Catherine is one of the founding directors of Aunty Social, a voluntary arts organisation that provides accessible, participatory arts activities on Lancashire’s Fylde Coast.
A long-time resident of Blackpool, Catherines specialises in organising and coproducing events and projects that strengthen engagement between marginalised communities, local history and the arts. Catherine looks after Aunty’s finances, governance strategy and creative programme (including Blackpool Film Festival).
For her ‘day job’, Catherine is a freelancer who loves to work on projects that connect local residents, artists and academics to explore ways that people can develop their creativity while exploring and celebrating culture. Catherine is a Clore Leadership (Arts Council Transform) Fellow and is particularly interested in cultural strategy, community organising, liberation practice and building systems that underpin more equitable alternative futures.
Catherine has previously been a Trustee of Creative Lives and spent 10 years working in local government on equality, partnerships, service access and community engagement. Formerly Catherine was the Creative Programmer at the Harris, a museum, library and art gallery in Preston, planning activities that encouraged people to explore their creativity as well as the Harris’ extensive collections.
In her free time Catherine loves restoring her collection of analogue projectors sourced from second hand shops, skips and the local tip. She also loves to visit historic sites (especially stone circles), exploring folk traditions and dabbles in the textile arts, particularly heritage crafts.