ARTIST BIO
About Alice Briggs
Alice Briggs is an artist, arts educator and curator who has exhibited and invigilated work in the UK and mainland Europe. She has recently become Head of Art (June '22) at National Museum Wales and was assistant curator of Ceredigion Museum based in Aberystwyth for nearly thirteen years. Alice worked with Age Cymru on their flagship cARTrefu project as an artist in care homes for five years and as Creative Agent for the Lead Creative Schools Arts Council Wales project from 2016-2022.
She also has experience in the commissioning and management of public art projects in her previous roles as Project Manager for Cywaith Cymru (subsequently Safle); 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 Briggs 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.
CURATOR AND FACILITATOR
As a museum and art curator I have recently taken on the role of Head of Art at Amgueddfa Cymru / National Museum Wales. I'll be working to deliver Amgueddfa Cymru's 2030 strategy which focuses on representation, decolonisation and taking the art collection out to the communities of Wales. Previously I worked within the context of a local authority institution that prided itself on working within an engaging and socially cohesive framework.
There are many traditional boundaries occupying the setting of museum curation that we constantly seek to push, particularly in regards to wellbeing and sustainability within the historical and cultural boundaries of the museum. The particularly challenging times in which we are working often inspire new partnerships and modes of curation. I aim to curate spaces for reflection, and enjoy developing unusual forms of presentation and sites for curation. Serendipitous moments where the public happen upon artwork can often be the most memorable.
I particularly enjoy working with artists collaboratively, and from the environment of our museum collections, whilst drawing in our audiences as active participants of the process and its end product - whatever that may be.
We have worked for several years with the Happy Museum whose work has helped to transform the museum space and develop a collaborative and inclusive approach to our curation.
We have recently been shortlisted for a Museums + Heritage award 2020 for the temporary exhibition 'Sheep'.
Link to the report from the 'Future Landscapes' symposium organised for the exhibition.