Home Live Art Board Members
Rosie Cooper (Chair)
Rosie Cooper was appointed the Director of Wysing Arts Centre in September 2021. Prior to this she worked as Head of Exhibitions at the De La Warr Pavilion from 2016, where she developed a distinctive new curatorial vision for the institution that combined local operations with global context, making use of DLWP’s history and location to consider the role of cultural institutions in civic life.
She was previously Head of Programmes at Liverpool Biennial. In 2016, she led the team to present new commissions by 44 artists across 21 sites. She was previously curator of the public programme at Barbican Art Gallery. She has edited and contributed to a number of publications and catalogues.
Polly Gifford
Polly Gifford has had an eclectic career in arts management and production. She is currently Executive Director of international touring theatre company Complicité.
Previously she was Culture Regeneration Manager for Hastings Borough Council, Director of Bridport Arts Centre in Dorest and Head of Education at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill.
She also runs an annual music festival for local campaigning group Hastings Supports Refugees and was a co-initiator of climate action movement Culture Declares Emergency.
Mathilda Gregory
Mathilda Gregory is web developer, writer and performer. She’s written for The Guardian, Buzzfeed, Zombies, Run! and Black Lace.
She is the host of Fat Cabaret – a variety show for fat performers – and she makes performance about bodies, sexuality and technology.
She is currently working on a project to use machine learning to create fairisle knitting patterns. Her work in tech can be found at mathildagregory.co.uk.
Anna-Maria Nabirye
Anna-Maria Nabirye is a multidisciplinary artist working across performance, visual arts, social practice, theatre, film, TV and fashion. Anna-Maria was recently commissioned by Cements Fields for the Whitstable Biennale 2022 and is under commission from the De La Warr Pavilion for a full exhibition of her on-gong work Up In Arms.
In 2020 Nabirye co-founded Afri-Co-Lab, a creative community dreaming space in St Leonards-on-Sea, that showcases and supports the work of local artists with an emphasise on Black & POC artists. Afri-Co-Lab emerged from AfroRetro their ethical upcycling and fashion brand, between both entities they have had partnership projects with Black Cultural Archives, Royal Court, V&A, Southbank Centre, Brighton Museum, De La Warr Pavilion and awarded Yinka Shonibare’s Guest Projects Africa residency.
Nikki Tomlinson
Nikki Tomlinson is a producer and dramaturg with a background in curation and performance-making. Over the past 20 years she has developed interests in performance, participation, social justice and interdisciplinarity, advocacy for and with artists and widening access in every sense to experimental work. In March 2020 she joined Independent Dance (ID) as co-director.
Her previous roles have included Lead Artist Advisor/Producer at Artsadmin and co-Chair of Chisenhale Dance Space. Alongside her role with ID she continues to work freelance, supporting choreographers and visual artists to produce projects across the UK and internationally as well as developing her practice as a dramaturg.
Past Board Members
Misa Von Tunzelman, Richard Dedomenici, Laura Sweeney, Martin J Gent and Richard Layzell