Board of Directors
SAW Co-Chairs: Freeny Yianni and Jan Ollis
Freeny Yianni – Co-Chair
Freeny Yianni is a curator and creative director. She runs CLOSE Ltd, which represents artists and develops visual arts projects across the arts and creative industries, working with individuals, artists’, businesses, institutions, and public bodies.
Jan Ollis – Co-Chair
Jan’s background is textile design, founding Chi-Chi Moi in 2005 creating handmade, mainly knit and crochet fashion and home accessories.
Bridget Sterling
Director of online gallery Axle Arts, Bridget is a fine arts professional with over 20 years of experience. She is passionate about communicating the importance and centrality of art in society, as well as helping to facilitate creative arts practitioners in the establishment and management of their professional practice.
Patricia Dixon
Patricia is a Co-Director of Shiny Productions an arts and community consultancy based in the Southwest delivering community engagement project and producing cultural festivals and projects such as Salisbury Contemporary Craft and Heritage Festival, Craftivate Programme, the Ceramics Festival at Cockington Court, Home Ground and Z-Twist Textile Residences. She has over 22 years of experience of education, the arts and the cultural sector.
Damon Bridge
Damon has been working to protect wildlife habitats and species with the RSPB from the early 1990’s with the last 20yrs of his life spent right here on Somerset’s Levels and Moors. Damon keeps an eye on SAW’s Environmental Responsibility.
Sam Nguyễn
Sam Nguyen is a technology innovation expert, with experience in running digital hubs, innovation labs and incubation programmes with big corporates across different industries (Bayer, Novo Nordisk, easyJet, L’Oreal etc). He is passionate about helping artists to embrace entrepreneurship to further their careers. Outside of his professional practice, Sam occasionally moonlights as a children’s book illustrator, installation artist and an experimental potter.
Fiona Campbell
Fiona is an artist, curator and educator, focused on environment. She has an MFA, MRSS, PGCE and 30+ years experience working in the community, collaborating and enabling others. Curated projects include step in stone, B-Wing, The Gleaning. Previously SAW Area Rep, Fiona has worked with artists and non-arts organisations, promoting the arts in Somerset and beyond.
Become A Trustee!
Trustees are critical in setting a new look Board with a broad open minded outlook, overseeing our mission, and work with the staff team to lead on and enact the vision we share for the organisation’s future. Supporting our vital network in the next major phase of its development. From rugged rural coastlines to clustered urban environments, we connect artistic communities throughout Somerset as a way of raising visibility, advocate diversity and develop resilience across the visual arts sector.
For more information and the Trustee Recruitment Pack, click here.
If you are interested in finding out about becoming a SAW Board member please contact the SAW office [email protected] tel: 07587 909356
