Jo grew up in rural Wales and now lives in Northumberland.

She currently works in Newcastle Upon Tyne as Creative Lead and Heritage project manager with the Mental Health & Arts Charity, Chilli Studios, and is a programmer and projectionist with the volunteer-led Cinema, Star and Shadow.

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MA Distinction, Cultural Management 2009 – 2010 @ Northumbria University

BA 1st Class Honors, Fine Art, 2001 – 2004 @ Northumbria University

 

Workshop facilitator for all ages and abilities in and not exclusive to:

Artistic support and instruction; Sculpture and model making; Stained, foiled and fused glass (for architecture or hobby); Anthotype and natural material printing; Phytography and natural photography techniques; Lino Print; flower & foliage headdress & reefs.

Basic guides & workshops also given in: Stop-frame animation; Photoshop and GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP); Wikipedia editing; Copyright and Creative commons; and Audio history recording.

Arts Award adviser and One Awards (NOCN) Teaching in accredited levels 1 -3.

IOSH Managing Safely 2023

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Publications:

 

• NEVER NORMAL, exhibition publication May 2022. Introductory text and artwork featured.

• Creatively Minded and Heritage, featured article in published papers from the Barring Foundation & Restoration Trust March 2022. Exploring the importance of Art and creative thinking in heritage to our mental health and well-being.

• The Wellness Framework, The Wellness Framework is a guide for Facilitators in creating a safe and empowering environment for workshop participants experiencing mental health conditions. Editor and project lead with Chilli Studios. 2019  

• Sketchbook 1 2018 & Sketchbook 2 2019, editor & production of published art books from the Heads & Tales Mental Health Heritage project.

• Collation & production of numerous small-scale printed poetry books and homemade zines from Chilli Studios.

• Paper Side Doodles Series 1, 2, 3 handmade artbooks 2004-2014

 

Film Events

A selection of curated and managed Film events @ The Star and Shadow Cinema by J.M.Burke
 

• First UK screening of The Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour 2021 & 2022

• Frozen River, Director Courtney Hunt, 2008

• Funeral Parade of Roses by Director Toshio Matsumoto, 1969

• Tove Jansson Celebration weekend Sept 2021. Including TOVE 2021, Intimate home movies by Tove Jansson and Tuulikki Pietilä T - Tove and Tuuti in Europe 2004, and HARU: The Island of the solitary. Flower crown workshop and guest speakers.

• First Cinema screenings of Todd Haynes's "The Velvet Underground", 2021 

• First Cinema screenings of Sisters with Transistors A film by Lisa Rovner June 2021. With live sets from Pinnel and Late Girl 

• The Notes of Anna Azzori / A Mirror that Travels through Time, Constanze Ruhm (2020)

• Mirrors of Maya special event featuring Maya Deren Retrospective 8 films 1943-58, In The Mirror of Maya Deren (2001) Dir: Martina Kudlacek, Water for Maya by Stan Brakhage 2000. Performances from Dance collective MOTHER, Live scores by Steve Malley and JMBurke.
   

• Art Party screening and Q&A with Bob and Roberta Smith, 2014 @ BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. In Collaboration with Breeze Creatives

• Doorstep Pictures, mobile cinema. Working with Northumberland communities, Northumberland Film Network & Doorstep Pictures.

• A-Side artist film and video screenings and projectionist. In collaboration with Ele Carpenter at Amber Films, Side Cinema

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Selected Exhibitions:​

 

• Cozzy Livs, group exhibition, Artist & Curator @ VANE Gallery, Gateshead. 21st Sept-7th Oct 2023

• Natural Byker, print exhibition Curation @ Ouseburn Farm, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 2PA. may-June 2023

• PRINT, group exhibition @ Northern Print, Newcastle October 2022

• I Don't Know What to do Know, group exhibition, Artist & Curator @VANE Gallery, Gateshead. 22nd Sept-1st Oct 2022

• Oil & Water, group exhibition, Artist & Curator @ The Cluny, Newcastle Upon Tyne. May 2022

• Artwork featured in Fernando García-Dory, The Vasseur BALTIC Artists’ Award, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
  April-Oct 2022   

• Artwork and publication featured in BALTIC Shop, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead April 2022-Current

• Sea Coal Series, New work in progress, Solo Show @Pop Up, 46 Front St Newbiggin by the Sea, Northumberland. 4th-6th March 2022

• Solo show  & installation SEA COAL 25th-27th Feb 2022 @Newbiggin Maritime Centre, Newbiggin by the Sea 

• Sea Coaling Archive audio interview 25th-27th Feb 2022 @Newbiggin Maritime Centre, Newbiggin by the Sea 

• NEVER NORMAL, group exhibition, Artist & Curator @VANE Gallery, Newcastle Upon Tyne July 2021

• To Heart Of It, an exhibition at Studio Love the Rock, Lancaster Sept-Nov 2020

• Heads and Tales, group exhibition, Artist & Curator @ VANE Gallery, Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2019

• Art & Liberation exhibition, Artist & Curator @ Holy Biscuit Gallery, Newcastle, Sept 2018

• World Mental Health Day Intervention Wall @ Discovery Museum, Newcastle 2018

• Artist in residence @ ZENDEH theatre Dec2014 - March 2015

• CINEMA Work in Progress preview @ Newcastle College Theatre, March 2015

• Winter Solstice event by ZENDEH Productions @ The Lit and Philosophy Society Newcastle, 20/12/14. CINEMA Installation and Moth animation.

• B&D Studios. Resident artists exhibition Dec 2014. Commercial Union House, 39 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE1 6QE

• Arthouses. Whitley Bay Film festival, 2014. Installation "The Children are watching" tv screen, corridor, looped film and Artist's book "Papersidedoodles vol004"

• Noize Choir member playing with experimental bodily sounds since 2013. Performances @ Gateshead, Newcastle, Northumberland, Manchester & Leeds https://soundcloud.com/noizechoir

• Platform00000012 Live Art Festival 14/12/2012, Star and Shadow Cinema, Stepney Bank, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 2NP

• IMPRINT, Manchester and Newcastle. A festival dedicated to supporting women artists whose work centres around improvisation and experimentation in multiple art forms. Featured work from Tereza Buskova and Maggie Nicols.

• “Spoken like a True Man”, Autumn Tour 2012, 6min Horse Loom film. 7 venues across UK

• Empty Shop video show case, Sept 2010, Unit 35b, The Gates Shopping Centre, Durham Also online display of “Doubleheads” 

• Lynemouth Mural, Lead artist Youth Project. 02-04/2009  Bridge Road | Lynemouth | Morpeth | Northumberland | NE61 5YJ 

• “6 weeks of Sunday”, solo exhibition. Placement of “Sea coal” installation. I29/02/2008 – 03/07/2008. In conjunction with Keap Creative. Woodhorn Church |  Northumberland | NE63 9YA

• “An effective deadly chop severs the connection”, Little Chops collective exhibition, 05-07/2007. The Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle, NE1 2N

• The Hera Festival: Boots and Boas, The Star and Shadow 03/05/2008. Arts Coordinator and Featured artist book “Of Red and Black”. The Star and Shadow, Stepney Bank, Byker, Newcastle Upon Tyne www.myspace.com/heracollective

• Curator of “Meshes of Maya” at The Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle  8-15/03/2007
  Complete works of Maya Derren on 35mm. Curator, Organizer and collaborative performer. In conjunction with Newcastle based dance group MOTHER. Supported by Arts council England and Northern Film. 

• “Flip Book touring exhibition”, Brooklyn, New York 2007
  International Flipbook Festival at Secret Project Robot. Featured artist book “Succumb” www.littlecakes.org/Flipbook.html

• “Flip Book touring exhibition”, Sunderland, International Flip Book Festival. 11-12/2006. Featured artist book “Succumb”, Reg Vardy Gallery, University of Sunderland, www.regvardygallery.org

• Morden Tower installation, 29/10/2005 Featured Artist. Digital video installation involving sculptural glass and wooden lathed elements. Alongside performances by NALLE and Les Cox Sportif. Presented by Black Sun Press. Morden Tower, City Wall, Newcastle

• “The Collective”, The Head of Steam, Neville St, Newcastle, 23/10/2005. Coordinator and featured artwork “Moments in emotion” video installation and “fish bowl” 16mm. Artists book “The Fine Art Lectures” vol.1      The Head of Steam, Neville St, Newcastle

• “Spool - Loops” Cineside Film Bee and Sunniside initiative  03-04/2005 
  Featured artwork “Fish Bowl”, 16mm film.  Sunniside Partnership St West, Sunderland

• “We Are Transparent” Curator and Artist 5-28/11/2004. Co-Organizer & Exhibited work at Side Cinema, Waygood Gallery and Newcastle Arts Centre. “Moments in emotion” video installation

• “Return To Sender” Fluxus film exhibition, Waygood Gallery  05-07/2004. Co-Curator with Debbie Bower and Maggie Tran. Featured art work - collaborative 16mm film reel. Supported by the Arts Council England. Waygood Gallery, 39 High Bridge St, Newcastle upon Tyne.  

• WOW signal exhibition 09/2003 - 06/2004. “Descry” Degree show exhibition Faculty Of Arts and Social Science, Northumbria University,

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