Cambridge School of Art Advisory Board

Staring her career as a freelancer working in theatres, Claudia has over 25 years of experience working within the cultural sector. She holds a Masters degree in Arts Policy and Management from Birkbeck.

Joining Arts Council in 2011, Claudia has supported cultural development in a range of places across the East of England, working closely with cultural leaders, local authorities and others.

As the national development agency for creativity and culture, Arts Council England invests in artists and organisations to make and deliver inspirational work for communities, unlock local growth, and increase access to the many benefits that engagement in culture can bring to people and places. More information on Arts Council’s objectives and priorities can found in the ten-year strategy, Let’s Create.

Joanna is a socially engaged artist and curator. Her practice builds on her background in feminist art histories, cultural inclusion, and biodiversity conservation.

Originally trained as an art historian, Joanna’s multidisciplinary work considers how we can live more equitably with each other and our planet. She’s currently a Visiting Fellow at the We CARE Unit, Cambridge School of Art, researching care aesthetics. Her practice has been supported by Arts Council England, Cambridge Festival, Cambridge Junction, DASH, the Freelands Foundation, the Jerwood Foundation, Metal, Norfolk & Norwich Festival, originalprojects and Unlimited.

Joanna’s practice follows a 25-year career in culture, communications and social change. She has particular expertise in strategic audience engagement and inclusive project design. Her extensive experience spans creative production, curation, business development, strategic planning, learning and evaluation. She’s worked for Tate, the British Library, Cambridge Conservation Initiative, Flow Associates, the National Archives, Loughborough School of Art and Design, Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination, University of Cambridge Museums, and the Cambridge University Botanic Garden.

Joanna now combines her artistic practice with creative consultancy for organisations and mentoring for individuals. She holds a studio at Wysing Arts Centre and lives in Cambridgeshire with her family and ravenous cat.

Natalie is a senior arts manager with a special interest in arts and health. She is Head of Arts at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, responsible for directing an innovative arts programme that aims to transform the hospital experience, promote wellbeing and inspire hope through creativity.

Previously, Natalie worked in the community arts field, holding posts at leading arts organisations including the Royal Opera House, Spitalfields Music, Britten Sinfonia and Saffron Hall. Natalie is a trustee for music producer Orchestras Live, and on the national steering group for the National Arts and Hospitals Network (NAHN).

Emily is an artist and business development professional with SMT-level experience within the private and charitable sectors. Most recently as:

• CEO of Cambridge Community Arts – a charity that worked with local artists to deliver positive impacts on individual mental health and wellbeing through creativity and community engagement
• Chief Customer Officer at one of the UK’s fastest growing AI businesses, Autogen AI, during its start-up phase – focussed on the importance of responsible use of AI to enhance rather than replace the skills of excellent proposal writers.

Emily is well-connected with local arts groups, initiatives, charities and businesses including through groups such as CamCreatives and Indie Cambridge. She works from studios in Huntingdon and Milton, balancing her art practice with freelance and project-based appointments. Professionally she is motivated by opportunities for collaboration and problem solving. Artistically she is inspired by the natural world, the connections and transience of our daily lives, and art for art’s sake. Her Fine Art studies were at Manchester Metropolitan and Bath Spa Universities.

Julie is a marketing expert with a passion for creating positive social and environmental impact. She has built an international career in retail and fashion, working for multinational corporations and as an entrepreneur.

Julie began her journey as a Fashion Product Manager, developing clothing collections for hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide. After roles in Madrid and Paris, she moved to Cambridge to launch her own eco-fashion brand, one of the first to raise awareness about the downsides of the fashion industry and advocate for sustainability.

Continuing her commitment to responsible consumerism, Julie has supported a range of sustainable brands and served on the boards of award-winning social ventures.

She now leads the marketing strategy for Grand Arcade, Cambridgeshire’s leading shopping destination, as part of a global real estate company. Julie prioritises creative, community-driven campaigns that combine education, entertainment, and environmental purpose. Among her award-winning campaigns are Let’s Go Circular (since 2022), showcasing the best of the circular economy and inspiring shopping destinations across the UK to focus on this topic; Grand Discoveries (since 2023), an interactive exhibition exploring scientific innovations from Cambridge; and Rainbow Runway (since 2024), an event celebrating Pride and the local LGBTQ+ community.

Kate is a retired landscape architect and urban designer who now focuses on community and charity projects. She is chair of Love Mill Road, a charity which supports community engagement in Cambridge’s Mill Road neighbourhood and spends much of her time facilitating local projects that tackle social inclusion and environmental improvement and events that celebrate all forms of creativity.

Kate is former chair of Cambridge Community Arts and former chair of the Mill Road Winter Fair. She is passionate advocate for community-led activities that create opportunities for meaningful connections and foster a sense of civic pride.

Rebecca is a commercially minded leader with a strong background in business development, income generation, and strategic growth. As Chief Executive of Cambridge Science Centre, she has led the organisation through a period of ambitious development — expanding place-based programmes in underserved areas, strengthening long-term partnerships, and increasing both income and influence across the East of England.

Her earlier experience includes several years at the RSPB, where she played a key role in growing the organisation’s licensing and product portfolio. During this time, she helped improve commercial performance, managed publishing relationships, and supported the development of brand-aligned products that contributed to wider income generation goals.

Rebecca is committed to building inclusive, community-rooted models for STEM engagement, with a focus on long-term investment, collaborative delivery, and meaningful impact.

Rosie is Director of Wysing Arts Centre. Since 2021, she has led an integrated approach to learning and curatorial work, and an embedded approach to environmental sustainability, biodiversity and access across Wysing's 11-acre rural site, realised as part of a capital project in 2025.

Recent Wysing projects include a public art commission by Rafał Zajko for St Peters School, Huntingdon, an LGBTQ+ performance club night in Cambridge, and residency partnerships with Para Site Hong Kong, Live Art Development Agency, Raspberry Pi Foundation and St Peter's School, Huntingdon.

From 2016, Rosis was Head of Exhibitions at the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea. Exhibitions included Still I Rise: Feminisms, Gender, Resistance (co-curated with Irene Aristìzabal and Cédric Fauq), How Chicago! Imagists 1960s-70s (co-curated with Sarah McCrory), and commissions by Hayv Kahraman, Zadie Xa, and RESOLVE Collective. From 2012 she was Head of Programmes at Liverpool Biennial.

Rosie is Chair of Home Live Art, and a co-lead of Create Cambridge cultural compact for the City. In 2024, she was on the jury panel for the Turner Prize.