STORY
Kent Curators cont...
2024 RAE-YEN SONG- O SQUIGODA SONG CYCLE ÁMÀ- THE GATHERING PLACE
SAM TAYLOR, CEMENT FIELDS, NORTH KENT Sam Taylor is one of two curators at Cement Fields, the North Kent arts organisation that commissions artists to consider global realities through local contexts. He focuses on long-term commissions and artist development projects, approaching curation as a practice of care and collective endeavour, informed by personal experiences of chronic illness and neurodivergence. His practice is grounded in the belief that artistic inquiry is a vital means to explore complexity and begin to imagine different, radical and meaningful futures. As a nomadic organisation with no fixed location, Cement Fields’ work is site-responsive and developed in dialogue with local communities, placing contemporary art directly within lived environments. It is a model that reflects how curating increasingly operates across public space, where the setting is as much a part of the work as the artwork itself.
MADYLENE BEARDMORE, POWELL-COTTON MUSEUM, BIRCHINGTON At the Powell-Cotton Museum, Madylene Beardmore’ s role centres on the care, research and interpretation of a wide-ranging collection spanning natural history, global cultural objects and archives. As head of collections, she works closely with the collections team on how these holdings are managed and presented to audiences today. In a museum shaped by historic collecting, curating is not only about display but about context- ensuring that material is understood clearly and responsibly. It is a multi-faceted role that brings together conservation, scholarship and public engagement within a single curatorial framework.
BOB LAMOON, CREEK CREATIVE, FAVERSHAM Bob Lamoon brings a grassroots perspective to curating through his work at Creek Creative in Faversham. As an artist, educator and curator within the not-for-profit studio complex, he contributes to an exhibition programme shaped by the artists working there. This is curating at close range, which involves supporting emerging and established practitioners, organising shows and maintaining a space where work can be tested and shared. It offers a different scale to Kent’ s larger institutions, but one that is essential to how the county’ s creative life is sustained.
HEATHER STRACEY, THE AMELIA SCOTT, TUNBRIDGE WELLS Heather Stracey is a museum professional with more than nine years of experience working across the heritage sector. They specialise in collections research, interpretation and public engagement, with a particular interest in making complex and challenging histories accessible and meaningful for different audiences. As senior collections officer at The Amelia Scott in Tunbridge Wells, they lead on interpretation and content development for permanent galleries and temporary exhibitions. Their work involves turning archival and collections research into engaging public stories, working closely with colleagues, designers and communities to create thoughtful and inclusive visitor experiences.
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