Author: Guy Armitage

Catherine Hemelryk lives and works in Derry/Londonderry. She is Director of the Centre for Contemporary Art Derry~Londonderry (CCA). At CCA Catherine curates CCA’s international programme of experimental, contemporary art supporting emerging practice through exhibitions, publishing, research, residencies and more as well as leads the team and acting as an advocate for the sector. Catherine led the organisation to becoming Finalists for Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2021 for their innovative work supporting artists and audiences during the coronavirus Pandemic.

Catherine is a MA Curating Contemporary Art graduate of the Royal College of Art, London, BA (hons) Fine Art from Newcastle University and studied Politics & Government with the Open University. She has worked at various institutions across Europe including Curator at CAC Vilnius and Artistic Director at NN Contemporary Art, Northampton (now Arts Collective). Under Catherine’s leadership, NN gained NPO status from Arts Council England.

She has participated in curatorial residencies at HMK Hoorn, GeoAIR Tbilisi, Sea Foundation, Tilburg and was selected as a participant in the first cohort of the Escalator Retreat programme at Wysing Arts Centre. She has an artist-centered approach to curating and interests include politically-active artists, science fiction and narrative, modernism, brutalism, structures and movement and creating platforms to support artists’ professional development, experimentation and marginalized voices.

Catherine is a member of the Northern Ireland Art Network and Fellow of the RSA. She is a board member of Axisweb and joined the BAN Steering Group in 2025.

Alyson Tipping is Executive Director of First Light Festival CIC, a multi-arts not-for-profit based in Lowestoft, Suffolk — the UK’s most easterly point and the first place to see the sunrise. To celebrate the summer solstice, the CIC delivers the UK’s only free beach festival on Lowestoft’s golden sands across the weekend closest to the longest day, featuring visual art, music, spoken word, dance, youth and community activity. FLF CIC also run the iconic East Point Pavilion which has a programme of year-round free and low-cost arts and community activity, and the organisation has just completed a two-year Arts Council England Place Partnership Project, The Battery of Ideas, a project testing programming, operations and design ideas linked to a new cultural hub that’s being built in the town.

Alyson chairs the Lowestoft Cultural Education Partnership and sits on the Executive Board of the Norfolk and Suffolk Music Hub.

Previous roles with East Suffolk Council, Eastern Angles Theatre Company and DanceEast have focussed on project management, community engagement and organisational development.

Emer Grant is the Artistic Director and CEO of Arts Collective (formerly NN Contemporary Art), a contemporary arts organisation and National Portfolio Organisation based in Northampton. Since her appointment in 2020, she has led the organisation’s strategic transformation, including securing and delivering a £5.2 million capital redevelopment, establishing a new permanent home for the institution and redefining its role as a civic cultural space and new model for artist-led organisations in the 21st century.

Her work focuses on contemporary art, artist-led infrastructures, institutional models, public space and interdisciplinary approaches to cultural production. She has curated exhibitions, commissions and public programmes internationally with organisations including Hessel Museum of Art, ISCP, Stroom Den Haag, Void Gallery and Oolite Arts (formerly ArtCenter/South Florida).

Grant studied at Bard College (CCS Bard), the University of York and the University of Brighton. She was selected as an Independent Curators International Fellow and has held visiting teaching and advisory positions, including at the Royal College of Art and Bard College MFA. Her writing has appeared in publications including Rhizome, Electronic Beats and The Miami Rail. She currently serves on the Area Council of Arts Council England and is a Trustee of Northamptonshire Black History Association. Grant contributes nationally to conversations on artist development, institutional innovation and the future of artist-led cultural infrastructure.

Louisa Bartlett-Pestell is CEO and Artistic Director of Stanley Arts, where she leads the organisation’s artistic vision and strategic direction. With over two decades of experience across culture, arts, and community engagement, she has worked extensively with artists and partners to develop ambitious, inclusive programmes that champion cultural participation and equitable access to the arts.

She was previously Director of Programming and Participation at artsdepot and has held roles at Perth International Arts Festival, Southbank Centre and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Her work spans festival and venue programming, creative production, cultural policy, and international cultural development, informed by a commitment to lifelong learning and the social impact of the arts.

Nathan Tromans is an Associate Professor and Head of Art & Design at Birmingham City University. An inter-disciplinary artist with a Bachelors degree in Photography and a Master’s in Contemporary Arts & Music, his practice crosses boundaries between photography, moving image, sound, songwriting and performance.

Based at Birmingham’s historic School of Art in Margaret Street, he oversees undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees in Fine Art, Art & Design with Creative Technologies, Entertainment Design, Illustration, Graphic Design, Product Design, Digital Marketing, Visual Communication and Future Media. His reach extends to China and Thailand where he is responsible for Graphic Design at Birmingham Institute of Fashion & Creative Arts in Wuhan and Visual Communication at Silpakorn University International College in Bangkok.

Daryl Branch is a cultural leader, producer and creative strategist with more than 20 years’ experience working across arts, culture, participation and community development. As Artistic Director and CEO of  Arts Outburst, he leads an ambitious programme of creative work across Thurrock and South Essex, developing projects that connect communities through theatre, festivals, creative health, youth engagement and large-scale participatory events.

Daryl is particularly recognised for his place-based approach to cultural leadership, creating projects that blend artistic excellence with social impact. Under his leadership, Arts Outburst became an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation and has developed major initiatives including Get Creative Festival, Light Up Thurrock, Thurrock CAN and a wide range of youth, wellbeing and artist development programmes. His work frequently brings together local residents, artists, schools, health partners and public agencies to co-create meaningful cultural experiences rooted in community voice and identity.

Alongside his producing and leadership work, Daryl has a professional background in performance and musical theatre, training at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. He is currently completing an MBA in Senior Cultural Leadership at the University of Wolverhampton, with a research focus on sustainable creative health models and place-based cultural leadership within emerging devolution contexts.

His practice combines strategic thinking with hands-on creative delivery, spanning outdoor arts, festivals, participatory performance, creative consultation, cultural strategy and partnership development. Daryl is passionate about building long-term creative infrastructure in places that are often underserved by arts investment and believes strongly in the power of culture to strengthen communities, improve wellbeing and create opportunities for future generations.

Oliver is the Director of acta, a large community theatre and Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation based in Bristol. He has previously worked for organisations including Cambridge Junction, Trestle, Theatre Royal Plymouth, and the National Youth Theatre. He was also previously the Director of Creativity Works, an arts and health creative organisation based in Somerset. He has worked extensively both in the UK and abroad as a Director, theatre practitioner, and actor. He lives in Somerset with his family and various pets.

Almir Koldzic is Director and Co-Founder of Counterpoints Arts, a leading UK-based organisation working at the intersection of arts, migration, and social change. His work focuses on developing innovative creative strategies and building national networks to support artists from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

Over the past decade, Almir has led the development of long-term collaborations with leading UK and international arts, cultural, advocacy, and philanthropic organisations. He has curated and produced a wide range of programmes and commissions exploring themes of displacement, diversity, and social justice, helping to shape a more inclusive cultural landscape.

Almir is also Creative Director of Counterpoint Productions — a new film production studio dedicated to championing stories of migration and displacement; and a co-founder of the Footnote x Counterpoints Prize — an initiative supporting and amplifying writers from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

Philip Northcott is a Curator and Arts Producer who has over 20 years experience working with national and international artists.

He coordinated the first UK re-staging of Daniel Buren’s Voile Toile / Toile Voile in the Lake District and a significant exhibition for Cumbria of US Abstract Expressionism, Guston in Grasmere.

Since 2018 he has curated and programmed projects for the award winning arts organisation Signal; including Felicity Hammond’s Lumen Prize winning In Defence of Industry, West Coast Photo Festival, Stine Deja’s Troubled Waters, and Askam in Furness: Chris Killip.

Working with Signal, Philip has mentored and developed emerging artists through the organization’s popular and innovative annual Artist Lab.

Siân Addicott is an arts professional and educator with extensive experience in the cultural sector and wider creative industries.

She is currently Director of Ffotogallery in Cardiff, Wales and has a background in higher education, photographic practice, and visual culture.

Her work focuses on supporting emerging and underrepresented artists, with a particular interest in feminist practice and strengthening the visibility of marginalised voices in the arts.