosis

Sensory Friendly Environments in GP surgeries

Through the Autistic Lens: 

Making a Difference: 

The Sensory System: 

Improving the Lives of Autistic People: 

hair

By the way, i get my hair done here at the Courtyard Hair salon in Blackminster Evesham. That’s where the awesome photo came from (i stole it from facebook, and i hope that Emma, Kirsty and Rob don’t mind!).

We need to update it, it’s a lot yellower now which i LOVE!!

101 contemporary artists 2024

Bernadette Louise

Page 44

To purchase the collection this is the link

https://www.collectartwork.org/post/101-contemporary-artists-and-more-vol5