Walker, Debra

Debra has worked for local authority museums, regional agencies and a national museum. Her career has centered on developing access to and active engagement with cultural venues. She has initiated, developed, managed and evaluated many collaborative projects and programmes, working with a diverse range of partners, including local authorities, learning and skills institutions, cultural organisations and community based agencies. A year before the museum opened she joined the Imperial War Museum North and was responsible for establishing its award winning Learning & Access Department and Volunteer Programme. In October 2007 she became a freelance consultant specialising in learning, community engagement and audience development. She works with and for organisations to develop creative and cooperative ways of working by brokering new partnerships, bringing organisations and people together for the first time to develop and fund raise for projects with joint goals and outcomes. These projects have developed peoples’ skills, self-confidence and of course creativity, and have been used as models/effective practice to demonstrate on how creative high quality projects can leave a positive impact and become self-sustaining.

Walmsley, Ben

Ben is Associate Professor in Audience Engagement in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries at the University of Leeds, where he lectures and researches in areas related to audience engagement, arts management, arts marketing, cultural value and cultural policy. Prior to this, he worked as a Producer at the National Theatre of Scotland, before moving to Leeds Metropolitan University as a Senior Lecturer in Arts and Entertainment Management. Ben is a modern languages graduate from Nottingham University and holds an MBA from the University of Surrey’s School of Management. In 2000, he completed a PhD in French Theatre and Philosophy at the University of Glasgow. Ben is currently evaluating a national £2m ACE Transforming Arts Fundraising project and directs the National Summer School in Arts Fundraising and Leadership. He recently worked as Principle Investigator on Respond – a collaborative project with Yorkshire Dance and Breakfast Creatives funded by Nesta, AHRC and ACE to develop and evaluate the impact of a responsive online platform designed to broaden and deepen audience engagement with contemporary dance. Ben is currently writing a research monograph on audience engagement, which will be published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2017.

Walters, Clare

Clare Walters is an author and journalist who began her career as an infant teacher before moving into magazine publishing. In the 1980s she edited fiction on Woman magazine, and in the 1990s she joined Practical Parenting magazine as books and education editor. In 1999 she was on the judging panel of BookTrust’s first Baby Book Awards. Together with Jane Kemp, she has written more than 30 books, including 24 picturebooks for pre-school children and seven play/activity guides. Clare has also co-written scripts for the BBC preschool TV series Balamory and Me Too!, as well as contributing to the original parenting section of the BBC website. She has a master’s degree in children’s literature from the University of Roehampton, where her dissertation subject was ‘wordless picturebooks’. She reviews books, exhibitions and events for Eye magazine, and participates regularly in children’s literature events, including the annual IBBY conference, a CILIP Carnegie Medal shadowing group, and the Nosy Crow reading forum. Currently she also works part-time as an advertising copywriter and sub-editor for the UK division of Time Inc.

Wellesley Wesley, Flora

Flora Wellesley Wesley is a dance artist and actor who has worked with a variety of choreographers, directors and visual artists besides independently and collaboratively producing her own work. She specialised in contemporary dance, studying at undergraduate and postgraduate level at London Contemporary Dance School, while a multidisciplinary exchange experience at CalArts (USA) stoked her appetite in site-specific work and experimentation across art practices and forms. Alongside being part of the editorial team of BELLYFLOP, an online performing arts magazine, Flora co-founded Hiru Dance, an organisation interested in bringing high quality dance to non-art spaces and un-expecting audiences and participants of all ages. From 2008-12 Flora also directed and performed with Trumpet Creepers improvisation ensemble. Flora is currently collaborating with Eleanor Sikorski on Nora, a dancer-led commissioning project that invites Liz Aggiss (UK), Simon Tanguy (FR), and Jonathan Burrows and Matteo Fargion (UK) to make new works for stage for them to perform.

Wells, Jane

Jane Wells studied musical composition and has a catalogue of over 40 concert compositions. Live performances include In These Places, a saxophone concerto, and Here’s What I Saw, a music-theatre work for the 1997 Year of Opera and Music Theatre. In the 1980s she collaborated with several choreographers and dance pieces with her music were toured extensively. Broadcasts have included two collaborative pieces and a clarinet quintet. Jane has directed On The Edge Ensemble in chamber music tours, currently directs Hoofbeat Street Band, and is musical director of two community choirs. She has been involved in educational music activity over many years, frequently with instrumentalists from chamber orchestras such as Britten Sinfonia, London Mozart Players and City of London Sinfonia. Jane has been a committee member for Women in Music, a representative for Eastern Orchestral Board and a Director/Trustee for Orchestras Live, and has been a juror on several occasions for BASCA’s British Composer Awards.

Wheeler, Jo

Jo Wheeler has 20 years’ experience of devising, delivering, evaluating and managing participatory arts projects. She works in a range of contexts with the public and voluntary sector, supporting people’s wellbeing through engagement with creativity and culture. Her areas of expertise include youth arts, arts and health and gallery education; she has worked with key national agencies, universities, funders and policy makers in these areas. Jo’s interested in investigating and challenging barriers to inclusion through creative peer-led working and genuine partnerships – developing programmes with addiction agencies, Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services and older people’s care settings. From 2004-7 Jo worked for Engage, the National Association of Gallery Education, supporting venues across England to develop youth-friendly policy, practice and spaces. Learning was shared through Envision - A Handbook : Supporting Young People’s Participation in Galleries and the Arts, 2008 which she produced and co-wrote. More recently Jo’s been exploring new models of engagement with two Creative Peoples and Places programmes in the Midlands, as both artist and commissioner.

Whyte, Bridget
Bridget Whyte is a freelance consultant working primarily in music education. Bridget started her career working for Arts Council England in the South East. In 1992 she moved to London to take up the post of Secretary for the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment before becoming the Administrator for the Early Music Faculty at the Royal Academy of Music. In 1995 Bridget began working as a freelance consultant with early clients including the Handel House Trust and Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. She has now worked with over 40 organisations including the Department of Education, Sing Up, Youth Music and various local authorities and music services. Her skills include organisational development, facilitation, project management, evaluation and research. Currently Bridget is managing World Voice – a global singing in education programme – for the British Council as well as being an Associate Lecturer at the Universities of Surrey and Winchester.

Wigmore, Heidi

Heidi Wigmore is a practising artist and art educator. She gained a Fine Art MA at University of East London in 2001 and was associate lecturer for the BA Fine Art programme for Essex University until 2010, acting as Course Leader in 2009/10. Heidi has led artist workshops in schools, at Bullwood Hall women’s prison, and for Focal Point Gallery and Metal. She has led courses at Firstsite, is a visiting lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University and leads live drawing events for English National Ballet across the country. In 2011 she was commissioned to customize a beach hut for the Festival of Britain at the Southbank Centre and a contemporary 'shell grotto' installation. She has project managed a one-day arts festival for Metal Culture which encouraged imaginative play for all ages through participatory art works and artist-led events. In 2012 she launched a billboard project 'Independent Free State' that toured around prime London locations. 'She is currently a tutor in contemporary drawing at The City Lit and project managing for Estuary 2016: a new biennial arts festival for the Thames Estuary region initiated by METAL.

Wilcox, Emma

Emma Wilcox works as an independent producer and project manager with a particular interest in site responsive and publicly accessible work. She works in both strategic roles, supporting arts and cultural organisations and individuals with business planning and fundraising, whilst also working more directly to produce artists’ work. Recent clients include Turner Contemporary, Futurecity, Acrojou, Luton Culture and Whitstable Biennale. Her career to date included roles in the public sector for 8 years, preceded by 10 years in the commercial design sector. She project managed Alex Hartley’s commission for the 2014 Folkestone Triennial and programmed a four month festival in Margate for Turner Contemporary. Previously a Senior Manager at the Arts Council she worked with local government and other key partners to ensure a coherent and strategic approach to investment and the successful delivery of projects. She worked with grant funded organisations at a variety of scales from small artist-led projects to organisations such as Milton Keynes Gallery, Fabrica and Aspex. Whilst at Kent County Council she developed Artlands, a programme of large scale commissions in the public realm across North Kent. Emma is a qualified Action Learning facilitator and alumni of the Clore programme. She is a member of the Advisory Board of Resort Studios in Margate.

Williams, Frankie

Frankie Williams is a consultant in education, music and culture. She has been a teacher and adviser, and until 2011 was General Inspector (Music and Culture) for Cambridgeshire. Frankie has a BMus (Hons) from University of Nottingham, studied education at the University of Birmingham and business at Cass Business School. Her Master’s and Doctoral research at the Institute of Education in London centred around partnerships between professional music organisations and schools. She was Vice-Chairman of the National Association of Youth Orchestras and has been on several national and European boards. Frankie founded and ran an amateur symphony orchestra and a professional chamber orchestra, and has acted as a consultant for organisations including the BBC Proms, The Sage Gateshead, Orchestras Live (EOB) and the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust. She has worked on education projects with the Royal Opera House, London Sinfonietta, Glyndebourne, Aldeburgh Young Musicians, and many orchestras.

Wills, Jackie

Jackie's published five collections of poetry; the most recent is Woman’s Head as Jug (Arc, 2013). Shortlisted for the 1995 TS Eliot prize, in 2004 she was among Mslexia magazine's 10 new women poets of the decade. She has earned her living as a writer since 1978. She was a Royal Literary Fund Fellow 2009-12 and an RLF Lector from 2014 - 2016. Jackie has reviewed contemporary poetry for many magazines and as co-founder of Brighton Poets organised live events with poets such as Benjamin Zephaniah, Jackie Kay and Kit Wright. During 20+ years running writing workshops in schools, businesses, museums, galleries and community groups, she's worked with Rambert Dance, the London Symphony Orchestra, Cardboard Citizens and the Surrey Hills AONB. Her residencies include the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival, Museum of London/London Underground, Poet in the City and Creative Partnerships. In 2015 she was co-tutor for The Aldeburgh Eight, a residential course for emerging writers. Her guide to writing workshops will be published in 2016, documenting how she's engaged children, young people and adults with poetry - communities as varied as local authority planning officers, homeless men, unaccompanied asylum seekers, young travellers, young carers and industrial scientists.

Wimhurst, Karen

Karen Wimhurst is a freelance composer, performer, educator working for organizations throughout the UK. Versatile and eclectic, her work includes many cross-disciplinary collaborations; recent examples include the chamber opera piece ‘Miriam’ in association with entomologist Peter Smithers and Electric Voice Theatre; ‘Fruit of Paradise’ commissioned by the environmental company Common Ground; ‘Darwin and the Barnacle’ with artist Keith McIntyre and the University of Plymouth. She is an experienced theatre composer with the theatrework ‘Get Up and Tie Your Fingers’ touring in 2014 (‘innovative, choral theatre’ the Stage). Experienced in many different community settings, large scale works include ‘City Songs’ for orchestra, children’s choir, soloists WNO MAX; ‘Alive and Kicking’ for improvising youth string orchestra and Manchester Camerata. Founder of ‘ Cauld Blast Orchestra’, (twice winner of the Scottish Jazz Awards) and performer with the free-improvisation group Zaum, (‘ the most exciting group in Europe today’ Penguin Guide to Jazz ‘06), she is currently touring with Pagoda, PLF and Misbehavin’.

Wide, Kim

Kim Wide is a curator and arts professional interested in communications, engagement, access to the arts and impacts of social practice. She has worked both nationally and internationally to engage communities and the public in contemporary arts and culture and has worked with many galleries, museums, local government, health and other public service providers, schools and further and higher education organisations to programme off-site and community embedded work which feeds into larger strategies for local areas. Kim came from a museum and heritage background, working as a museum professional in Canada for the City of Toronto and as Assistant Curator at the Government of Ontario Art Collection. In 2003, Kim came to the UK and has worked here for as Audience Development Officer at ArtSway and Acting Director of Kaleido Arts. Since 2009, Kim has been Executive Director of Take A Part CIC, where she has established an innovative co-commissioning curatorial process developed and managed by communities themselves and engages hard to reach areas of Plymouth in multiple, high quality art experiences.

Wise, Philip

Philip Wise read archaeology and anthropology at Downing College, Cambridge and subsequently studied curatorship at the Department of Museum Studies, University of Leicester and heritage management at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. He has worked in a variety of local authority museums since 1983, initially as an archaeological curator and more recently as a manager. He is currently employed by Colchester and Ipswich Museums, and for the last eighteen years he has been responsible for the heritage management of Colchester’s archaeological sites and monuments. In 2012-14 he led on the heritage aspects of the successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the project to redevelop Colchester Castle and increase access to the town’s wider heritage. Philip has a wide ranging brief for CIMS covering professional standards including collections management, visitor services and emergency planning. Philip is an Associate Member of the Museums Association, a Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists and was Chairman of the Society of Museum Archaeologists from 2006-2009 and of the UK Archaeological Archives Forum from 2007-2011. In December 2012 Philip was appointed to the Accreditation Committee of Arts Council England. He is currently a trustee of Museums Essex and is the Museum Mentor for Orford Museum Trust. For many years he has been interested in archaeological reconstruction, including most recently the use of virtual reality.

Wolfe, Lisa
Lisa Wolfe is an independent arts manager and producer, working with a range of individual artists and companies. For the past fifteen years she has been Administrative Producer for the writer, actor and director Tim Crouch. She also works with Liz Aggiss, whose body of work encompasses choreography, performance and dance-film, and Sue MacLaine, writer and performer. Lisa is Marketing Manager for the learning disability-led arts company Carousel, internationally renowned for its inclusive arts practise. Lisa has worked in recent years for the comedy theatre company Spymonkey, Chichester Festival Theatre, South East Dance and Arts Council England South East. She is on the advisory boards of Spymonkey and HOUSE visual arts festival, performs occasionally and writes on theatre and live art for Total Theatre Magazine.

Wright, Tom
Tom studied drama at Bristol University and then worked as an assistant director at the Young Vic (on the Regional Theatre Young Director’s Scheme), Bristol Old Vic, West Yorkshire Playhouse and the RSC. Directing includes: The Soul of Ch’ien-Nu Leaves Her Body (Young Vic), Tempest (Southwark Playhouse), The Water Engine (Theatre 503/Young Vic), Ay Carmela! (York Theatre Royal and international tour), The Good Person of Sichuan (The Drum, Birmingham), The Container (Edingburgh Fringe, winner Fringe First and Amnesty International Award, revived at the Young Vic), Home Sweet Home (Freedom Studios, Albany and Arc), Blake Remixed (West Yorkshire Playhouse/Little Mighty), Brief Encounters at Bradford Interchange (Freedom Studios), Horace and the Yeti (ARC/Barnsley Civic/Little Mighty) and two short operas in Selfridges’ shoe section (The Opera Group). His drama school productions include work at Rose Brufford, Birmingham SA, Guildford SA, Manchester Met, Mountview and Guildhall and he has run directing workshops for professionals for the Young Vic, Living Pictures, Tamasha and Freedom Studios. He has extensive experience with working with young people, having led workshops for the Young Vic, Bigfoot Theatre company, GLYPT, run the Royal & Derngate Youth Theatre and founded an inter-racial youth theatre for Freedom Studios in Bradford.