Claire Doherty MBE is a creative director and arts producer known for her producing and writing on place and the arts.

Claire Doherty in 2018

Career edit

Doherty was curator of Ikon Gallery in Birmingham and FACT in Liverpool before becoming the founder director in 2002 of Situations,[1] Bristol-based international arts commissioning and producing organisation. Situations' projects over a 15-year period included Theaster Gates' first UK public project Sanctum in Bristol;[2] Philip Hoare's The Tale, a multi-site, cross-artform site-specific project in Torbay;[3] and One Day Sculpture across five cities in New Zealand.[4]

She was Director of Arnolfini, centre for contemporary arts, in Bristol, England, from 2017–18. Doherty led the organisation through an 18-month transition following the loss of its Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) status, which occurred before Doherty's arrival in 2017.[5][6] The transformation included Arnolfini's most successful exhibition until then – Grayson Perry's The Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever![7] – and the Imagine New Rules campaign to reimagine a 21st-century arts organisation.[8] Doherty's cross-artform programme at Arnolfini during the transition period included: Eclipse Theatre's Black Men Walking,[9] In Between Time's We are Warriors,[10] Black Girl Convention,[11] Don't Tell Your Mother[12] and Creative Youth Network.[13] Doherty also oversaw the establishment of Now or Never, youth-led creative studio[citation needed] and two Inspiring Women in the Arts mentoring events in Bristol.[14]

Doherty was a Trustee of Artes Mundi, Cardiff, the international biennial art exhibition and prize.[citation needed]

She was Creative Director and Executive Director of GALWAD, for the National Theatre Wales.[15]

Recognition edit

In 2009, Doherty was awarded a Paul Hamlyn Foundation Breakthrough Award for Outstanding Cultural Entrepreneurs.[16]

In 2015 Doherty was appointed MBE 'For services to the Arts in South West England'.[17][18]

In 2018 the Bristol Post included her in its list of "The 100 most influential women in the West [of England]".[19]

Selected publications edit

  • Doherty, Claire (2015). Out of Time, Out of Place: Public Art Now. London: Art/Books. ISBN 9781908970176.
  • Doherty, Claire (2004). Contemporary Art: From Studio to Situation. London: Black Dog Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1904772064.
  • Doherty, Claire (2009). Situation. London: Whitechapel Gallery. ISBN 978-0854881734.

References edit

  1. ^ "About". Situations. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  2. ^ Searle, Adrian (30 October 2015). "552 hours of surprises: artist brings open-mic mayhem to Bristol". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  3. ^ "The Tale". Situations. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  4. ^ Delany, Max (16 June 2009). "One Day Sculpture". Frieze (124). Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Arnolfini announce appointment of Situations' Claire Doherty as new Director of Arnolfini from 1st August 2017". Arnolfini. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  6. ^ "Arnolfini to become subsidiary charity of UWE Bristol". Bristol 24/7. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  7. ^ Brown, Mark (1 January 2018). "Bristol's once troubled Arnolfini gallery starts to pull in the crowds". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  8. ^ "Imagine New Rules". Arnolfini. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  9. ^ Minamore, Bridget (23 January 2018). "Black Men Walking: a hilly hike through 500 years of black British history". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  10. ^ Cole, Helen (26 November 2018). "We Are Warriors". In Between Time. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  11. ^ "Black Girl Convention". Black Girl Convention. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  12. ^ "PARTY | Don't Tell Your Mother". Arnolfini. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Creative Youth Network". Creative Youth Network. 27 November 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  14. ^ "#PressForProgress Inspiring Women". Arnolfini. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  15. ^ "Festival UK* 2022". National Theatre Wales. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  16. ^ "Case Study: Claire Doherty". Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  17. ^ "Situations Director Claire Doherty awarded MBE in New Year Honours". Situations. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  18. ^ "Ms Claire DOHERTY". London Gazette. No. 61450. 31 December 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  19. ^ "The 100 most influential women in the West". Bristol Post. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.