About
Jonathon Beaver is a visual artist, animator and arts educator based in Liverpool.
He uses textiles, natural and recycled materials in his practice. Current projects have taken on a new line of enquiry- perception- what society’s viewpoint of the LGBTQIA+ community is.
Jonathon challenges the notions and stigma of what it is to be an acceptable ‘gay’- to survive day-to-day; how we perform and mould ourselves. His research and artistic work draws on the past, history and archives connected to places and words. Pieces have loose threads, entangled and hanging down, trailing, evoking linguistic and physical connections with the ground that roots us all.
He believes shared vocabularies, phrases and referents can give us a sense of community, a sense of belonging and means of reaching out. Having over 10 years experience working in education- Jonathon has facilitated and delivered workshops and curriculum led lessons to children, teenagers and adults that incorporates his practice as a line of enquiry as well as incorporating foundation art techniques. This includes working in schools and public spaces such as libraries and galleries e.g. Tate Liverpool- which used their collections as inspiration.
Jonathon has exhibited, as a visual artist and animator, in solo and group shows across U.K, Europe, North and South America. His work is now in the permanent collection at the Museum of Liverpool and was part of the Tales from the City exhibition there, which ran from late 2017 to early 2019. In April 2021, he was awarded the 11th CuratorSpace Artist Bursary.