Experience
Education
2001/4 BA Hons Fine Art (University of Central Lancashire, Carlisle site)
1993/7 BA Jt Hons Management Studies and Spanish (University of Leeds, El Complutense, Madrid)
1992/3 Btec Nat Dip Foundation Studies in Art & Design (Bournville College of Art and Design, University of Central England)
Awards
2019 Winner of BBC1 series Home is Where the Art Is (episode 7)
2017 Cumbrian Artist of the Year award
2016 Shortlisted for Cumbrian Artist of the Year award
2014-2017 Sustaining arts-in-health projects in Cumbria 3-year award from Northern Rock Foundation for research into embedding arts-in-health projects in Cumbria (60K)
2014 Cultural Investment Grant Award, Cumbria County Council (6K)
2013 Awards For All grant award, Big Lottery (3.8K)
2013 Celebrating Youth Project Grant Award, Cumbria County Council (9.5K)
2010-13 Community Project Grant Awards, Cumbria Community Foundation (10K)
2012-13 Lifematters Project Grant Award, Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (15K)
2012 Cultural Investment Grant Award, Cumbria County Council (4K)
2010-12 Cultural Investment Grant Awards, Copeland Borough Council (10.5K)
2009-11 Northern Rock Project Grant awards (18K)
2010 - Cumbria Social Enterprise Partnership – Highly Commended in the category of ‘New Social Enterprise of the Year’
Grant-funded projects, commissions and residencies
2021 'Waiting, weighting': co-curated, produced and hosted online symposium at Baltic Centre of Contemporary Art
2020-21 Art-in-Action: co-curation of family programme with the Baltic Centre of Contemporary Art, as part of MFA at Northumbria University
2020 - 'Make it Now': commissioned by Kirkgate Theatre, Cumbria, an online community arts participatory project, creating 4 film prompts, with 24/7 social media support, culminating in online exhibition. Funded by Arts Council England Recovery Fund
2008-2018 - Co-founder and director of New Arts North, a social enterprise set up to design and deliver arts participatory projects in Cumbria; working with schools, arts venues, museums, the NHS (the Early Intervention into Psychosis teams), councils (for long-term mental health programs, and rurally/socially isolated communities) and inclusive arts organisations (working with young people with learning disabilities and autism); bringing in £290K of funding, including a research grant from Northern Rock Foundation of £60K; and contracting 10 other practitioners in that time. Our approach involved collective and rigorous experimentation and research with participants, using democratic models of engagement, a hybrid of the studio and social models of contemporary art practice. Many of the outcomes were self-evident, including public art commissions, festivals, exhibitions, film screenings, and publications. There was also a rise in participants' wellbeing, skills and confidence and their re-entry into education, employment and volunteering.
2015/6 'Tale of Ernest': resident visual artist for original piece of touring theatre co-written, produced and designed with young people with learning disabilities (across theatres in Cumbria and Isle of Man). 18-month project with Prism Arts based on research into the effect of Viking culture on Cumbria, particularly Viking mythology and traditional Sagas. Heritage Lottery-funded.
2014 Talking Tales: visual artist residency and commission, intergenerational project, Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, with exhibition and commissioning of 5 original works. Based on 50-year history of the theatre.
2013/14 'Dragon's Lantern’: resident visual artist for original piece of touring theatre co-written, produced and designed with young people with learning disabilities (across theatres in Cumbria and Yorkshire) 18-month Prism Arts project. Heritage Lottery-funded.
2013 ‘Growing Voices’ project: resident visual artist with Carlisle and Eden Mind, working with service-users to design and deliver workshops with the public to initiate conversations around mental health. 6-month project.
Public commissions
2016 - Multimedia installation for ‘Curate a Space’, for The Jetty Museum, Windermere. Working with steamboat collectors and volunteers.
2012 - St Begh’s recycled galleon, mixed media sculpture for St Beghs school, Whitehaven, collaboration with school children.
2016 - ‘Song of the Fireflies’ public mural, Keswick town facility, commissioned by Geraud Markets
2016 - ‘The Tiger comes to town’ public mural, Keswick town facility, commissioned by Keswick Enterprise Group
2015 – ‘‘Fairy Glen’ glass installation, Croft House, Sally’s Cottages Company, Keswick
2015 - Graphic panels for ‘Talking Tales’, Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, intergenerational oral history arts project, Heritage Lottery,
2015 - Interactive installation, ‘Transmitter Receiver’ touring New Arts Council Collection at Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery.
2011-13 - Lifematters Commissioned by Cumbria County Council to run an arts-in-health service throughout the county offering music, visual art and film. 142 people joined the service.
2012 - large wall murals for the recreation room, Psychiatric Intensive Care Ward, Carlton Clinic, Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, collaborating with a group of young people with psychosis
1999 - digital collage panels – Theatre by the Lake, for inaugural opening, charting theatre’s history.
Talks, courses and workshops
2018/2019 'How a Painting Speaks' lecture/workshop tour commencing at Tullie Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle. Incorporating arts-based participation, talks and discussion around the technical, scientific, philosophical and historical aspects of art, and the understanding of art.
2016 ‘Painted Tales’, Talks, workshops and secondary school workshops with Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery alongside Anselm Kiefer Artist Rooms touring exhibition
2016 ‘Introduction to portraiture’ workshop, Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle
2016 ‘What is arts-based enquiry?’ workshop (inclusively designed and hosted)– part of ‘Who is the Learner, who is the educator?’ seminar hosted by Prism Arts and Brewery Arts Centre
2014-2016 'Introduction to life-drawing' one-day courses for FE students, Lakes College West Cumbria
2013 ‘Setting up art projects within mental health groups’ workshop, part of ‘The Art of Participation’ Seminar co-hosted by Prism Arts and Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery
2005-2013 Adult education courses in Keswick and Cockermouth – ‘Introduction to Painting and Drawing’, ‘Life-drawing’.
Publications
2020 Case studied in 'Joshua Sofaer: Performance/Objects/Participation', Intellect Live, 2020
2017 ‘The Life of a House’, limited print by RightPrint, 2017, co-written and illustrated with children from Holme St Cuthberts Primary School, Mawbray, Cumbria
2002 ‘View from the Moon’, limited print, Lemuel Publishing. London, 2002
Public appointments
2018-19 Trustee of Kirkgate Arts, Cockermouth.
Press
Featured on BBC 'Home is Where the Art is' episode 7 (2018), Tatler, GQ, World of Interiors, and Cumbria Life Magazine.
Coverage on BBC Radio Cumbria, BBC Look North.