Team

George joined Drawing Room in 2019 and is responsible for delivering our Comms strategy, overseeing digital and print content across our platforms. Previously he worked in art publishing and several public and commercial arts organisations. His favourite drawings at the moment are Stanley Whitney’s sketchbooks.

As Learning Curator, Betsy connects artists with local people through a range of participatory projects which centre drawing as a form of thinking, experimentation and community building. She arrived at Drawing Room through having a socially engaged practice using animation as a form of research and collective making, in various public contexts and educational settings.

Mary initiated the Drawing Room with co-founders Kate Macfarlane and Katharine Stout in 2000 and has co-directed the organisation since. She has worked in the visual art sector for over 30 years. As Senior Curator at the Contemporary Art Society, she managed the Special Collection Scheme, an Arts Capital Lottery project to develop nineteen specialised contemporary art collections for fifteen museums and galleries throughout England, from 1995- 2005. She worked on curatorial development programmes and collection schemes at the CAS since 1993. Prior to this, she worked at Arts Council National Touring Exhibitions, the British Council and several commercial galleries in London.

Mariana started with Drawing Room in 2023, joining from the Exhibitions team at Two Temple Place. She oversees the day-to-day running of Drawing Room’s programme delivery, playing a critical role in establishing the relationship between Drawing Room and audiences in its new, permanent location in Bermondsey. The her favourite drawings can be found in Yoshitomo Nara’s Drawing File.

Kate is a curator and writer based in London and is co-founder and co-director of Drawing Room, London.  She began her career in the public visual arts sector at Riverside Studios in 1984 and co-founded Drawing Room in 2000. Since that time she has co-devised the organisation’s vision and programme. Recent curatorial projects include Close: Drawn Portraits (Drawing Room, 2018); A Slice through the World: Contemporary Artists’ Drawings (Drawing Room and Modern Art Oxford, 2018); Dove Allouche – Mea Culpa of a Sceptic (The Fondation d’entreprise Ricard, Paris) 2016; Line (Lisson Gallery, London) 2016. Recent writing includes: ‘Graphic Witness’ in A Companion to Contemporary Drawing, (Wiley Blackwell , 2019); ‘Intimate Reflections’ in Auto Fictions – Contemporary Drawing, Wilhelm-Hack-Museum, Germany (2018); ‘Drawing as Thinking through Material Encounter’, in A Slice through the World: Contemporary Artists’ Drawings (Modern Art Oxford, 2018). Kate studied art history and education at Cambridge University (1979-83).

Yamuna joined Drawing Room in 2013 to help set up the library and looks after the development of the research collection and programme. She studied BA Art History, MA Contemporary Art Theory, and MA Library & Information Studies and her current research interests include community publishing, and auralities.

Katharine is Director of Focal Point Gallery, Southend-on-Sea and Associate Director at Drawing Room. Previously she was Deputy Director at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) London. Her book, Contemporary Drawing: From the 1960s to Now was published by Tate publishing in 2013.

Andrew joined Tannery Arts in 1996 and has been part of the leadership team since 2008. His role for Tannery Arts is mainly around property negotiation for studios, team management and developing studio policy alongside Fiona Long. As an artist he is represented by Hales Gallery (London/New York) and Von Bartha (Basel/Copenhagen). He also curates and writes and is a Professor of Contemporary Art and Reinterpretation, working at University of Gloucestershire and Kingston University.

Ant joined Tannery Arts in February 2024. They are a curator, DJ and producer of queer arts events in South East London and beyond. They work on artist liaison with our Tannery artists, events production and studio management.

Nastasia joined Tannery Arts in September 2023 and is responsible for the operational management of Tannery Arts and Drawing Room, as well as supporting the Board of Directors. Her previous work ranges from producing and venue management, to governance for theatre and arts venues. Before that she completed a degree in Fine Art and Animation.

Debbie joined Tannery Arts in 2023 after graduating from Camberwell College of Arts with a BA in Painting. Prior to her undergraduate studies she qualified as an accountant and had spent the last 8 years working for various charitable organisations, including a stint in Uganda at AFRIpads, the worlds leading manufacturer of reusable sanitary pads.

Fiona is a Co-Director of Tannery Arts with Andrew Bick and works with a focus on property negotiations, artists’ welfare, and team management. She works with LAASN (London’s Affordable Art Studio Network) and other artists’ studio groups in advocating for the importance of affordable art studios in London and discussing best practice. She joined Tannery in 2016 as Studio Manager having previously worked as Studio Manager at Cubitt Artists. She is a practising artist having studied BA Painting at Wimbledon College of Arts and the Turps Studio Painting Programme and also has a degree in Psychology from Cardiff University.