Meet the team

Alice is an artist, arts educator and curator who has exhibited work in the UK and Europe. She is currently assistant curator of Ceredigion Museum based in Aberystwyth, and has experience in the commissioning and management of public art projects in her previous roles as Project Manager for Cywaith Cymru; the public art agency for Wales, arts tutor for Aberystwyth University’s School of Lifelong Learning, and gallery interpreter for Aberystwyth Arts Centre. Other positions have included arts facilitator for Haul Arts in Health.

Alice graduated in Visual Performance at Dartington College of Arts, and completed an MA in Art Museum and Gallery Studies from Newcastle. Since then she founded Blaengar – an emerging arts organisation focused on site-specific works and creative events in the public realm.

Alice has a growing interest in the recuperative benefits of creative arts within the health sector.  She has experience of working within a variety of health care environments, including mental health, stroke rehabilitation and with children suffering long-term illnesses and learning difficulties. 

Alice is based in Ceredigion, and has worked as a cARTrefu artist since 2017.

Alison Moger is an established visual artist and educator brought up in the South Wales valleys. Her work will always have an environmental and recycling ethos at its heart. Alison graduated in 2005 and now works with mixed media, print, and stitch. Alison is actively involved and committed to the visual arts with good listening, observational and communication skills.

Alison has the capacity to empathise with and understand people with difficulties in communication skills and has the ability to work effectively through imagination and creativity, with a flexible and resourceful approach. 

Alison is based in Bridgend, and has worked as a cARTrefu artist since 2017.

Born in Huddersfield, Beth studied Time Based Practice at Cardiff School of Art and Design. After graduating in 2006 she has continued to exhibit and organise Art and Art events nationally and internationally. Her work has featured as part of Experimentica Cardiff, NRLA Glasgow, National Eisteddfod Wales, Croatia: My Land Staglinec, Holland: The Hague, Drag, Berlin: Black and blue and Estonia: Tallin Tartu Pernu, Diverse Universe festival and residency. 

She has worked for art organisations such as Trace, Protoplay and to this day tactileBOSCH.

Her work utilizes highly aesthetic scenes to evoke uncanny ritual and images alluding to a mythical reality based on a distorted “popular culture”. 

Beth is based in Cardiff, and has worked as a cARTrefu artist since 2017.

Claire is a tutor and practicing textile designer and maker continually developing her own working practice specialising in natural fibres, plant dyes and felt making with an awareness to environmental and sustainability issues we face today.  

Claire has gained experience in working with alternative and special educational needs, those with disabilities, cancer patients and vulnerable young people, and older people and those living with dementia. She’s worked in a variety of setting from secure units, hospitals, hospices and care homes. 

Claire is motivated by challenges and opportunities through artist residencies and working to commission, and has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally.  Having successfully completed a range of artist in residence projects, from design and making and facilitation, resulting in exhibition of her work in galleries and public places. 

Claire is based in Cardiff, and worked as a cARTrefu artist during the first phase 2015 – 2017, and returned for the third phase in 2019.

Emma is a community visual artist, working in South Wales. She runs art workshops with a variety of groups, including children and adults, particularly those with learning disabilities. She has an art and design background, which she uses to inspire and encourage people to make a leap in creating their own work. 

In her own practice she enjoys using found objects, amongst them, abandoned items found in nature, skips and charity shops. She sees everything as potential for creation and loves to experiment with new ideas and approaches. 

Emma is based in Cardiff, and worked as a cARTrefu artist during the first phase 2015 – 2017, part of the second phase 2018 – 2019, and returned for the third phase in 2020.

Jon is a Theatre Maker and Musician with a focus on inclusive creative practice. He has taken great delight in working with arts organisations who are considered Welsh leaders in their fields, including Hijinx Theatre, Music Theatre Wales and National Youth Arts Wales (Theatre). Jon founded the arts organisation COMMUSICATION (2012), and Nid Fy Mwnciod i/Not My Monkeys (2015).

Jon’s focus on inclusion can be felt in his efforts as a board member for ASSITEJ UK and Chair of Theatre for Young Audiences Cymru. He’s also an interim-board member for the International Inclusivity Arts Network (IIAN) and National Champion for Wales. 

Jon is based near Cheptow, and has been a member of the cARTrefu team since the project’s beginning in 2015. Working as an artist in phase one and mentor in phase two, Jon has continued as a cARTrefu artist for the third phase.

Jon currently works mainly with Moving Image and painting. Jon is particularly interested in using ‘other’ media such as drawing, clay sculpture and collage to create films. Thematically, all Jon’s work is quite personal, centred around our stories, memories and dreams and often explores the role that ‘place’ plays within these. 

Jon has exhibited Moving Image work at many festivals including Alchemy Moving Image Festival, Scotland, The London Short Film Festival at the ICA, G39 Cardiff and Experiments in Cinema, Albuquerque.

As a cARTefu artist, Jon has worked with residents to produce animated clay heads, hand-drawn 16mm films and live action ‘object-films’ as well as exploring frottage, mobile making and painting. 

Jon is based in the Vale of Glamorgan, and has worked as a cARTrefu artist since 2017.

Laura has been a practicing artist since 1999, holding a BA Hons in Ceramics and an MA in Fine Art from Swansea College of Art. After graduating in 1999, she created Swansea’s first pop up gallery and founded Applied Arts Un. Ltd, a community arts organisation dedicated to encouraging pride and participation in visual arts in Swansea and beyond. 

Laura has worked with numerous schools, residential homes, community groups and organisations including: Arts Council of Wales, City & County of Swansea Council, Communities First, DACE Swansea, WCVA and Urban Foundry. 

Laura recently exhibited her cARTrefu work in the cARTrefu Cube at the Taliesin, Swansea University, and at Craft in The Bay, Cardiff. 

Laura is based in Swansea, and has worked as a cARTrefu artist since 2017.

Michal Iwanowski is a Polish-born, Cardiff-based artist and Head of Education and Training at Media Academy Cardiff. Michal studied Documentary Photography at the University of Wales, Newport, graduating in 2008. His work explores the relationship between landscape and memory; marking the silent passing of otherwise insignificant individuals and histories. 

In 2009, he won the Emerging Photographers award by Magenta Foundation, as well as being given an Honourable Mention at Px3 Prix De Photographie, Paris. Michal received Arts Council of Wales and Wales Arts International grants for his projects Clear of People and Fairy Fort Project and in 2012 had a residency in Kaunas, supported by the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture.

Michal is based in Cardiff, and has been a member of the cARTrefu team since the project’s beginning in 2015. Working as an artist in phase one and mentor in phase two, Michal has continued as a cARTrefu artist for the third phase.

Penny Alexander is a Welsh visual artist who is inspired by people and their lives.

Penny uses words and type to find creative ways to share the memories of the people she works with. She particularly loves typewriters. Penny is fascinated by people and she has developed her skills through working in care homes meeting residents, staff and visitors to enjoy conversation and creativity.

Penny attended the University of Salford where she was awarded a BA (Hons) Visual Arts.

Her work has exhibited both nationally and internationally as part of Juried exhibitions. She has worked in permanent collections at Beaney House of Art & Knowledge at The University of Kent and in Galaudet Gallery, Wisconsin, USA. Her artist book “Mind Maps” has been the focus of several essays by notable academics. 

Penny is based in Flintshire, and has worked as a cARTrefu artist since 2017.

Susan Kingman is a theatre-maker and creative facilitator, with a strong background in inclusive practice and communication skills training. Her creative work often stems from real-life stories and perspectives not often heard, centring on first-person testimonials and interviews.

Susan began creating her own work in 2012, with an early version of her first play, ‘I’ll Be There, Now’, which went on to an Arts Council Wales-funded tour of South Wales. Since then she has developed several other projects in collaboration with other Wales-based artists and companies, and has been awarded further Arts Council Wales grants. 

Susan set up, and co-ordinates, the first hub in Wales of the UK-wide Mothers Who Make artist & creative network (recently featured on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour). 

Susan is based in Cardiff, and has worked as a cARTrefu artist since 2017.

Tara studied Illustration at Wrexham College and Harrow College of Art and Design. Returning to Denbigh, she worked with Craig Bragdy Design Ltd, a unique Ceramic Pool and Mural making company based in the town. While working here Tara developed her portfolio and began working on community art projects. The possibilities that clay creates continues to influences her practice today. Tara enjoys exploring different materials through drawing and printmaking in her workshops, sharing her experimental way of working and discovering new environments. The nature of her practice allows for an experience that encourages all in the community to explore being part of the Helfa Gelf Open studios, an event that takes place every year in North Wales. Tara became a mentee with the Lost in Art project in Denbighshire during 2011. Tara continues to work with Denbighshire Art Service, delivering the workshops in Rhyl and Prestatyn, and has created projects with the Vale of Clwyd Stroke Association, Vale of Clwyd MIND, Criw Celf, schools and local community groups in Denbighshire, Conwy and Flintshire and Wrexham. 

Tara is based in Denbighshire, and has worked as a cARTrefu artist since 2017.

Ticky is a multimedia artist and workshop facilitator based in North Wales. She’s intrigued by boxes and fascinated by objects, and the stories and responses that they can trigger. She’s involved in collaborations, residencies, commissions and manages creative projects. 

Ticky works regularly with schools, residential homes and hospitals with people of all ages and abilities.

She’s worked extensively on creative projects with people living with dementia over the last few years, these include creating reminiscence resources for care and nursing staff to use to help them to relate to patients in hospital and a long term residency working alongside a dementia support worker in The Maelor Hospital in Wrexham.

Ticky is currently putting the finishing touches to 12 new reminiscence handling collections, which will be available on loan for care homes and groups in Conwy via the new Culture Hub. Ticky is also starting work on a collaboration with the Cae Dai Trust 1950’s Museum in Denbigh, to pilot a 50’s handling collection for use by groups and care homes in Denbigh. 

Ticky is based in Denbighshire, and worked as a cARTrefu artist during the first phase 2015 – 2017, and returned for the third phase in 2019.

Sarah Lord worked as a studio photographer for seven years prior to joining the cARTrefu team. Sarah has worked for Age Cymru since April 2018 within central services, but jumped at the chance to work on the cARTrefu project when the opportunity arose. Sarah took over the running of the cARTrefu project in January 2019.