Any Work That Wanted Doing - the stories of disabled mill workers
Disabled people have always been part of the textile workforce of the UK, but their contributions have often gone unrecognised. Once the industrial revolution got underway, the narrative that disabled people were unable to work and had to depend on the workhouse or on charity took hold. This idea of disabled people as being dependent and needy continues to this day. But it’s not the whole story.
Leeds artist, activist and curator, Gill Crawshaw, has been researching the stories of disabled mill workers, to challenge persistent and harmful stereotypes of disabled people, and to acknowledge the contributions that disabled people have made, and continue to make, to our history and culture.
Now, as part of Leeds 2023 Year of Culture, and in partnership with Leeds Museums and Galleries, she's invited disabled artists to respond to this research. Informed by their own experiences, the artists’ creativity and investigation make connections between the past and the situation of disabled people today.
From September their work will be displayed as Any Work That Wanted Doing, amongst the collection of textile machinery at Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills, once the largest woollen mill in the world.
Gill explains: "The title of the exhibition, 'Any Work That Wanted Doing', is taken from testimony of John Dawson of Leeds. John was a disabled man who gave evidence to the Factories Inquiry Commission 1833. While he was taken on as a spinner, he was soon told to do many other tasks, anything that was needed.
While this quote shows the resilience of disabled people, it’s also clearly about the exploitation of workers. This has resonance today if we think about zero-hours contracts, as well as Universal Credit and the benefits system. Claimants are expected to take any jobs going, no matter whether they are suitable and use their skills, and no matter how badly paid. They must do any work that wants doing."
Any Work That Wanted Doing features artwork by Janet Alexander, Charlotte Cullen, Michelle Duxbury, Sandy Holden, Becky Moore & Becky Cherriman, Ria, Maryanne Royle and Robin Tynan.
The exhibition opens on 8 September at Leeds Industrial Museum, and continues into 2024. There will also be some guided tours of the exhibition as part of Heritage Open Days.