Curriculum Vitae

Environment and culture

Work experience

May 2018 – present: Founding Director of Climate Museum UK

Projects and achievements include:

  • Training sessions for museums & heritage professionals across the UK and Europe, online and in-person.
  • Wild World: developing museum training, six workshops for teachers, and a display for young people, for the South Downs National Park
  • Activist Museum Award supported by University of Leicester, an enquiry into the links between climate and colonial histories, and exploring ideas for an ‘eco lens’ on digital cultural collections.
  • Possitopia Norwich: local programme of role play walks, eco lens tours, a festival, network groups and a potential public space
  • Ecologies in Practice with Goldsmiths College: collaborative project on arts-based methods for engaging young people in the Earth crisis
  • Imagine Futures: a programme and website for Festival Bridge in East Anglia, enabling young people to imagine possible futures in the Earth crisis
  • Once Upon A Planet: collaboration with Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, Carlisle. 4 staff training sessions and mentoring of an emerging artist, Megan Bowyer
  • Listening Project for A New Direction: consultative research on young people, cultural learning & the Earth crisis
  • For Eco Visionaries exhibition at Royal Academy: participatory workshop to create an Earth First city, and a pop-up installation of our collections
  • For Among the Trees exhibition at Hayward Gallery: training workshops for teachers, and workshop for three primary schools, linking climate and trees
  • For the ‘Lost Girl’ exhibition by Kate McMillan at Kings College London: three workshops for students and public
  • Lewisham Local: running Creative Climate Conversations with Lewisham residents

March 2006-present: Founding Director of Flow Associates

I founded Flow Associates with Mark Stevenson, and since 2010 helped form a sister branch in India. Since 2015 my co-director is Susanne Buck. In 2019, I became part time to set up Climate Museum UK, and Alex Flowers joined Flow as a director. In Flow, we bring teams of excellent people together to support cultural organisations with learning and digital strategies and research. Small selection of typical projects:

  • Scoping a Global Education Initiative and Children’s Programme for the Natural History Museum
  • Developing Natural World principles for the Horniman Museum
  • Evaluating the public engagement work for the Livestock, Environment and People research initiative at University of Oxford
  • Evaluating the Science Gallery London, overseen by KCL
  • Evaluating public engagement work on Dark Matter at KCL
  • Future Views: Research and creative consultative workshops for three Bridge organisations to imagine the future of cultural learning
  • Evaluation of the Happy Museums Project
  • Mapping the use of technology in the heritage sector to inform HLF policy
  • Research to inform ACE strategy on commissioning digital services for children, young people and the education sector
  • Evaluation of the National Museums Online Learning Project
  • Advising English Heritage on collections, education and outreach strategy
  • Advocacy for Open Culture digital strategy with Collections Trust & MLA
  • Delivered the National Collections Online Study for national museums & Culture24
  • Facilitation of schools creative enquiry projects for Creative Partnerships.

2002-2006           Head of Learning at the British Library

As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, I was responsible for an organisation-wide learning strategy, I set up and managed the British Library Learning team, who ran workshops, major projects and websites based on principles of ‘creative enquiry’. The role included: Chair of Public & Learning Web Group; negotiating joint projects with BBC; developing new public exhibitions; partnerships with universities; representing BL on national education policies. I also devised three Strategic Commissioning projects for DCMS/DfES, including Campaign: make an impact, a successful nationwide project.

1999-2002           Cultural learning consultant, including:

  • Teaching, training teachers and evaluating projects for many galleries and museums, including Tate Modern & Tate Britain
  • Lead consultant for Clore Duffield Foundation (especially for The Artworks Awards)
  • Co-ordinating museum partnerships for the Workers Educational Association
  • Writing books & articles, published by engage review, The Art Book & Heinemann & editor of engagements, printed newsletter for gallery education

1998      Young at Art Coordinator, University of the Arts

I set up 40 courses, 12 awards, teacher training & careers initiative for 5 art colleges, for the first widening participation programme at the University of the Arts (previously the London Institute).

I managed the Tate Education programme for 100,000 school visitors, including teacher training, special projects, study days and education resources. This role included: Curating 15 project exhibitions; co-devising programmes for families, youth, art students and community groups; representing Education on the Displays Committee; helping to develop Tate Modern and the website www.tate.org.uk

1985-2000           Formative work experiences & traineeships, including:

  • 1995-2000 engage (National Association for Gallery Education), executive for London organising training events, research projects and newsletters
  • 1993: Brighton Hospital Arts, Cross-arts work with disabled people
  • 1991: Brighton Museums & Art Gallery, Voluntary education assistant
  • 1991: Teaching Art History at Brighton College of Technology
  • 1990-1991: Sussex Archaeological Society, 1 year as a trainee and 3 months as Education Officer
  • 1987: Brighton Museums & Art Gallery, voluntary exhibitions assistant
  • 1985-6: Norwich Castle Museum, 1 year Full Time as a curatorial assistant. Research for Dutch Painting in Norfolk & other exhibitions.

Qualifications

  • 1998-2002: Chelsea College of Art & Design, MA in Art History
  • 1991-1992: University of Brighton, Post Graduate Certificate in Education
  • 1990-1991: BCT, City & Guilds Certificate in Further & Adult Education
  • 1986-1989: University of Sussex, BA Hons in History of Art