Digital Dialogues

Digital Dialogues is a new series of conversations convened by CVAN EM involving artists, curators, producers and others with a connection to our programme. Our aim, through the conversations, is to create another dimension to ongoing or past projects and to amplify the work of artists and organisations in or with a connection to the region.

Our first conversation in June, was with Ruth Singer, an award-winning artist-maker based in Leicester, with 15 years professional experience and a previous career in museums. Her work comprises exhibitions, projects and residencies as well as collaborations and commissions, mainly working in textile with print, mixed media and installation work. She often works with heritage and draw heavily on a previous career in museums, using the skills learned and concepts studied. She is also a writer, tutor, consultant and mentor. She talked about her art practice, collaborative projects and working with institutions, and what making art looked like during lockdown. Ruth is a contributor to Meet the Artist.

This was followed in July by a conversation with Northampton-based artist Sally Sheinman and Andrea Hadley-Johnson, Artistic Programme Manager at the National Justice Museum, about their collaboration with men living in HMPS Nottingham. Sally is a prolific painter with an interest in contemporary technology and its potential uses in art production. She is a conscientious artist with a deep concern for communities (past, present and mythical), people, science and the role of the individual as a contextual starting point for creating accessible but thought provoking work. Andrea is a creative producer and curator who currently works as the Artistic Programme Manager for the National Justice Museum, developing exhibitions and creative interventions that explore ideas of crime, justice and creativity. She works closely with artists and communities of people to coproduce exhibitions that bring people together to discover and share perspectives. Her work is experimental, representative, playful and quietly activist in approach. She works with people outside the museum to shape and inform what happens inside the museum. Sally and Andrea are contributors to Meet the Artist and Curating the East Midlands.

We’re planning more Digital Dialogues. Sign up to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter for more details.