Forgan Arts Centre is managed by a team of staff with support from committed volunteers and Board of Trustees.
Jen joined Forgan Arts Centre in April 2022 as the Centre’s first Director. Jen’s role is to lead the organisation through this period of change and expansion as the centre settles into it’s new home in Newport-on-Tay. A graduate of the Glasgow School of Art’s Painting & Printmaking course, Jen’s previous experience includes establishing venue and studio complex The Glue Factory and working within the programming teams of the CCA and Glasgow Short Film Festival before moving east to work with award-winning venue Summerhall, Maniplute Visual Theatre Festival, Stellar Quines, and as the inaugural Programme Associate at Edinburgh International Festival, co-curating the contemporary music programme, Light on the Shore at Leith Theatre. Jen’s experience as a programmer and producer centre artistic excellence, community connection, and inclusivity.
As the centre’s Director she supports the growing staff team and is responsible for the centre’s strategy, finances, operations, and development.
Teri is an experienced arts worker who specialises in communications and community engagement. For 20+ years she has unpicked the complexities of creative companies, building audiences and shaping narratives along the way. She has led communications for joyful, anarchic Kneehigh, as well as arts centres DCA and CCA; connected rural communities through The Touring Network; managed development and capital projects for Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange, and devised high-profile campaigns for National Museums Scotland. Teri has worked across participatory projects with NVA Europe and produced art programmes and residencies for Create London, in addition to many more festivals and events as a freelancer.
Teri is responsible for the centre’s strategy, finances, operations and development in Jen’s absence, supporting our growing staff team.
Teri works Monday-Friday.
During a career in the public, private, and third sector Kenny has enjoyed a number roles including in teaching, lecturing, and project management and as an education officer and head of service. In his last post he was Education Support Officer Arts and Culture and Head of the Instrumental Music Service for Dundee City Council where he was also responsible for the project management of a number of high profiled partnership projects. During this period he was seconded for a time to Education Scotland where he helped to establish the Music Education Partnership Group working closely with Scottish Government to ensure a more fair and equitable access to music education for all leading to a national policy change of free music tuition for all children and young people. He is a Trustee of Angus Alive, responsible for public arts, heritage, sports and cultural offers in the county and in 2020 was invited to become a trustee of Dundee Pride. Kenny leads on fundraising and development at the centre, successfully securing core and project funding.
Kenny works Monday-Friday.
Anna joined Forgan Arts Centre in 2018 and is the Studio & Operations Coordinator. Beginning in 2022, Anna has been developing the new artist studio programme and facilities. The centre is now home to ten studios for artists across art forms including visual art, sound, and textiles. Anna leads the Allotment Project. We have 20 private allotments for rent and intend to develop more facilities in the coming years to better support the year-round propagation of plants. Anna leads the centre’s operations in collaboration with all team members. Anna is a qualified and experienced designer working primarily with textiles and furniture upholstery. Her practice has taken her all over the world, from Europe to the US and China. She brings her experience and knowledge of design, textiles and upholstery to the centre’s busy programme of classes.
Anna is part time, working Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
Rowan is an artist and writer, drawn to sticky stories of land, labour, soil, sensation, energy and ecology. Between 2019-2025, Rowan co-cultivated a living community of seeds and seedkeepers at Glasgow Seed Library, hosted by Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow. Rowan previously worked in cultural institutions, artist-led projects and as an educator and researcher, most recently at University of Dundee. Rowan co-organises Un/Nature, a queer ecologies reading group, and is preparing a publication about tree grafting and queer kinship.
As Curator, Rowan takes care of our awarded artist residency programme, our seasonal celebrations and the embedding of social permaculture into our programmes and practices.
Rowan normally works Monday to Thursday.
Lorna is a self employed bookkeeper for the Centre. Lorna works part time, fulfilling all necessary accounting practices including the preparation of internal management accounts, processing invoices, and meeting the needs of the charities regulator, OSCR. Lorna has been a chartered management accountant since 2007 and has previously worked as both self-employed and employed for a number of small, medium, and large businesses. Lorna also has a passion for creative arts and crafts and has owned a craft business. Lorna is a Forgan Arts Centre enthusiast and attends one of our weekly pottery classes which she loves.
Lorna works part time and flexibly.
Helena Simmons has an academic and research background, having completed a Botany B.Sc. (Hons) and a PhD at Glasgow University. Plants are the medium that can provide better biodiversity and climate outcomes, improve mental health and are needed to sustain ourselves, so after moving away from lab based research, Helena is keen to share her passion about plants via education and community engagement, working with volunteers in community gardens and with school groups. Plants are the foundations upon which all else rests. Helena leads on the strategy for the grounds and gardens working closely with volunteers, local people and partners to ensure the gardens are a site for climate action and activism, educating people in environmental sustainability, biodiversity, and gardening.
Helena is part time, working Saturdays and Mondays.
Jek McAllister is an artist, facilitator, gardener, and cook based in Dundee. Jek graduated from DJCAD BA Fine Art in 2019 and has since completed an NC in Horticulture. Currently working at Ninewells Community Garden as Community Engagement Facilitator, her day to day practice is and always has been concerned with with creating fun circumstances for people to come together, hang out and experience or learn something (often around food). Jek has run Wooosh Gallery, Dundee’s most haunted car park based gallery that is open 24/7, alongside fellow graduates Jamie Donald and Finlay Hall since 2019.
Jek leads ‘Alternative (art) School‘, a project we deliver in partnership with Madras College to support people aged 13-18 years who feel excluded from mainstream education.
Jek is freelance and works part time.
Ruby Pester is a visual and social artist living and working in Glasgow, Scotland. She has been creating work collaboratively across Scotland and internationally since 2008 and is one half of the collaborative artist duo Pester & Rossi. Her practice derives from visual art and leads to creating live art, sculpture, installation and public interventions in response to people and places. Ruby embraces a collective working approach, hosting public events and workshops, often working with young people to create art that explores and activates collective experiences of play, making and civic celebration.
Ruby leads the Rural Connections programme. In 2023 this was titled ‘On The Table‘ and participants created all the parts needed to make a community meal. From printing table cloths to growing the ingredients, designing and making the ceramic crockery to designing the menu, participants curated the meal and invited local people to join. In 2024, the programme was titled ‘Radical Acts of Plork‘ and will use textiles, stained glass, and basketry.
Ruby is currently on maternity leave.
Rhona is an artist and arts worker based in Dundee. She works freelance in a variety of creative roles, primarily in arts production, technical management and learning. She has a passion for grassroots artist-led activity, which was ignited during her time as chairperson of GENERATORprojects. In her artistic practice she works primarily with textiles and wood, and engages in a variety of participatory art projects, focussing on play and experimentation, working with reclaimed and recycled materials. At Forgan Arts Centre, Rhona works in the role of Volunteer Engagement Coordinator, organising activities for our group of dedicated volunteers.
Rhona works part time, usually on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
volunteer@forganartscentre.co.uk
A Fine Art graduate from DJCAD, Sarah works as a freelancer for arts organisations across the UK. Her arts practice continues in printmaking, often making work about finding and losing objects, images and other fragmented materials. Sarah leads on the marketing and communication of activities, especially the art and craft education programme. She is the person behind our social media presence connecting the centre to audiences, participants and likeminded organisations.
Sarah is part time, primarily working on Wednesdays. Image credit: Grant Anderson.
CJ is employed by Forgan Arts Centre as a Duty Supervisor at weekends. CJ supports Helena, Garden Facilitator, and Mim, Studio Assistant, in their respective roles and pilots our monthly Coorie Community Café. During school holidays, she also works with the young artists in our Children’s Art Club providing support to lead artists and ensuring all children can fully engage with the activities. CJ also supports other activities in the centre including Living Table, On The Table, and various workshops and masterclasses. CJ’s professional background includes a range of third sector youth and community work across Tayside and further afield. If you’ve visited Forgan Arts Centre for any reason, you’ve probably met CJ! In addition to working for Forgan Arts Centre, CJ is currently studying art at DJCAD.
CJ is part time, primarily working Saturdays.
dutysupervisor@forganartscentre.co.uk
Harry Josephine Giles is a writer and performer from Orkney, living in Leith. Her latest book is the poetry collection Them! (Picador 2024). Her verse novel Deep Wheel Orcadia (Picador 2021) won the 2022 Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction book of the year. Her poetry collections The Games (Out-Spoken Press, 2018) and Tonguit (Freight Books 2015) were between them shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, the Saltire Prize and the Edwin Morgan Poetry Award. Her stage show of her poetry sequence Drone toured internationally in 2019, and the performance of Deep Wheel Orcadia will tour in 2025. She has a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Stirling.
queeringtheclachan@forganartscentre.co.uk
Board of Trustees
Trudy Cunningham
Drew Hemment
Ailsa McKenzie, Treasurer
Kate Smith, Co Chair
Jonny Tepp
Gilbert Valentine
Judith Winter, Co Chair
