Positive Light Projects: Pelican Prints
Pelican Prints is an inclusive printmaking project delivered in partnership with The Pelican Project, centred on producing original prints using the wheelchair-accessible Pelican Press (developed through a previous round of Creative Arc funding). Through a series of workshops, participants created a body of new work which were exhibited in the Pelican Prints Gallery in the window at Positive Light Projects, celebrating accessible creative practice in a public-facing city-centre space.
With Pelican Prints, the ambition to create genuine, hands-on printmaking opportunities for young people with learning disabilities and complex needs, using the Pelican Press to remove physical barriers and make the process fully accessible, was fully realised. These playful and original prints are now available for sale.
The commission not only gave PLP the chance to deepen the relationship with The Pelican Project, but also provided the space to refine how they work with adaptive equipment, test new approaches, and strengthen organisational confidence in delivering ambitious, accessible visual arts activity. Organisationally, it has led to the creation of a permanent exhibition and print sales model — Pelican Prints is not a temporary outcome but an ongoing platform. The gallery will continue to host future print bodies of work and exhibitions, and the sales model creates sustainable income returning directly to the artists.
In terms of place and the wider cultural sector, we project demonstrated without doubt that inclusive practice belongs at the heart of the city’s cultural life. By exhibiting the work in the Pelican Prints Gallery at PLP, the process and outcomes are visible in the city centre, contributing to Exeter’s cultural ecology and showing that high-quality, accessible creative work can shape the public realm. The launch event demonstrated appetite from audiences to engage with and purchase the work, reinforcing the viability of the model.