Artistic Projects

The Takeover Festival is a youth and emerging artist programme taking place at The Customs House every year. Through my role at the South Tyneside-based arts organisation, I launched and lead on the festival in 2015.

Taking place across The Customs House, The Takeover Festival engaged young creatives and arts leaders in delivering theatre, film, gallery and dance projects.

I curated the artistic programme at The Word - Centre for the Written Word through my work for The Customs House.

Working with staff from across the South Tyneside's library service, I managed a large number of projects and appointed artists with international significance including Niel Bushnell, Jo Hislop and Eric MacLennan.

I managed Blueprint Artist Moving Image programme for North East Screen, supporting emerging artists to create five new video productions.

This Arts Council England-funded project was delivered in partnership with Middlesbrough Institute for Modern Art (MIMA) and The Auxiliary. Participants took part in masterclasses and mentoring sessions and exhibited their work at MIMA.

Art Heroes was the name of my comic book publishing and educational workshop company with artist and animator Lee Robinson.

Inspired by our shared love of comics and the challenges I faced learning to read at a young age, we published 6 comic books, and delivered workshops for thousands of young people at schools, libraries and festivals across the North of England.

I delivered a youth film project, Custom Reels, which incorporated film screenings, educational visits and a weekly filmmaking group for 13 to 19 year olds.

The programme engaged hundreds of young people from across Tyne and Wear, introducing them to inspirational film professionals, and resulted in the creation of projects screened at international film festivals.

Sugar Glider - the Geordie Kitchen Sink Superhero - was created with the artist Gary Bainbridge.

Selling out of multiple print-runs through convention appearances, independent comic shops and online sales, Sugar Glider was a consistently well-reviewed series.

The character appeared in three full-length comic books, two bumper-sized anthologies, a mini comic and one comic strip.