Who isn’t tired of tokenism and other ‘isms between the white walls of commercial and institutional spaces? Why do so many residencies not consider the needs of artists with intersectional identities and of disabled artists? How do ‘marginalised’ artists make a living whilst still prioritising our empowerment and connection with others who share our experiences? 

TheySwarm is an artist residency for ‘diverse and dispersed’ artists. TextaQueen, as peer-mentor, invites artists for residencies in their Collingwood (Narrm/Melbourne) shopfront studio. TheySwarm is by and for queer and trans, Black, Indigenous, and people of colour with priority to disabled artists. 

The inaugral collaborative residency with Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarashina happened in November-December 2024. The residency project also involved LLPS, Leah Manaema Avene and TextaQueen hosting an Access + Ethics Rider workshop at Arts House, Melbourne funded by Creative Australia. 

TheySwarm aims to balance access to Art World networks while keeping the ‘by us – for us’ attitude of the queer / punk / crip /  DIY / BIPOC communities of the artists involved – to create an emotionally, physically, and financially sustainable space for connection and creativity. 

TheySwarm has two upstairs spaces for short or long term hire with priority to BIPOC / queer and/or disabled artists. The upstairs studios spaces can be privately hired or please get in touch if you have a proposal to jointly apply for funding for a residency, in either the more accessible shared studio downstairs with TextaQueen or the upstairs spaces. 

TheySwarm is always open for expressions of interest to collaborate with and host diverse/dispersed/disabled artists. Residencies are collaboratively organised (including seeking funding) with participating artists – according to their needs and project ideas.  

If you’re interested in being involved in TheySwarm (whatever your identities) or want to donate to the renovation or residency program, please get in touch via the TextaQueen Contact page. 

TheySwarm includes a small but growing library of artist books, catalogues, children’s books, poetry, zines, self-published books and other fiction and non-ficiton titles by Black, Indigenous and people of colour creators, with a focus on radical queer, trans and disabled authors. If you have suggestions of titles or donations of books or zines, please get in touch. TextaQueen carefully curates the library, collecting and purchasing relevant publications. 

NOTE : Despite TheySwarm’s aim to prioritise disabled artists, the space is not currently powerchair accessible. 

TextaQueen has been raising funds and renovating towards wheelchair accessibility of the space since 2019, including via grants from City of Yarra, MatchLAB, and an ACF fundraiser. This has not raised enough to complete the scale of the renovations needed to make the space accessible for power-chair users. The studio and bathroom are now step-free with help from City of Yarra, MatchLAB and an ACF fundraiser. 

Public outcomes of TheySwarm will be virtual and held at other, accessible locations until the space is accessible for power-chair users.  TheySwarm will reapply for a previous unsuccessful infrastructure grant that will have more likelihood of success once the residency program is underway. 

Sales of Learn Your ACABs help fund project managment of TheySwarm.

[ID: Photo of TextaQueen framed artworks resting on studio floor with markers strewn on floor.]