June 2017 James Brett and The Museum of Everything 1 / 8 Bogdan Zietek, Two paintings and two figures, 1970–2010, acrylic on canvas, enamel on wood. Photo credit: Mona/Mitch Osbourne. Courtesy of The Museum of Everything. Installation at Mona. Photo credit: Mona/M STEVE DOW INTERVIEW 19 June 2017 James Brett is the founder of The Museum of Everything, a collection of 2000 works by some 200 people who mostly don’t call themselves artists. Brett has a background in film, photography, architecture and design. Steve Dow met him at Mona (Museum of Old and New Art) to discuss the show and the line between insider and outsider art. Steve Dow: The people in The Museum of Everything make art, not for us, but for themselves. Are you trying to break down the barrier between insider and outsider art? James Brett: There is no such thing as outsider art. There are no outsiders. There is no such thing as disability; there is only ability. We create the distinctions, but art, as a concept, was also created by us, and it existed a long time before the word. SD: Do academics then compartmentalise what you do? EDITORIAL WHAT’S ON STUDIO ART+ GALLERIES SUBSCRIBE