SUFFOLK ARTLINK - Key Persons
Alex grew up in Suffolk and returned again after university. She has worked for Suffolk Artlink in various roles since 2005 and became Co-director in 2011.
Alex works alongside Hayley to lead the organisation. This includes delivering Suffolk Artlink's strategic vision and mission and ensuring that the work we do is high quality and impactful.
She enjoys developing our core, long term projects such as Brave Art and Clown Round, as well as coming up with new ideas and approaches such as VR Adventures and Kirkley Creates.
When not at work, Alex is passionate about playing the violin, walking in the countryside with her dog and her Friday morning ballet class.
Having grown up in East Anglia, two years ago Alice returned to the region after two decades away. With a background in account management, well-being and the creative industries, Alice currently runs Creative Nation, a creative services agency, with her partner.
Alongside work, Alice has always maintained her passion for music and the visual arts in both her leisure time and in charitable and voluntary pursuits.
Alistair lives in Norfolk with his wife Pippa and their Norfolk Terrier, Bracken.
"Suffolk Artlink has an amazing board of trustee directors who give their time generously and freely to the charity. The trustees are from diverse backgrounds and their contribution is always interesting and very much valued. Recently, I have particularly enjoyed meeting Suffolk Artlink's learning disabled shadow trustees, Sally and Patrick, who have really impressed me with their creativity and wisdom."
Job Titles:
- Project Development Officer
Candida is originally from London, she arrived in Suffolk in 1979 by way of Norfolk, Kent and Spain. In 1984, she returned to London, by way of Cambridge, for a few years, before finally getting back to the county in 1990, and has lived here ever since.
For Candida, the best thing about being a part of Suffolk Artlink is "the joy of being in the moment - when you're working with a group of participants and artists and everything becomes possible - being challenged to think and act and be, outside my own comfort zone and encouraging others to step out of theirs, too. I always feel I get far more than I'm ever able to give."
Job Titles:
- Illustrator
- Project Development Officer
Charlie has worked as an illustrator for many years and previously managed Mencap projects across 9 boroughs in London, finding creative and holistic opportunities for adults with learning disabilities.
She manages our Brave Art programme: "My role entails working alongside the students to develop the themes and ideas and turning them into exciting courses. I particularly enjoy helping the students to develop their skills and find opportunities for them to show their work to a larger audience."
"I love the opportunity to work with so many inspiring and creative people. No day is ever the same. The students on the Brave Art project are full of ideas and enthusiasm which makes the job very inspiring. It's great to work with lots of fantastic artists and be part of exciting and rewarding projects."
"I'm passionate about illustration and drawing. When I'm not at Suffolk Artlink, I work as a freelance illustrator working on children's books. I've had several books published and worked on projects with Scope and Quentin Blake. I like to work in watercolour, gouache, pencil and ink. I love children's books and am influenced by Judith Kerr and Helen Oxenbury."
Chloe Pearson started with Suffolk Artlink as a Young Shadow Trustee through Community Action Suffolk's young trustee programme before joining as a full trustee in April 2021.
Chloe lives in Lowestoft, currently works at Lowestoft Record Office, as well as volunteering at Lowestoft Maritime Museum and Time and Tide Museum.
Damian is a freelance consultant working in arts and health, organisational development and community engagement. Based in Cambridge, he was previously Dialogue Manager at the Wellcome Genome Campus, and prior to this, he led Nesta's work supporting social movements to grow and develop. Before that, over 15 years, he was the Director of London Arts and Health alongside being Head of Arts at Cambridge University Hospitals. His early career was in theatre and he is passionate about the way that creativity can improve the health and well-being of everyone in society.
Emily is an Artist, Creative Technologist and Educator splitting their time between Lecturing in Digital Media Production at Anglia Ruskin University and Directing social enterprise Virtually There Studio CIC.
Emily's practice explores e-waste, immersive technologies and the environment to develop interactive experiences and exhibitions. Their work has been shown at exhibitions and festivals across the UK and Europe including Somerset House, Tate Modern and Spill Festival and has won awards for innovations in wellbeing and technology.
Job Titles:
- Project Development Officer
Fran Trained as a Stage Manager at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She worked for 10 years in rep theatre in the UK and Germany.
Hayley grew up on the Essex / London border and in her 20's, became interested in art therapy. Hayley gained experience in a day centre for people with learning disabilities and later joined the education team of a public art gallery, developing and managing community programmes.
Alongside Alex, Hayley provides strategic direction to Suffolk Artlink, as well as supporting the team to fundraise for, and deliver, a diverse programme of work.
Hayley is passionate about collaboration. She often applies this approach to her own practice as a visual artist, finding creative enrichment through working with others.
‘I love being part of such a passionate and kind team that puts so much focus on the people we work with.'
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Chairman of Primadonna Festival CIC
Jane Dyball was CEO of the MPA Group from 2014 - 2019. In November 2018 she won the Outstanding Contribution award at the Women in Music Awards, and in October 2019 she won an Ivors Academy Gold Badge Award.
Job Titles:
- Project Development Officer
Jen's role involves the support and development of the Curious Minds program. This program supports people with complex and chronic health needs through weekly creative and therapeutic workshops led by professional artists.
Jen is from Leicestershire and has a degree in Illustration and Graphic design. "I have many years of experience as a community artist working to support peoples wellbeing and mental health. I love working with mixed media and providing therapeutic creative workshops to support wellbeing and health. I am also a qualified dance, yoga and meditation teacher and teach movement classes supporting mental and physical wellbeing."
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Co - Chair of Trustees
Jeni trained as an actress and worked in film, TV and theatre, both nationally and internationally. She then re-trained to be a sign language interpreter specialising in working in the arts, which ironically provided Jeni with more acting opportunities of greater variety than she ever had working in the mainstream!
Jeni is also the Artistic Director of a theatre company, Fingersmiths, based at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich where Fingersmiths is an Associate company. Fingersmiths re-imagines modern classic plays for the 21st century working with Deaf actors and hearing actors presenting the plays in two languages, BSL and spoken English.
Job Titles:
- Project Development Officer
My role at Suffolk Artlink is Project officer for Little Beats. My role entails developing and facilitating community focused projects and creative networks and working with fabulous people. I loved working on Kirkley Creates and Wild About Kirkley, we spent a lot of time outdoors, learning about the environment and we got to try delicious foraged foods.
As well as being a Project Officer, I am also a visual artist. I was born in London, had fun growing up in rural Suffolk, returned to London to study and live. I went on to spend time in Berlin and South Korea and then returned to sunny Suffolk.
The best thing about being a part of Suffolk Artlink is being excited and inspired, being creative and having fun with lots of great people. I am passionate about Martial Arts, Drawing, Making music and eating delicious food.
A philosophy graduate, Kate also picked up a few skills as a numeracy tutor, lecturer in medical ethics and operations manager in Social housing. Kate leads and works with small and large teams creating bespoke services and building adaptable homes and loved her work with cooperatives and specialist, support focussed organisations.
Kate learnt about governance as a long-standing trustee and primary school governor. A Suffolk resident since 2012, Kate worked for 4 years at the Museum of East Anglian Life and enjoys time in her garden with her hens and other animals as well as time spent in Marrakesh and the High Atlas mountains.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Fellow
- Trustee
Keith, a chartered accountant (ICAEW), has worked for the NHS for 27 years of a career spanning 34 years. He currently works for Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System but has spent time working for acute, ambulance and regulator organisations across Essex and the West Midlands.
Keith is a Fellow of the educational charity the Healthcare Financial Management Association, as well as being a registered author, keen gardener, talentless sportsman and frustrated artist. Keith lives in Essex and is married with two adult children.
Maddie was born and brought up in Suffolk. After 20 years away at University and in work, Maddie returned with her young family to the County she loves. Maddie is currently Chief Operating Officer for Ipswich and East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group and Health and Care Alliance.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Head of Business Development at the Salad Kitchen
Mark is Head of Business Development at The Salad Kitchen, an independent chain of restaurants across central London, and the founder of Perspective Project, an organisation tackling mental health stigma through art and creativity. Mark is an ambitious, socially conscious professional, with experience growing organisations from the ground up, focussing on creating mutual value for the benefit of society.
Miles grew up in Ipswich and now lives in Stowmarket. They are an avid festival-goer, often found spending their summers attending and working at numerous events around the UK.
In their role as Administrator, Miles supports the whole team on a day-to-day basis. They are also Suffolk Artlink's equality, diversity and inclusion officer. In this role, Miles helps to ensure our work both represents, and is available to, everyone.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Chief Executive of the Britten - Pears Foundation
- Co - Chair of Trustees
Sarah Bardwell is the Chief Executive of the Britten-Pears Foundation which promotes the musical legacy of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, through an extensive archive and library, and by welcoming visitors to the Red House at the five acre site in Aldeburgh where they lived together for 20 years. The Foundation runs an active education, events and concert programme, as well as promoting the arts more widely through grant giving to other charities.
Previously Sarah was the Director of Handel House Museum, managing a series of highly-acclaimed exhibitions, musical programmes and ground-breaking education projects. During her eleven year tenure she led the organisation through a £4 million capital project to secure a long lease for the property, followed by a £2m HLF-supported building project to incorporate a learning studio and the Jimi Hendrix flat into what became Handel and Hendrix in London
A music graduate, she has worked at the Royal Albert Hall, English National Opera and undertook a year-long arts leadership fellowship at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, USA.
Simon originally began his career directing theatre for a new touring company in Suffolk before moving into television. As a director, producer, editor Simon landed on his feet with a new opportunity on a weekly youth magazine show for ITV back in the 90's. This led into a TV development role before he established his own Suffolk based production company which made documentaries, brand films and content for the music industry. With a number of commissions for broadcasters and commercial organisations Simon then moved into a Creative Director role for various multi-platform campaigns in London before coming back to East Anglia to become the Creative Director for the well-established agency, Production bureau. Simon has stayed connected to local arts organisations and events such as The Cut and HighTide writing festival by fulfilling various roles throughout his career.
Job Titles:
- Project Development Officer
Siobhan was born in Gorleston, near Great Yarmouth and lived there most of her life until she moved to Bury St Edmunds around 9 years ago. Siobhan joined Suffolk Artlink in January 2019 and now manages the Friends Around the Table programme.
"I love seeing the difference the arts and creativity makes to the lives of the people we work with. Exploring new and exciting artforms alongside our participants and artists is incredibly exciting and I love to see how creative people are."
I love spending time outside, on walks, usually with a muddy dog, or in my garden. I also love to explore new places, both in the UK and further afield!