This New Ground

This New Ground (TNG) is an arts organisation working to shift the arts from cultural participation to cultural ownership, led by and with people with a learning disability. Our mission is to elevate the voices and talents of artists with a learning disability by removing barriers to creation, leadership, and visibility. At the heart of our work is a commitment to shifting perceptions, of self, of community, and of the wider arts sector, around the value and contribution of people with a learning disability. We believe that everyone deserves the chance to lead creatively and to see themselves reflected in cultural life. Through high-quality creative learning and performance opportunities, TNG supports artists to develop and share their work across live, recorded, digital, and online platforms. Founded in 2015 as a community choir in Hammersmith & Fulham, TNG has grown into a thriving place-based organisation shaped by lived experience and driven by imagination. Over the past nine years, our model has evolved. We’ve navigated the challenges of project-based funding, pandemic disruption, and expansion by building a two-hub model in London and Portsmouth, both grounded in collaboration, inclusion, and creative expression. In 2021, we established our Portsmouth hub, an Arts Council England Priority Place. This was a significant step towards making our work more sustainable, inclusive, and place-based, reaching even more people who often face cultural exclusion. As we continue to grow, TNG remains committed to reimagining cultural life, moving beyond participation towards ownership, where learning-disabled artists are recognised as creators, leaders, and cultural citizens shaping the arts on their own terms.@thisnewgrounduk