Tony Heaton

Heaton was born in Preston, Lancashire, in 1954, the son of a coppersmith. When, at the age of 16, a motor bike accident left him with a spinal injury, he switched from a comprehensive school to a local arts college at Southport. From 1972, he was self-employed as artist, sign writer, disc jockey, record shop proprietor, progressive rock band member and mural painter. According to a Disability Arts Online profile, at this period "Heaton gathered enormous expertise and self-reliance whilst appearing to drift aimlessly".{{cite web|url=http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/tony_heaton_profile |title=Tony Heaton: Squaring The Circle |publisher=disability arts online |date=2007-05-08 |access-date=2016-11-13}} In 1986 he enrolled on a visual arts degree at Lancaster University whilst earning a living as a sign-painter.

A contemporary of Andy Goldsworthy, Heaton experimented with environmental sculpture on sands at Morecambe Bay. Lancaster's head of sculpture, Paul Hatton, noted that the marks left by Heaton were immediately distinguishable from the footprints of his fellow students and urged him to develop work about this. Heaton states that, "A chance comment about how the marks left in the sand by my feet and crutches made my tracks immediately identifiable became the catalyst for a whole series of works relating to disability and my interaction with the environment". Heaton exhibited a plaster cast of his feet and stick imprints, his first piece of disability art.{{cite web|url=http://www.tonyheaton.co.uk/squareinthecircle.htm |title=Squareinthecircle? |publisher=tonyheaton.co.uk |access-date=2016-11-13}}

Heaton's early sculptures often use what Disability Arts in London magazine described as "the everyday impedimenta of disability: collecting cans, NHS wheelchairs, X-rays, Part M of the Building Regulations". But his work contradicts the normal associations of such materials by turning them into "profound and joyously witty statements about the nature of our oppression".{{Cite periodical |title=Tony Heaton...exposed - a retrospective |periodical=Disability Arts in London |number=107 |date=November 1996}}

An early piece, "Springback" (1990), is an assemblage including a spinal X-Ray juxtaposed above the shock absorber springs of a scrapped motorcycle, referring to the accident which caused his impairment and the metal strengthening spring placed inside his spine.{{cite web|url=http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/tony-heaton-interview |title=Interview: John O'Donoghue talks to Tony Heaton, Shape CEO |publisher=disability arts online |access-date=2016-11-13}}

'Shaken..not Stirred' (1991) consisted of a seven-feet high pyramid of 1,760 charity collecting cans, its ascending ranks of red plastic referring to the hierarchical nature of the charity system. The whole edifice was brought crashing to the ground when Heaton threw an artificial leg at it, suggesting that the hierarchical system could be destroyed by the collective power of disabled people.{{cite book|author=Sutherland, A. |chapter=Choices, Rights and Cabaret |editor1=Swain, J. |editor2=French S. |title=Disability on Equal Terms |publisher=Sage |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4129-1987-6}} As his work has developed, it has embodied ideas about disability and impairment. For instance, "Split" (1995) is a woodcarving made from a piece of ash discarded by a wood turner as useless because it has a shake; a fault running through it. Heaton saw this as "indicative of a society that sees only perfection and disregards all that is damaged or perceived as impaired".

File:Wheelchair sculpture 6493.JPG

The 1994 sculpture, 'Great Britain from a Wheelchair' is a map of Britain made from two grey NHS wheelchairs. "A delightful game, it forms a wonderful repudiation of the value judgement ('This is for some tragic bastard', in Heaton's words) implicit in the wheelchairs." An image of this work was chosen by the National Disability Arts Collection and Archive as an example of work from the 'golden age' of disability arts.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/disability-35063050 |title=The 'golden age' of disability arts - BBC News |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=2015-12-15 |access-date=2016-11-13}} During the 2012 Paralympics Heaton was invited to redesign 'Great Britain From a Wheelchair' as lecterns for Lord Coe and Sir Phillip Craven during the opening and closing ceremonies.{{cite web|url=http://www.disabilityartsinternational.org/artists/profiles/tony-heaton/ |title=Tony Heaton |publisher=Disability Arts International |access-date=2016-11-13}}

In 2012, he was commissioned to produce 'Monument to the Unintended Performer', an installation for the Big 4 sculpture sited outside Channel Four's offices.{{cite news|url=http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/channel-4-unveils-new-big-4-installation |title=Channel 4 unveils new 'Big 4' installation |publisher=Channel 4 |date=2012-05-28 |access-date=2016-11-13}} It brought together three elements in addition to the Big 4: the first based on the classical Greek sculpture Discobolus, the discus thrower, evoking the spirit of the Olympics; the second element, a circle, representing the wheel of the international symbol of access; and lastly, the introduction of gold, silver and bronze considers hierarchy. Heaton stated: "I wanted to use the structure of the Big 4 as one of four elements that would fuse together to form a new cohesive piece - which would provoke thought and celebrate Channel 4's involvement and commitment to the Paralympics. The subtext is the assertion that disabled people are almost always the object of scrutiny and curiosity."{{cite web|url=http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/steps/features/clare-amsel-produces-the-paralympics/tony-heaton/ |title=Tony Heaton | Lancaster University |publisher=Lancaster.ac.uk |date=2014-01-31 |access-date=2016-11-13}}{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2012/07/public-art-and-disability |title=Public art and disability: Getting noticed |newspaper=The Economist |date=2012-07-19 |access-date=2016-11-13}}

'Gold Lamé', included in the 2014 exhibition Art of The Lived Experiment, is an invalid car painted gold. The title puns on the word "lame". Heaton states that the Invacar has been "transformed from prosthetic to sculpture, transmuted from spazz blue to gold, from Lame to Lamé", mirroring his own life adjustments, where he says, "I transmuted from biker to invalid".{{cite web|url=http://www.thedoublenegative.co.uk/2014/11/i-always-avoided-referring-to-disability-in-my-work-because-i-was-afraid-to-seem-pitiful-the-transformation-of-dadafest/ |title="I Always Avoided Referring To Disability In My Work, Because I Was Afraid To Seem Pitiful": The Transformation Of DaDaFest |publisher=The Double Negative |date=2014-11-04 |access-date=2016-11-13}}{{cite web|url=http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/dadafest-2014-art-of-the-lived-experiment-review |title=Review: DaDaFest International 2014: Art of the Lived Experiment |publisher=disability arts online |date=2014-11-14 |access-date=2016-11-13}} Gold Lamé also appeared at the Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas, Liverpool as the inaugural winner of the Liverpool Plinth.livpc.co.uk

From 1997 to 2007, Heaton was based in Dorset, as Director of the Holton Lee Trust{{cite web|url=http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/movers-tony-heaton-chief-executive-shape/management/article/800469 |title=Movers: Tony Heaton, chief executive, Shape |publisher=Third Sector |date=2008-04-09 |access-date=2016-11-13}} which offers a mix of environmental, artistic and spiritual activities, with short stay residential facilities for Disabled people, in an SSSI comprising 350 acres of woodland, reed bed and heath land landscape adjacent to Poole Harbour.{{cite web|url=http://www.countrysidemobility.org/locations/holton-lee |title=Holton Lee |publisher=Countryside Mobility |access-date=2016-11-13}}

Heaton developed a 10-year strategic plan for the organisation: a contemporary arts and education programme based on a series of accessible buildings including a gallery and artists' studios, which would enable a new programme of artistic work, a growth in residential capacity and a focus for disability arts. All the buildings would use local materials blending in with Holton Lee's natural surroundings.{{cite web|url=http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/NDACA |title=National Disability Arts Collection and Archive |publisher=disability arts online |date=2007-05-08 |access-date=2016-11-13}}

The first of these, Faith House gallery, designed by Tony Fretton was hailed by Jonathan Glancey in the Guardian as 'one of the most beautiful new buildings in Britain'.{{cite news|author=Jonathan Glancey |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2002/oct/07/architecture.artsfeatures |title=Tony Fretton's Faith House | Art and design |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2002-10-07 |access-date=2016-11-13}}

In 2002, Heaton organised the DA21 Disability Arts Conference at Holton Lee.{{cite web|url=http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/2000_2003 |title=2000 - 2003 |publisher=disability arts online |access-date=2016-11-13}} He also planned the inaugural conference to discuss the establishment of what would become the National Disability Arts Collection and Archive. The idea then envisaged was to create a purpose-built archive as part of the developing Holton Lee campus. This was abandoned after Heaton moved on. NDACA will now take the form of an interactive website and catalogue, after receiving funding of nearly £1 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.ndaca.org.uk/about-ndaca |title=about ndaca - National Disability Arts Collection & Archive |publisher=Ndaca.org.uk |access-date=2016-11-13}}

In 2007 Heaton became CEO of Shape Arts, the arts and disability charity founded by dancer Gina Levete. He brought to the organisation a new emphasis on disability arts and professional opportunities for artists.

He instituted the Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary, which provides 3-month bursaries for disabled artists to undertake residencies at leading visual arts institutions. These have included the Victoria and Albert Museum, Camden Arts Centre, Spike Island, The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, the Bluecoat Gallery and New Art Gallery Walsall. The bursary is named after the late sculptor,{{cite web|url=http://www.shapearts.org.uk/Pages/News/Category/adam-reynolds-memorial-bursary |title=News | Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary |publisher=Shape Arts |access-date=2016-11-13}} with whom Heaton had a close friendship.{{cite web|url=http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/adam-reynolds |title=Adam Reynolds: an Obituary |publisher=disability arts online |access-date=2016-11-13}} Early winners were Caroline Cardus, Aaron Williamson, Sally Booth and Noëmi Lakmaier.{{cite web|url=http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/Adam-Reynolds-Memorial-Bursary-Shape-The-First-Four |title=Discussion: John O'Donoghue gives an overview of the Shape's Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary: The First Four |publisher=disability arts online |date=2013-06-14 |access-date=2016-11-13}}

He also created the Shape Open, an annual open exhibition of artwork by disabled and non-disabled artists created in response to a disability-centred theme.{{cite web|url=http://www.shapearts.org.uk/Pages/News/Category/shape-open |title=News | Shape Open |publisher=Shape Arts |access-date=2016-11-13}} The exhibition's patron is Yinka Shonibare, at whose Guest Projects space in Hackney, London the 2016 exhibition took place.{{cite web|url=http://www.artlyst.com/articles/yinka-shonibare-to-host-shape-arts-annual-open-exhibition |title=Yinka Shonibare To Host Shape Arts' Annual Open Exhibition |publisher=Artlyst.com |date=2015-12-17 |access-date=2016-11-13}}{{cite news|url=http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2016/02/yinka-shonibare-hosts-shape-open-exhibition/ |author=Jude Jweihan |title=Yinka Shonibare Hosts Shape Open Exhibition – Eastlondonlines |publisher=Eastlondonlines.co.uk |date=2016-02-10 |access-date=2016-11-13}}

Heaton has announced that he will stand down as CEO in 2017 and become chair of the organisation.{{cite web|author=Trish Wheatley |url=http://disabilityarts.online/magazine/opinion/new-chapter-shape-tony-heaton/ |title=A new chapter for Shape and Tony Heaton - My blog |publisher=Disabilityarts.online |date=2016-11-02 |access-date=2016-11-13}}

Heaton was appointed an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours, 2013, for services to the arts and the disability arts movement.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/jun/15/queens-birthday-honours-obe |title=Queen's birthday honours list 2013: OBE | UK news |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2013-06-14 |access-date=2016-11-13}}

• 1988 Regional Finalist, Unipart Reflections of Technology Award for Original Sculpture: Exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Breton Hall, Yorkshire
• 1990 'Out of Ourselves', Diorama Gallery, London{{cite web|url=http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/Chronology_of_Disability_Arts |title=Disability Arts Chronology: 1977 - 2003 |publisher=disability arts online |access-date=2016-11-13}}
• 1991 Euroday Disability Arts Festival, Installation 'Shaken Not Stirred', featured on BBC TV{{cite web|author=Tony Heaton |url=http://www.thisisliveart.co.uk/resources/catalogue/shaken-not-stirred |title=Shaken Not Stirred - Catalogue - Live Art Development Agency |publisher=Thisisliveart.co.uk |date=2010-06-16 |access-date=2016-11-13}}
• 1995 'Unleashed - Images and Experience of Disability', Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne{{cite web|url=http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/1990_1999 |title=1990 - 1999 |publisher=disability arts online |access-date=2016-11-13}}
• 1995 'Exposed...Great Britain from a Wheelchair', solo exhibition, Diorama Gallery, London; featured on 'From the Edge', BBC TV
• 2002 Disability Arts at ICI - head office Lancaster Square, London, Exhibition of 'Great Britain from a wheelchair' and 'Zen Men'
• 2005 Sherbourne House, Dorset - joint exhibition with Peter Ursem
• 2008 Tate Modern - Architecture Inside Out - Ro-Tate a collaborative intervention/performance in the Turbine Hall{{cite web|last=Cardus |first=Caroline |url=http://architecture-insideout.blogspot.co.uk/ |title=Architecture-InsideOut |publisher=Architecture-insideout.blogspot.co.uk |access-date=2016-11-13}}
• 2010 Flux - The Brewhouse Gallery, Taunton, Somerset{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/simon_mckeown/docs/taunton_brewhouse_-_flux_festival |title=Taunton Brewhouse Flux Festival 2010 |author=Simon Mckeown |publisher=issuu |date=2014-09-17 |access-date=2016-11-13}}
• 2015 Art of the Lived Experiment - DaDaFEst, Liverpool and UICA Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts. Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA{{cite web|url=http://www.amandacachia.com/curating/art-lived-experiment/ |title=Art of the Lived Experiment |publisher=Amanda Cachia |date=2015-07-31 |access-date=2016-11-13}}
• 2016 Art, Life, Activism: Contemporary art and the Politics of Disability. - Attenborough Arts Centre Leicester. Co-curator and exhibitor.{{cite news|last=Pring |first=John |url=http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/exhibition-proves-disabled-artists-still-mine-a-rich-seam-of-oppression/ |title=Exhibition proves disabled artists 'still mine a rich seam of oppression' |publisher=Disabilitynewsservice.com |date=2015-11-20 |access-date=2016-11-13}}{{cite web|url=https://mentalspaghetti.org/2015/11/19/disability-and-political-activism-in-art/ |title=Disability and Political Activism in Art |publisher=Mentalspaghetti.org |date=2015-11-19 |access-date=2016-11-13}}{{cite web|url=http://attenboroughac.tumblr.com/post/133336466598/1-day-to-go-until-the-preview-of-art-life |title=Attenborough Arts Centre — 1 day to go until the preview of Art, Life |publisher=Attenboroughac.tumblr.com |date=2015-11-16 |access-date=2016-11-13}}{{cite web|url=http://www.disabledgo.com/blog/2015/11/exhibition-proves-disabled-artists-still-mine-a-rich-seam-of-oppression/ |title=Exhibition proves disabled artists 'still mine a rich seam of oppression' | DisabledGo News and Blog |publisher=Disabledgo.com |access-date=2016-11-13}}

• 1997 'Grey Mares' - Public Sculpture commission for Manchester City Council, as a result of a competition organised by Community Arts North West, sited at Beswick
• 2006 Art Plus Award for Art in Public Places, a £50,000 commission to create: squarinthecircle?, a permanent public sculpture for Portsmouth University School of Architecture
• 2012 LOCOG - London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games - commission to create sculptural lecterns for Lord Sebastian Coe and Sir Philip Craven based on the sculpture: Great Britain from a Wheelchair
• 2012 Winner - Channel 4 TV competitive commission to create a sculptural intervention with the Big 4 structure outside the Channel 4 building to celebrate the Paralympics
• 2014 Commissioned by Channel 4 TV to create the film Breathe Nothing of Slaughter as part of the 14-18 Commemoration of World War One
• 2014 Commissioned to create the sculpture Gold Lamé for the exhibition Art of the Lived Experiment, Bluecoat Gallery Liverpool

• 1995 'Buried Overground', Collaborative Workshop with ARC Leeds
• 1996 Sculpture residency: East Midlands Shape
• 2004-12 Arco Arte, Carrara, Italy - Annual marble carving workshops with Boutros Romhein

• 1988 Regional Finalist, Unipart Reflections of Technology Award for Original Sculpture
• 2006 Art Plus Award for Art in Public Places
• OBE, 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours
• 2018 The Liverpool Plinth Winner

Heaton was chosen by artist Tanya Raabe, in an interview with BBC Ouch, as one of her ideal dinner guests, along with Michael Caine, Frida Kahlo, her husband Diego Rivera, "because he's a womaniser and I think he'd get on marvellously with Tony Heaton'' and her best friend, Ann Young.{{cite news|last=Breen |first=Zoe |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/interviews/13_questions_painter_tanya_raabe.shtml |title=Ouch! (disability) - Interviews - 13 Questions: painter Tanya Raabe |publisher=BBC |date=2010-01-26 |access-date=2016-11-13}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/tony_heaton_gallery Illustrations of work]
• [http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/tony-heaton-interview Interview: John O'Donoghue talks to Tony Heaton, Shape CEO]
• [http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/author/tonyheaton/ Podcast for National Archives about the importance of the National Disability Collection and Archive]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0HiwKYemRc Tony Heaton OBE - Rethinking Diversity at the Awkward Bastards symposium.]

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Category:1954 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century English sculptors

Category:British artists with disabilities

Category:British activists with disabilities

Category:Artists from Preston, Lancashire

Category:Alumni of Lancaster University

Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire