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What is your current role and how long have you been working in it?
I’ve been working here since April 2003. My current role is curator. I am involved in the planning and/or delivery of all the exhibitions and displays at Tate St Ives, which change three times per year. I also manage, with the team, the Tate St Ives Artist Residency programme, as well as touring shows and give talks and tours for the education department.
Has your role or job changed much throughout you time with Tate?
My job has broadened. I write grant applications, manage catalogues and publications, and have been involved in the acquisition of a ceramics collection at Tate St Ives. I am also part of the Tate St Ives Phase Two project development team.
What qualifications and skills do you need for your current job?
A background in art and art history and understanding of the function of galleries and museums. I have a degree in art and art history and a post-graduate in museology and I am still studying a further course in contemporary art histories. You need great passion for your subject and an enquiring mind, enjoy working with people and also be able to meet deadlines, plan ahead and spin several plates at once. I aspire to many of these!
Where did you work before you joined Tate and what were the previous jobs you did?
I’ve worked in different galleries as a freelance curator, exhibitions assistant and many different roles at Lemington Spa Art Gallery, a project space at Stratford Gallery and at the National Library of Wales.
Describe a typical working day
Nothing is typical. I can be programming meetings, working with artists, toting up budgets, writing project briefs for the next season, it is very varied as my role is so broad.
What attracted you to the job in the first place?
What is special at Tate St Ives is that you have access to an internationally renowned collection in the far reaches of Cornwall. It’s a small dedicated team within a very large organisation, and it is in one of the most beautiful areas of the country.
Describe the creative aspects of your job
Creating exhibitions, working with artists, thinking about how to present and develop a show, laying out and working within the space, programming a season of work that connects and counterpoints, making different relationships between local and international as well as contemporary and historical art.
Please describe a difficult or important decision you had to make in regards to your career
Deciding not to work as an artist, and going down the curatorial route. I was always more interested in what other people were doing in their studios than what was going on in mine.
What are the most rewarding and most difficult aspects of you job?
The most rewarding is seeing projects coming to fruition, and delivering talks and tours means you are at the front line of people experiencing the work; you get very direct and honest feedback.
What advice would you give to young people who are interested in doing your job?
Brace yourselves. Work hard. Find out what aspect of gallery work you are interested in, get as much work experience as possible, make sure you have a real passion for your subject as the administrative and organisational aspects are so great you need to really love it. You have to be very organised, which is sometimes difficult if you are a creative person.
Do you have any advice, links, websites or places that you could recommend for people who are interested in your job?
Look at any arts magazines and journals, the Museums Journal and Arts Professional, also the Guardian has a large arts jobs section. Speaking to people in galleries and volunteering is a good way to start networking and obtaining mutually beneficial experience.
