United Kingdom – Derby Museums, The Bowes Museum, and NAS are thrilled to announce the 18 dynamic individuals selected to the 2024 cohort of UK Creative Community Fellows. This innovative programme, supported by Arts Council England, unites cultural entrepreneurs across the UK, offering them the tools, knowledge, and networks to catalyse positive change in their communities through arts and culture.
“Since its launch in 2020, UK Creative Community Fellows has shown the great benefits of nurturing and investing in people working to enrich their communities through culture,” said Tony Butler, Executive Director of Derby Museums. “I’m so pleased that we are supporting this new cohort of dedicated and talented individuals, exposing them to new ideas and connections, which they’ll draw on to develop their practice and make their communities better places to live.”
UK Creative Community Fellows empowers a diverse group of artists, community organisers, administrators, and creative entrepreneurs from around the UK to drive social and physical transformation within their communities through arts and culture projects. The fellowship’s eight-month journey begins in April 2024 and includes a unique blend of in-person learning during a mini-retreat in Derby and five-day convening in Yorkshire, online group sessions facilitated by leadership coaches, and more. This year’s programme features a robust curriculum co-created by UK Creative Community Fellows alumni to ensure fellows gain relevant and proven tools for advancing their projects.
“Joining UK Creative Community Fellows as a partner is an exciting step for The Bowes Museum. We are delighted to assist in shaping this vital learning experience for arts and culture leaders,” said Hannah Fox, Executive Director of The Bowes Museum. “As an alum of NAS’ international version of this programme, I’ve experienced first-hand the profound impact it can have on one’s approach to community engagement and project development. The projects these fellows are bringing to the programme will have lasting ripple effects on many communities throughout the UK.”
This year’s fellows were selected from Edinburgh to London for their exceptional creativity, commitment to community development, and potential to enact change. Together, they will build a community of practice strengthened by their broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and expertise.
The 2024 UK Creative Community Fellows are:
- Sylvain Ayité | Edinburgh, Scotland
- Alice Briggs | Aberystwyth, Wales
- Lucie De Lacy | Chesterfield, England
- Rosanagh Fuller | Broadstairs, England
- Gabriella Gay | Staffordshire, England
- Maria Gonzalez | London, England
- Sophie Gresswell | Bolsover, England
- Sharon Hockin | Ripon, England
- Jafar Iqbal | Cardiff, Wales
- Tom Jones | Birmingham, England
- Cat McGill | Leek, England
- William Rees | London, England
- Catherine Robson | Crawleyside, England
- Nadia Saeed | Leeds, England
- Aisling Serrant | Manchester, England
- Adam Slater | Nottingham, England
- Dan Webber | Codnor, England
- Finn White | Bristol, England
Discover the UK Creative Community Fellows cohort here and follow their journey online with #UKCCF. Learn more about the programme here.
About Derby Museums
Derby Museums is an independent charitable trust which is responsible for the rich cultural and creative history of Derby. It manages three sites across the city, the Museum and Art Gallery, Pickford’s House and the Museum of Making at Derby Silk Mill, and holds and curates the art and collections within them, including the world’s largest collection of paintings by Joseph Wright of Derby.
Derby Museums aims to bring as many of the objects and treasures in the collections into the public domain as is practically possible and present them in ways that delight and inspire, via education and learning programmes, events and exhibitions, in order to share knowledge and inspire creativity and making amongst the people of Derby.
As a charity Derby Museums relies on funding and grants from organisations and donations from businesses and the general public, all of which is gratefully received in order to ensure that admission to the museums remains free for all. Learn more at derbymuseums.org
About NAS
Established in 1983, NAS has been at the forefront of leadership development in the arts and culture sector for four decades. Its mission is to build and support a diverse community of arts and culture leaders who drive inspiring change for the future. In addition to leadership development, NAS offers coaching and a powerful network to arts and culture leaders at every stage of their careers. NAS has trained and supported more arts and culture leaders than any other organization in the field. Learn more at artstrategies.org
About Arts Council England
Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. Learn more at artscouncil.org.uk
About The Bowes Museum
The Bowes Museum is a charity managing a Grade 1-listed accredited museum and Grade 2-listed parkland in Barnard Castle, County Durham, UK. Founded by Joséphine & John Bowes 150+ years ago, this purpose-built Museum brings together an extraordinary collection of European fine and decorative art as a cultural resource for the people of Northern England, where today we celebrate artists, designers and makers. The Bowes Museum receives funding from Durham County Council and, as a National Portfolio Organisation, receives support from Arts Council England. Learn more at thebowesmuseum.org.uk
