Nicki Gardner

After completing a degree in Ceramics in the late 90’s, Nicki developed a freelance career as a museum curator, with the express intention of this part-time ‘professional’ work enabling her to keep working as an artist/maker. A victim of her own success, although she has exhibited from time to time, Nicki has since spent most of the last 20 years managing collections and exhibitions of other artists, for instance at the Crafts Study Centre, Bath and Bilston Craft Gallery in Wolverhampton, and more recently working as a local government arts officer, organising the UK edition of the international Black/North SEAS festival on the Lincolnshire coast.

Finally, in recent months Nicki has achieved a complete reversal and is now kick-starting her career as an artist whilst undertaking occasional work as an arts consultant as well as being a Trustee of the Irene Wellington Educational Trust and member of the East Midlands Artists in Rural Areas Network steering group.

John Holmes

Chair: John Holmes of BBC Nottingham

John was lured to Nottingham in the 1960s by the reputation of Nottingham Playhouse. When he joined BBC Radio Nottingham in 1970 he made sure that as a presenter he championed the arts, particularly the local music scene and theatre: something he continues to do to this day, and he is a regular attender at The Playhouse, Theatre Royal and at Lakeside.

At present you can hear him on Sunday on the radio between nine and noon. He's also well known for his TV work: in particular his walking series, “Holmes & Away” on East Midlands Today and his work as a reporter on BBC 1's Inside Out, that returns in the autumn.

Richard Kensington

Based in Nottingham, Richard is the percussionist from the band Mas Y Mas with whom he has played with for 12 years. He also works as a freelance workshop leader and educator in the region and is part of the Derby based organisation OPUS. Richard has travelled internationally with Mas Y Mas and has spent a lot of time studying percussion in Cuba.

Richard has been actively involved in the setting up of Artists Voice and is keen to be part of a voice for Artists that gets heard by those with the power to change things."

Carol Leeming

Carol Leemingis Artistic Director of Dare to Diva Productions. She is a multi arts practitioner - musician, poet, playwright, curator, director, producer, arts manager member, amplified Leicester member, visiting lecturer, reviewer, freelance journalist, blogger & film maker. Numerous radio and TV broadcasts, radio broadcaster covering arts for Leicester’s Exposure show Demon FM & Board Member, published articles, arts reviews in magazines such as, AN – Newsletter, Box Magazine etc. FD2D (From Dusk to Dawn) arts magazine- creative writer and visionary partner, also some poetry published online.

Currently working on an innovative arts piece for Igniting Ambition regional arts programme, a choreopoem, titled ‘The Loneliness of the Long Distance Diva - (pg 20 of brochure poetry, physical theatre and music). She has directed at Nottingham Playhouse and Leicester Haymarket Theatres, is a documentary film-maker, composer and a regular promoter of BME artists.

François Matarasso

François Matarasso has worked in community-based culture for 30 years – as an artist, manager, writer, researcher, consultant and trustee. His work is practice-led and focuses on how people receive and interact with the arts. His clients include international agencies, national and local government, cultural foundations and arts organisations in over 30 countries. He is a member of Arts Council England and Honorary Professor at Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

Hetain Patel

Hetain Patel is an international visual artist who in his first year after graduation, was awarded the prestigious ‘Decibel Award’ from Arts Council England, East Midlands. Since then he has been the subject of two solo monographs and has received attention from national and international press including India Today, The Guardian, The Times Higher Educational Supplement and was documented for BBC 1’s Made in England and BBC 2’s Desi DNA. He won the title of Nottingham Creative Business of the year 2008, and more recently was shortlisted for the Satyajit Ray Short Film Award, celebrated at BAFTA. Hetain’s rapidly increasing profile stems from his multifaceted work interrogating language and cultural identity.

Hetain has exhibited his work both nationally and internationally, including New York, Germany, Poland and China. He recently completed a tour of his live/installation project Sine Language nationally in collaboration with beatboxer Jason Singh, and represented the U.K in the BJCEM International Art Biennale in Bari, Italy. He was Artist-in-residence at Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham from 2005 – 2008, and in 2009 in Chongqing, China. He is soon to take his first piece for theatre, TEN, on national tour produced by Dance4. He is currently a board member at Déda, Derby’s Dance Centre, and on the Regional Council at Arts Council, East Midlands.