I have worked as an employee and a freelance consultant for contemporary arts organisation, galleries and events organisers, in the UK and Ireland since 2003, in both curatorial and senior management roles. This has involved extensive work on developing and delivering exhibitions across contemporary visual arts, craft and design; as well as funding development, artist liaison; commissioning; and sitting on selection panels.
While my specialism is contemporary craft and design, and projects have often centred on art textiles, I actively seek projects that cross the unnecessary boundaries of visual arts practice, and have brought together myriad combinations of painting, sculpture, performance, tapestry, weaving, knitting, embroidery, furniture making, marquetry, wood-turning, jewellery, metal smithing, glass, ceramics, mosaic, leather, fashion, installation, interactive projects, photography and film.
A particular strength is the development, marketing and management of touring exhibitions.
Projects for Others – a partial CV
2003-2018 For Creative Exhibitions / Upper Street Events, London, delivering The Knitting & Stitching Shows/Festival of Quilts, in venues across England, Scotland and Ireland as Consultant, Curator and Project Manager.
Artists included: The 62 Group of Textile Artists (UK/International), Jeanette Appleton, Eszter Bornemisza (Hungary), Pauline Burbidge, Dorothy Caldwell (Canada), Nigel Cheney, Nancy Crow (USA), Beryl Dean, Anthony Green RA & Mary Cozens-Walker, Rozanne Hawksley, Michael & Judith James (USA), Renate & Charles Keeping, Alice Kettle, Paddy Killer, Joanna Kinnersly-Taylor, Chunghie Lee (Korea/USA), Tom Lundberg (USA), Helen Pailing, Quilt Art Group (international), Fiona Rutherford, Tilleke Schwarz (Netherlands), Barbara Lee Smith (USA).
Partner and lending organisations: Beamish Museum Quilters Guild Museum, Crafts Council, Rijswijk Museum International Paper Biennial (Netherlands/international), Studio Art Quilt Associates (USA/international), Textilsammlung Max Berg at Palatinate Museum Heidelberg (Germany), V&A Museum.
2010-2015 For the National Centre for Craft & Design, Sleaford, Lincs, as Touring Manager:
2012-2015 Transplantation: a sense of place and culture. Curator Norman Cherry. NCCD; then touring England and Australia: Bluecoat Design Centre, Liverpool; The Collection, Lincoln; Crafts Study Centre, Farnham Surrey; Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Bovey Tracey; Bilston Craft Gallery. Wolverhampton; Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, NSW (Australia); Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW; Webb Gallery QCA/Griffith University QLD; Macquarie University Art Gallery, NSW; Craft ACT, Canberra ACT; Craft Victoria, Melbourne, VIC; Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery; Cowra Regional Gallery, WA; Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, WA.
Artists: Jivan Astfalck (UK/Germany), Roseanne Bartley (Australia/NZ), Nicholas Bastin (Australia), Norman Cherry, Lin Cheung, Jack Cunningham (UK/France), Anna Davern (Australia), Joung-Mee Do (Australia, South Korea), Jo Pond, Sheridan Kennedy (Australia), Bridie Lander (UK/Australia), Laura Potter.
2012 – 2015 Bathing Beauties: reimagining the Beach Hut for the 21st Century. NCCD; Oriel Davies, Newtown, mid Wales; Great Western Studios, London (as part of London Design Festival 2012); Aberystwyth Arts Centre; 20-21 Visual Arts Centre, Scunthorpe; TheGallery, Arts University Bournemouth; Rugby Art Gallery & Museum. 137 scale models of proposals for contemporary coastal architecture. Designers included Will Alsop, A-Models, Raw Studio, Studio Thomas Heatherwick and many others, from 15 countries.
2014-15 Black Sheep: the darker side of felt (curator Laura Mabbutt). K&S, Forty Hall.
2014 Revolution in the Bedroom, War in the Playground: Video Gaming 1979 – 1986 (curators Jeremy Webster and Sam West), NCCD; Gallery Oldham. Artists & designers included: Mel Croucher, Rick Dickinson, Oliver Frey, Sinclair Research Ltd.
2014 Creating a Scene,(curators Jeremy Webster and Laura Mabbutt). NCCD; Oriel Davies. Artists & designers: Edward Allington, Franko B, Ivor Beddoes & Hein Heckroth, Giuseppe Belli, Julian Crouch, Richard Deacon RA, Howard Hodgkin, Derek Jarman, Philip Lee, Kristin and Davy McGuire, Bruce McLean, Louise Ann Wilson, Edwin Zwakman.
2013 Alexis Rago: Chaos Contained. Solo exhibition by ceramicist, biologist and fellow of Linnean Society. NCCD; Crafts Study Centre; 20:21 Visual Arts Centre.
Liz Cooper 