Michelle Duxbury

I am a largely self-taught, working-class, disabled artist based in Leeds. As a disabled person, who has struggled to find their feet in the art world, I hope to advocate for others who find themselves in a similar position, and I feel the best way to be able to do that is to get involved and do what I can to effect change and support organisations that are leading the way in making the art world a more accessible place for us all. 

I create art under the artist name alabamathirteen, my practice is focused around bodies, spaces and places, both public and private, and how we experience and occupy them both as individuals and as a society. Specifically referencing my own personal limitations navigating and negotiating the spaces and places I occupy as a disabled woman, underpinned by the notion of ‘non-conforming’ bodies as an act of defiance. I work predominantly with photography, embroidery and sound recordings.

I am also an Artist Ambassador for Outside In, a national charity that aims to provide a platform for artists who face significant barriers to the art world due to health, disability, social circumstance or isolation.