Fife Contemporary’s new programme manager Kate Bell has joined from Birnam Arts in Dunkeld where she was responsible for their visual arts programme.
However, the Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, and Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee, graduate also continues working as an artist herself.
She’s particularly interested in the use of film, animation and puppets to explore enchantment and the reach of the imagination.
“There’s something about stop motion and puppetry that really excites me,” explains Kate.
“Knowing that the materials exist. Knowing that the materials have moved and been captured on the screen.
“The more and more time I spend on social media or looking at computer-generated imagery, the more I really miss that feeling of knowing that something’s existed – that it’s been worked by the hand.
“It’s got a temporality to it, it’s got a warmth to it that I find really exciting. It ignites all sorts of imagination.
“Whereas when I’m engaging with more computer-generated imagery it lacks something – for me anyway!”
Community arts career
Originally from the Borders, Kate was inspired by a “so supportive” high school art teacher who helped get her portfolio together for entry to Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen where she studied textiles and surface design.
After graduating, she went into community arts with Impact Arts in Edinburgh.
This included facilitating workshops and working latterly with older people in care home settings.
She then went off to do her masters at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, and from there she took up her role at Birnam Arts.
Based in Perthshire, where she has her own studio at Wasps in Perth, she’d always been aware of Fife Contemporary, thanks to her partner’s Cupar-based in-laws and family sending her regular Fife Contemporary newsletters.
She was always impressed by the “impactful” nature of the organisation and its support for artists.
So when the programme manager job came up, she knew it would be “silly not to go for it”.
Close-knit team
“It’s how thorough Fife Contemporary are,” she says, adding that she’s been impressed by the “really tight-knit team”.
“It’s how impactful and the reach they have is quite unusual.
“They are genuinely committed to supporting and working with artists and really thoughtful.
“Any conception of a project or delivery – they’ve been working with artist Claire Heminsley to go and met with all the projects communities and artists in Fife to see what it is that people are needing now, particularly after the impact of the pandemic and what it is we could be doing to support artists more effectively.
“Not just thinking ourselves but actually what is needed and responding to that.
“It’s really cool!
“I’m really just looking forward to seeing what comes as we look to the next few years and how we can sculpt that and work as a team to create these opportunities for artists.”
New staff members
Kate is one of two new members of staff to have joined Fife Contemporary in their mission to support the work of contemporary art and craft makers across the Kingdom.
After the recent retirement of the organisation’s director Diana Sykes, the two latest members of the Fife Contemporary team have been brought in to replace the now-retired programme manager Susan Davis.
Together, Diana and Susan clocked in an extraordinary combined total of over 68 years working for Fife Contemporary and its previous incarnation the Crawford Art Centre, St Andrews.
Kate is joined by Katherine Butler in a new post as digital, design and marketing officer.
Based in Kirkcaldy, Katherine has a background in textiles and illustration as well as an interest in ecology.
Katherine will be helping Fife Contemporary to build an even greater connection with the audiences who love their work.
Spirit of generosity
Fife Contemporary Director, Kate Grenyer says: “Fife Contemporary are a tight-knit team who support each other, as well as the wider network of artists, organisations and communities who we work so closely with.
“It was important to replace figures as important as Diana Sykes and Susan Davis with people who have the same friendliness, supportive instincts and spirit of generosity that characterise our work as an organisation.
“Both Kate and Katherine bring their own unique talents and interests to Fife Contemporary as well as continuing with the same spirit as their predecessors.”
Fife Contemporary creates exhibitions, artist residencies, and events that are multi-disciplinary in approach and outcome.
While the independent visual art and craft organisation is based in St Andrews, its programme is not delivered from a single venue but across Fife, through varied partnerships in all kinds of places.
They are funded by Creative Scotland and Fife Council.
Diana Sykes: ‘Artists in Fife have had to make an effort,’ says outgoing Fife Contemporary director
Conversation