KOESTLER TRUST - Key Persons
Andrea Rose is Former Director of Visual Arts at The British Council. Her first involvement with Koestler Arts came through working with Jeremy Deller at the Venice Biennale in 2013 to exhibit the work of prisoners who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Andrea said, "It was eye-opening to see what this meant - for the artists, for their families, and for the art world in general. I am proud to have joined Koestler as a Trustee since then, and to support their extraordinary work." Andrea is a member of the Arts Steering Group and has been a Trustee since 2014.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees
Ariane Bankes is the niece of Arthur Koestler, founder of the Koestler Trust (now Koestler Arts). After a career in publishing, she became an independent writer, art critic and curator, and is a passionate advocate for the role of the arts in rehabilitation. She was involved in launching the Koestler Arts mentoring programme and chairs the Arts Steering Group.
Job Titles:
- Arts Team Assistant ( P / T )
Beth has been part of the Arts Team since 2018. She enjoys being part of an organisation that encourages people to make art using whatever material is available.
Carl Hardwick is Governor of HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Drake Hall in Staffordshire. As a keen advocate of the power of art in custodial settings, Carl is passionate about the work of Koestler Arts and the positive impact it has on both the women he looks after and the UK's wider prison population. Carl is particularly interested in studio pottery and the art of Middle Eastern textile weaving. He has been a Trustee since 2018.
Job Titles:
- Arts and Outreach Officer ( P / T )
Charis helps organise outreach projects around our Awards programme to engage new entrants & audiences. She particularly enjoys working on events for families of exhibited artists.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Trustees
- National Chair of the Independent Monitoring Boards
Dame Anne Owers is the National Chair of the Independent Monitoring Boards. Previously Dame Anne was Chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission and Chair of Trustees of Clinks, the national umbrella organisation for charities that work with people in the criminal justice system and their families. From 2001 to 2009, Anne was HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, and prior to that, she was Director of the human rights charity Justice. Anne has been Chair of Trustees at Koestler Arts since 2013.
David Banks is Former Chief Executive of GSL Justice Services (now part of G4S) and a former member the Youth Justice Board. He is currently Director of Hyde Housing Association and the Disclosure and Barring Service. David is a violinist in Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra and has sat on the Board of Koestler Arts since 2013.
Ellie is responsible for managing the Arts Mentoring Scheme. Being able to follow mentees journeys & successes throughout their time on the project is the best part of the job.
Fina worked as an Arts Assistant for 2 years before rejoining the Outreach Team. She enjoys visiting establishments to witness the creativity of Koestler's entrants first-hand.
regarding Koestler Awards administration, exhibitions, artwork sales and artwork feedback: fiona@koestlerarts.org.uk
Fiona manages all aspects of public programmes. She loves the mix of emotion & humour in Koestler artworks & seeing the response of curators, families & visitors to unique pieces.
Gary Mansfield was a long-term prisoner when he discovered art. From his cell, he corresponded with some of the biggest names in British contemporary art, who guided him towards a Fine Art degree. Gary is now an artist, curator and host of the ‘Ministry of Arts' podcast, and has collaborated with many of the artists that once supported him. Gary was appointed as a Trustee in 2019.
Izzy joined Koestler as a volunteer and now works as part of the Arts Team. She enjoys artworks which tell stories and deepen our understanding of the artists' experiences.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the Board of Trustees
Jane Gillespie was introduced to the work of Koestler Arts during her time as a London Magistrate - first as part of a team of curators and now as a Trustee and Treasurer. After a career of over 20 years in the finance sector and 10 in the administration of educational charities, she is now retired. Jane believes strongly in the importance of rehabilitation in prison and the prevention of re-offending.
Job Titles:
- Digital Engagement and Communications Manager
Jenni looks after our website & social media, spreading the word about our projects & exhibitions. She loves introducing people to our work & sharing unique artworks & stories.
Jessica joined the arts team in 2019. She enjoys working with the visual pieces and spending time reading the stories of how and why each piece came to be.
Jo is responsible for the regional exhibition programme. Jo enjoys bringing different groups together to create an exhibition. She likes Iguanas.
Jon joined Koestler in 2020. He loves seeing the impact that our Awards have for entrants & meeting the brilliant people who support our work. His favourite entries are poetry.
Lara is the first point of contact for arts awards related enquiries and works on awards marketing and exhibitions and event support.
Laura leads on the administration of the Koestler Awards - sending out entry forms, recruiting our amazing judges, and issuing thousands of certificates and prizes.
Lucie's job is to make sure the office is running smoothly, which usually means doing a bit of everything! Lucie is keen on any artwork involving horses, cats or birds.
Mali joined the fundraising team in 2016 & loves working in a team where you can do a bit of everything. Her favourite part of the job is getting to know our fantastic supporters.
Mark oversees our database and the processing of the Awards entry forms. As a former actor, he is particularly interested in the script submissions.
Job Titles:
- Finance Officer ( P / T )
Robaitul joined Koestler Arts in 2018 to look after our finances, making sure everything runs smoothly.
Nick Bowlby has been an art dealer for almost all of his working life, first dealing in early English watercolours, and then moving on to Modern British and contemporary art. Nick first became aware of Koestler Arts when he was shown a garage full of artworks by the winner of the first Koestler Award for painting. He took an exhibition of his work out into the London art world and from that time began to understand better the power of creating, not only for those artists backed into dark places by circumstance but also their audience.
Job Titles:
- Senior Arts and Exhibitions Assistant
Phoebe is responsible for our wonderful volunteers who help us throughout the year. Coming from a publishing background, she enjoys all the different styles of written entries.
Richard Heaton is an experienced charity Trustee and former civil servant, most recently Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice. He is a lifelong art enthusiast, and currently a student of art history. Richard has for many years been a supporter of the role of creativity in custodial establishments.
Robert Taylor is a photographer specialising in portraits of strong women and multi-media collaborations. He has work in various collections including the National Portrait Gallery, The V&A and the Royal Society. In 2007 he completed a project called ‘Inside Out/Outside In', an exploration of creativity as a part of rehabilitation through portraits and interviews, created in prison, with award-winning artists. Robert judges the photography category of the Koestler Awards and has been a Trustee since 2010.
Roger Hill is a lifelong supporter of the Arts with a significant family history of artists and musicians. Roger has always worked in criminal justice including as Director of the National Probation Service, and since 2011 in the private sector, as Director for Community and Partnership at Sodexo Justice Services. Roger was appointed as a Trustee in 2019.
Sally's career has spanned running an opera company, including producing work in prisons, working with musicians, universities, in arts sponsorship & for Arts Council England.
Job Titles:
- Director of Outreach
- Director of Outreach and Involvement
regarding mentoring and scholarships, family days, establishment visits, exhibition tours and hosts: sarah@koestlerarts.org.uk
They can be reached on 020 8740 0333 or by writing to the Koestler Arts postal address.
Sarah joined Koestler Arts to set up our mentoring scheme. Since 2009 she's led on the development of our outreach work, including managing evaluations into the impact of our work.
Stephen Chambers RA is a British artist living and working in Berlin and London. His work is shown and held in collections around the world. He was elected as a Royal Academy member in 2005. Stephen has been a Trustee since 2013. On the importance of the work of Koestler Arts, Stephen said, "There are no votes in prison reform, and prisons are nothing if not boring. Art is, after all, the only means of running away from home without leaving the room."