Disability Arts Charity Appoints New CEO as They Celebrate 40 Years

DaDa Disability and Deaf Arts this week launched their 40th anniversary festival DaDaFest International 40 at the Unity Theatre Liverpool, and as part of the celebration announced the appointment of new CEO, Zoe Partington.

The award-winning, cutting-edge multi artform charity was founded in 1984 and since then has become an integral part of the campaign for greater equality and access for disabled artists across the arts and cultural sector.

Having received confirmation in 2022 of remaining an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation until at least 2026, DaDa has since been expanding its programming and board, and is now in a position to appoint a new CEO as a final step in solidifying the stability and future of the organisation.

New CEO, Zoe Partington, is an international consultant and speaker on Disability Art, heritage and architecture in relation to inclusion and accessibility and, alongside her role at DaDa, Zoe is C/Director of Disordinary Architecture working with cultural institutions such as The Bartlett School of Architecture, The British Library, Tate Modern and disabled people as architects and curators.

An awardee of a Henry Moore Fellowship, Zoe is currently writing a book about female disabled sculptors and artists having managed National Disability and Arts Archive Collection, NDACA and supported Shape on initiatives like their work with Kings College London KCL and working with British Council on cultural developments leading up to Cultural Olympiad programmes in Brazil, Japan and many other countries.

Zoe graduated from a Media and Design Degree BA (Hons) via the University of Portsmouth before going on to study for an Art, Design and Architecture PgDip at the University of Central England.

A practising disabled artist, Zoe references her own sight loss and chronic condition in her work, and is excited to lend her expertise to Liverpool based DaDa.

Zoe spoke of her delight in accepting the role of CEO with DaDa saying:

“As a disabled woman in a leadership role I feel honoured to follow other strong political disabled women form the North. I believe as disabled people we should not let fear hold us back from striking out and being at the centre of decision making in the cultural sector -our voices are often ignored, we will change this together in partnerships and with allies. I am so fortunate to have an amazing team and board.”

DaDa develops and presents excellent disability and Deaf arts through an artistic programme that includes high quality festivals and events, fed in to by a year-round programme of engagement work with developing and established artists, young disabled, Deaf and neurodivergent people, their families and the wider community.

The centrepiece of DaDa’s work is DaDaFest International – launched in 2001 as a platform to showcase the work of disabled, Deaf and neurodivergent artists and which is set to return in March 2025 with the theme for the special anniversary festival revealed as ‘RAGE – A Quiet Riot!’.

Over DaDa’s 40 years it has made an important impact through advocacy and social change and through partnership and collaboration with a range of organisations and bodies.

That includes supporting Liverpool City Council on policy making around access to services and transport; being consulted during the redevelopment of the Liverpool Everyman to make it one of the most accessible theatres in the country and working with the Unity for more than 20 years to change perceptions of disabled artists and for the theatre to independently programme work by and support disabled artists.

DaDa Chair Robert Martin spoke about the new appointment saying:

“DaDa is turning 40 years old this year and we are looking forward to celebrating that legacy with DaDaFest International 40 in March 2025. Its subject, Rage, captures the feeling amongst deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people that, whilst much has been achieved and should be celebrated, we’re still too often left out of conversations that are about us and that impact on us.

With her brilliant track record as an artist, activist and consultant on creativity and inclusive culture, Zoe Partington brings a rare combination of skills which, we feel, will carry DaDa forward into our next phase as a leader in, and instigator of, those very conversations. 

Zoe is a hugely respected and talented person and, on behalf of everyone at DaDa and also our funders, we’re very much looking forward to seeing where she’ll take us next.”

DaDaFest International 40 will run from 8-31 March 2025. More detail can be found at https://www.dadafest.co.uk/what-we-do/dadafest/dadafest-2025-ddfi40-rage /

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