Art Work as an Inclusive Space
Caring Relationships at a Day Activity Centre with an Artistic Profile
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24230586 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marie-Louise Stjerna (0000-0002-5364-0429), Helén Knutes Nyqvist (0000-0001-5329-1989), Stephan Hau (0000-0003-0054-1379) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 117-129 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-09 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1501-7419 • E-ISSN: 1745-3011 |
| Publisher | Stockholm University Press (PUBLISHER • SE) |
| DOI | 10.16993/sjdr.1269 |
| OpenAlex | W7134238058 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 16 |
Drawing on an interdisciplinary research arts project in collaboration with a day activity centre (DAC) with an artistic profile, we explore the dynamic of caring relationships, that is, the interaction between the staff and the participants, within welfare settings aimed at people with disabilities. Our research takes its point of departure in critical disability studies (CDS). The power dynamic of caring relationships is often imbued with paternalistic notions positioning the service user as the ‘vulnerable disabled Other’ and the carer as the ‘invulnerable expert practitioner’. Together with this DAC, we set up a research arts project about dreams and carried out ethnographic fieldwork. The analysis reveals how the art work offers an inclusive space where the predefined roles of staff/‘expert’ and participant/‘care recipient’ somewhat cease to control the interaction between them. These caring relationships are characterised by reciprocity, collaboration and a respect for differences, enabling agency and voice for the participants.
agency · Art objects · care relationships · critical disability studies · inclusion · Paternalism · People with disabilities · power relations · Reciprocity · Art Therapy and Mental Health · Disability Rights and Representation · Healthcare innovation and challenges
The Ethics of Care, Dependence, and Disability
Care Ethics and Carers with Learning Disabilities
Between art therapy and disability aesthetics
Artistry and disability – Doing art for real? Affordances at a day activity centre with an artistic profile
Building Bridges with Accessible Care
Care research and disability studies
Provocations for Critical Disability Studies
In and beyond New Labour
The Place of Care
Difference Within and Without
Making and Gifting Belonging
Between an Ethic of Care and an Ethic of Autonomy
Valuing Care and Support in an Era of Celebrating Independence
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |