South East Area Council
South East Area Council
Sally Shaw, MBE
Sally’s focus on ground-up community collaboration combined with exceptional quality contemporary art has led Firstsite to be recognised nationally and internationally for the gallery’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to win Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2021.
Along with major exhibitions by groundbreaking artists such as Sarah Lucas, Grayson Perry, Everton Wright and Elsa James, Firstsite’s agile and creative projects have included free digital art packs for families across the nation during COVID-19 and galvanising the top national museums across the country through the Great Big Art Exhibition. Firstsite’s innovative Holiday Fun programme has now provided more than 21,000 free meals to children and families in need during school holidays and as a result has engaged thousands of children in art and creativity at Firstsite for the first time.
These initiatives saw Sally recognised with an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for Services to the Arts during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sally has also been invited to be a Fellow of the University of Essex Human Rights and Law Centre and is the University of Essex Honorary Fellow 2023.
Sally is also a member of Arts Council England National Council and Chairs the South East Area Board.
Previously Sally was Head of Programme at Modern Art Oxford, Deputy Head of Culture for the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, Chief Curator for London Underground, Director of Media Art – Bath and Residency Programme Manager at Spike Island, Bristol. She has also established a number of independent projects and programmes including an artist residency programme in an open prison in Gloucestershire.
Term of appointment: 1 December 2023 – 30 November 2027
Louise Blackwell
She is currently an Artist Fellow at Queen Mary University, London, on the Advisory Boards for the D’Oyly Carte Chair in Medicine and the Arts at King’s College London and COMMON, an arts organisation helping working class artists to build sustainable careers in theatre.
She co-founded producing company; Fuel in 2004 and was Co-Director until July 2017 when she became an independent producer. From 2001 – 2004 Louise was Senior Producer at Battersea Arts Centre, London.
Bruce Leeke
Pamela Roberts, FRSA, FRHistS
As a television producer and director, Pamela produced and directed the first documentary focused on the intersectionality of race and disability in America. She has written about issues of multiple discrimination and intersectionality for Disability Now newspaper and the London Disability Arts Forum magazine. Pamela was one of the co-editors for the Arts Council publication about the history of disability media representation
As a change-maker, Pamela recognised the lack of opportunities to showcase diverse films within the independent festival space. She created and produced an award-winning international media festival, securing long-term sponsorships, with high-end brands, resulting in sponsorship awards from Hollis and Arts and Business. In addition to numerous accolades to acknowledge the festival uniqueness and recognised by H.R.H the Queen of England for outstanding services to media.
As a historian, and the founder and director of Black Oxford Untold Stories, established to celebrate the University of Oxford's black scholars from the turn of the 20th century, Pamela's work has disrupted and challenged the traditional narratives and imagery of one of England's oldest University. Her seminal work has resulted in the placing of a plaque on one of the University's oldest Colleges, University College, to recognise the University's first black scholar Christian Fredrick Cole. As a theatre maker, Pamela writes and produces historical stories; these have included A Scholar and Statesman adapted from her forthcoming book about James Arthur Harley, The Two scholars from Sierra Leone and An evening with Mrs Terrell and Friends
Gurvinder Sandher MBE
He has worked in the voluntary sector in Kent since 1999 and established Cohesion Plus in 2008 to compliment the work he was already doing around equality and diversity.
Gurvinder is also the County Chair of the Kent Police IPAG (Independent Police Advisory Group) and Chair the Kent Police Stop and Search Scrutiny Panel. He sits as an Independent member of the Kent Police and Crime Panel of which he is the Vice Chair.
He is a member of the Kent Youth Justice Board and the Prevent Duty Delivery Board.
Sho Shibata
He then moved to UK in 1995 and graduated from London School of Economics and Political Science in 2005 with a degree in Philosophy and Social Psychology.
Sho began producing Stopgap’s outdoor productions in 2009 with ‘Tracking’ and built its profile in the outdoor arts sector. His endeavours culminated with a Cultural Olympiad tour of ‘SPUN Productions’ in 2012. After successfully completing 'SPUN', Sho joined the company's senior management as the company’s full-time producer.
His terms starts 01 April 2019.
Paul Stacey
Before returning to the UK, Paul worked as a Director and Dramaturg at the Moscow Art Theatre, Punchdrunk Theatre Company (the acclaimed American premiere of SLEEP NO MORE) and New Repertory Theatre. His directing debut – SEXUAL PERVERSITY IN CHICAGO – premiered at the American Repertory Theatre. He has taught theatre history, acting and dramaturgy at Harvard University. He is a Dramaturgy graduate of the American Repertory Theatre/Moscow Art Theatre Institute at Harvard University. He read English at the University of Nottingham, is a Teach First Ambassador and a Churchill Fellow. He is the creative entrepreneur trustee for international arts charity In Place of War.
Cllr Victoria Harvey
Cllr. Mark Durham
I have a family background with the arts as both my father and brother attended St Martins art school in London and my daughter is in the final year of her degree at UAL.
Sarah Barrow
Before UEA, Sarah worked at the University of Lincoln and helped establish the Frequency Festival of Digital Culture (now supported with NPO and project funding) as part of the Cultural Olympiad festivities in 2012. She worked closely with the festival directors, Threshold Studios, and became a Board member in 2017-2023.
Before Lincoln, Sarah worked in film education at Cambridge Arts Cinema where she was their first British Film Institute-funded education officer.
Sarah’s academic research focuses on cinema production, the role of film festivals, and the work of various Peruvian filmmakers from the last thirty years from the perspectives of identity, violence, discrimination, and society.
Sarah is now developing two British Academy funded projects: one on women in Peruvian cinema; and the other a collaborative project with young indigenous women leaders in Amazonian Peru, resulting in co-produced short films, a manifesto and a toolkit for collaborative community work.
Jenny Williams, BEM
Jenny has 28 years experience in the arts, heritage and cultural sector and her work focuses on engagement, new audiences and inclusive approaches that break down barriers to cultural activity.
Jenny has held numerous senior positions in the cultural sector including CEO & Creative Director for Revoluton Arts, the Creative People and Places Project based in Luton and Head of Diversity for Arts Council England. Jenny has worked for a range of organisations in the cultural sector including Fundraiser for English Touring Opera; Education Director for The Kiln (formerly The Tricycle) and Arts Development Roles for Mid Sussex District Council and Wandsworth Borough Council.
Jenny is a Board Member of The Towner Eastbourne and chairs the Diversity Task Group; Partner Member of the South Downs National Parks Association; ROSS Consultant for National Lottery Heritage Fund and Board Member for East Sussex Culture.
Jenny was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2020 New Year’s Honours for services to culture and creativity.