From 2013 to 2015, I co-founded and was Director of Glasgow Open House Art Festival. Glasgow Open House is a volunteer-led, not-for-profit organisation established to support the practical needs of Glasgow’s grassroots artistic community.

Informed by the city’s established do-it-yourself culture within visual art and music, the festival actively encouraged artists to occupy alternative and non-traditional spaces for exhibitions and events. These ranged from tenement flats, laundrettes, and donated domestic spaces to an industrial tunnel beneath Merchant City.

The programme foregrounded experimental and site-responsive practices, including Streetland Arts’ occupation of a disused wasteland in Govan, transformed into a public sculpture park; Aleksandra Roch’s intimate, one-to-one performances bookable by phone; and a chaotic house party hosted by Monster Chetwynd .

During my tenure as Director, the festival worked with over 500 artists across the city in 130 venues and formed a longstanding partnership with Glasgow School of Art’s Widening Participation programme that created opportunities for young artists (16-18) from marginalised backgrounds to experience the festival and have mentoring opportunities to develop their professional practice.