My organisation and communication skills come into their own when working in production, and I have copious experience of designing, programming and managing creative event programmes appealing to diverse audiences. I am used to working within a range of budgets and to creating events that engage with stories and themes in new and surprising ways. I think it’s important not to work in a bubble and am always sure to be sensitive to existing partnerships that can be tapped into in a way that benefits all. Co-production models are of particular interest. Drop me an email if you would like to find out more.
LGBT History Month Free Day
To mark LGBT History Month in February I worked with colleague Kelly Boddington to programme a family friendly free day and a series of accompanying talks at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery. We welcomed 1500 people through the doors for a series of experimental programming including hands-on making sessions exploring the history of the Pride…
SPECTRUM collaboration with Brighton Dome
As a lifelong fan of live music I am always pleased to be asked to head up Brighton Museum & Art Gallery’s involvement with sister venue Brighton Dome’s SPECTRUM initiative. SPECTRUM cultivates and supports the vibrant music scene of Brighton & Hove by staging carefully curated shows featuring a diverse range of up and coming…
Connecting Places: our untold stories
I’m ashamed to say I had never even heard of an ‘unconference’ before I was asked to work on one! The general premise is that the format allows the audience to generate the agenda and content and therefore that ‘top down’ power is diminished. Connecting Places: our untold stories was an unconference staged as part…
TitilLATE
I’ve always loved the concept of Museum ‘Lates’ – a chance to reimagine museum and heritage spaces for an after-hours audience. When devising the original BMAG Lates series for Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, I liked to focus as far as possible on giving the audience a chance to ‘play’ with the themes and the…
Queer Legacies Conference
My inquisite colleague Su Hepburn and I were asked to support the planning of a one-day conference exploring the impact of museum and galleries’ programming to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality during 2017. The conference was chaired by artist and curator Matt Smith, with speakers from Pride & Prejudice Liverpool…
Take Over Day at the Royal Pavilion
Take Over Day is a national initiative from Kids in Museums that goes from strength to strength every year. In 2017 I was asked to lead on the Royal Pavilion’s offer, which saw thirty year 9 students from Portslade Aldridge Community Academy(PACA) get involved in the running of Brighton’s number one heritage site and tourist…
Diwali Family Day at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery
I have been working with the Hindu Women’s Group of Brighton and Hove for years now to programme the annual Diwali event at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, which often attracts over 2000 people. This year’s event included henna hand painting, Bollywood dance workshops, a chance to dress up in traditional Indian clothing and the…
British Science Festival
The British Science Festival hit Brighton in September 2017, and I was asked by Brighton Museum & Art Gallery to lead on two events as part of the programme: Scientifically Late: Breaking the Glass (in collaboration with Sussex University) and Science Uncovered, a family free day. It was wonderful to see the space entirely transformed…
Workforce Development Conference
I was slightly apprehensive about this piece of work as I took it over mid-way through after a fellow freelancer, the fabulous Lindsey Smith, went on maternity leave. It was also quite a high-profile project – organising and delivering a national conference for the Arts & Heritage sector exploring ways in which to empower and up-skill frontline…
Ellie Newland 