who we are
The Leeds Visual Arts Forum steering group meets on a monthly basis and is made up of volunteers with a wide range of professional experience across the visual arts. We are:
Lara Eggleton works as a freelance art writer, critic and consultant. She is the recipient of Commonwealth and Overseas Research Scholarships and is undergoing a PhD in the History of Art at the University of Leeds. She is also a Creative Agent for Creative Partnerships Hull and a member of the Student Member Committee of the national Association of Art Historians.
Timandra Gustafson runs her own consultancy business working with artists and arts organisations. Her previous roles have included Executive Director of Axis, Head of Visual Arts at Arts Council England, North East, Visual Arts Officer for a local authority and she has also run her own art gallery. In a freelance capacity she set up the Arts Council's Own Art scheme in 2003/4. She is Chair of The Culture Company and a Co-director of Situation Leeds. She is also LVAF's Treasurer.
Pippa Hale is an artist curator based in Leeds. As an artist she has exhibited in a range of group and solo projects including 'North + South' (Southampton City Art Gallery 2007), ‘Secrets and Light’ (The Culture Company, Leeds 2006), ‘Editions’ (con|temporary, Berlin 2005), ‘Mene Mene’ (Situation Leeds 2005) and Patrick Studios’ Artist in Residence (East Street Arts, Leeds 2004). As a curator, she is currently director of the Northern Art Prize; co-director of PSL [Project Space Leeds]; council member of Leeds Civic Trust and secretary of LVAF.
Moira Innes is currently Chair of lvaf and curator of Leeds Met Gallery having gained wide experience from working in both galleries and the formal education sector over many years. The Gallery programme reflects her interests in progressive contemporary art and supporting artists at an early stage in their careers.
Rory Macbeth is an artist working in Leeds and London. He is represented by the Galerie Sara Guedj, Paris, and shows extensively throughout Europe. He is the founder and Co-Director of PILOT, a large-scale platform and archive for unrepresented artists, and co-runs the Boxing Club studio and event space in East London.
Mags McLeary is Senior Arts Development Officer at Leeds City Council and has previously worked in London, Birmingham and Dublin as a teacher and arts manager with a particular interest in supporting new artists. Mags is former Chair of Leeds Visual Arts Forum and is a member of the Leeds Arts Partnership.
Tanja Pirsig-Marshall is currently working as curator of exhibitions at Leeds Art Gallery. She studied Art History, History and Archaeology in Bochum and Bonn before finishing her PhD at Essex University. She has a postgraduate Diploma in Museums studies and is editor of the catalogue raisonne of paintings and drawings of the German Expressionist artist Otto Mueller. Previously, she worked as curator at the National Museum Wales, Cardiff; the Ruhrlandmuseum, Essen, the Museum Folkwang Essen, the Kunsthalle, Munich, the Art Gallery, Blackburn and as freelance exhibition curator for the Kunsthalle Krems, Austria.
Zoë Sawyer is a freelance artist and curator. She is co-founder and art director/co-curator of theartmarket– a Leeds based artist-led space and collective. Since opening in December 2006, with an active programme, theartmarket has provided a platform for new art in Leeds and established itself as a creative hub for Leeds’ based emerging and emerged artists. Zoë’s own work has been exhibited in a solo show in Bury St Edmunds (2005) and group shows in Leeds and Berkeley, California (2005-2008). She also works as gallery assistant at Project Space Leeds.