|
My background is in theatre producing, and I’ve had the opportunity to work on some great projects over the years – from award-winning productions, site-specific event theatre to touring theatres across the country. After working in London & Liverpool, I came back to Hull for our year as City of Culture producing projects like The Last Testament of Lillian Bilocca at the Guildhall, before joining Middle Child, Hull’s much-loved theatre company. During 5 years with the company, I had two kids and we all went through a global pandemic - so I stepped away from leadership for a bit. In 2024, when the role at Artlink was advertised, I came to the launch night of Luis & Sebastian Bustamante’s Cold Junction. The art was world-class, and the atmosphere was gorgeous - warm, welcoming, inclusive, vibrant. I’d had missed working with artists and creating experiences for audiences in the city in which I grew up, as well as leading a team, so I decided to apply. Now, having led an arts organisation in the city previously, I knew what I was getting myself into. With big ambitions and limited budgets, there is always a lot of pressure. Add into the mix that I grew up in Hull, live in the community we serve, and know what the organisation means to people, and well the pressure feels well and truly on. As a community arts organisation, Artlink is dedicated to bringing the creative arts to everyone, especially people who haven't had the chance before. Since joining the team, I’ve been reminded of the importance of creativity through participating in a range of events such as; our artist development group Streams, our in-house learning programme 87 Gallery Explorers, our disabled artists group Open Access and our community workshops for those seeking sanctuary. I loved pulling my own screen print with our in-house studio MiscPrintCo and watch this space for give it a go sessions that you can get involved in. Our exhibition programme is extraordinary; the care and craft of the team alongside the artists we commission is second to none and artists who’ve worked with us have gone onto work with Humber Street Gallery, The Feren’s, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Hayward Gallery London and the Venice Biennale. Nurturing artists and living our values are important to us and we’re thinking about how we can share the process of making new work with you. We’re going to start by handing over this newsletter to the team and artists we work with to share insights from behind the scenes.
|
