I am writing this as the lead applicant to support the next phase of my collaborative artistic practice alongside Eve Cromwell and Jenny McNamara (Spaghetti Factory). Together, we will develop and deliver a large-scale, co-produced exhibition that deepens our shared exploration of non-hierarchical, participatory curatorial models.
The project builds on the ethos and format of our past exhibitions, Now That’s What I Call Art (Newcastle Contemporary Art and The Auxiliary) and ‘Open’ Open (The NewBridge Project), which invited broad public participation and resisted traditional curatorial gatekeeping. With Dover Prize support, we aim to extend this work in a Darlington context – collaborating with its communities to imagine an expansive, inclusive exhibition shaped by those within it.
For the exhibition, inspired by Lina Bo Bardi’s “crystal easels” at MASP (São Paulo), we will develop and fabricate a new modular display system that removes artworks from conventional walls and suspends them in open space. This approach allows for artworks to be experienced from multiple angles, removing the politics of a salon-style hang and challenging assumptions about value and visibility.
We are particularly focused on achieving visual and structural uniformity across the display, ensuring that all participating artists encounter the same conditions of visibility and presentation. This equal footing supports our aim of a non-hierarchical exhibition structure and avoids privileging certain works through more prominent placement. We also want to develop a system which is affordable, sustainable, and adaptable.
Influenced by Per Hüttner’s I Am a Curator, artist participation will be shaped by a booking system, where exhibiting artists book on a first-come, first-served basis, actively installing and designing the exhibition with us in small groups. This radically open model removes the authority of selection and places trust in artists, encouraging non-hierarchical and generous exchange and feminist, care-led approaches to decision-making.
The bursary will support:
• Artist and collaborator fees to dedicate focused time to research, build, and deliver the project (£6,000)
• Design and fabrication of display structures for reuse in future shows, including a prototyped affordable version (£2,000)
• Exhibition and promotional materials (£500)
• Documentation and dissemination of process and outcome (£1,000)
• Contingency (£500)
This ambitious, co-produced exhibition to Darlington, offers a bold and accessible platform for local artists and communities to actively shape contemporary art in Darlington. By inviting artists to participate through an open, first-come-first-served booking system – and working together to install the show – we’ll create an inclusive, care-led experience that places trust in the creativity already present in Darlington.
At our previous exhibitions, artists consistently told us – formally and informally – how much they valued the chance to connect with others, exchange ideas, and work collectively. These encounters built confidence and opened up new networks. By creating conditions for this kind of collaboration, we hope to surface Darlington’s artistic talent and nurture relationships between artists across the region.
The new display system is conceptually important. Removing artworks from traditional walls and giving each piece equal presence in space reinforces the exhibition’s commitment to openness, equity, and shared visibility. It offers a counterpoint to Gallerina and Darlington Borough Art Collection and compliments Darlington Arts’ mission of building community through art.
The richly layered, walkable environment will invite curiosity, engagement, and pride – celebrating Darlington’s creativity and offering something memorable to connect with and feel proud of.
I began curating and running System Gallery from 2016. During which I transformed it into a responsive, community-driven platform. When faced with eviction, I reimagined it as a nomadic project – continuing to support artists through experimental, inclusive formats. My recently completed practice-based PhD at Newcastle University integrated my roles as artist, curator, and educator into a hybrid practice, documenting System’s impact as a space that challenges traditional boundaries between artists, curators, and audiences. Co-developing and delivering projects like Now That’s What I Call Art and The NewBridge Project’s ‘Open’ Open exemplify my belief in openness, collaboration, and ‘making space’ – both physically and conceptually – for diverse voices. I regularly work with Eve Cromwell and Jenny McNamara of Spaghetti Factory. My collaborative approach is deeply informed by concepts of friendship and kinship, aligning with ideas of ‘reciprocal self-realisation’ and Céline Condorelli’s notion of friendship as both a foundation and outcome of creative work. I am tutor for Contemporary Art Theory MA at Edinburgh College of Art, leader on the curatorial strand for Fine Art BA at Newcastle University, Community Archive coordinator for Dwellbeing Shieldfield, Flourish Stakeholder Group member, and The NewBridge Project programme committee member. Recent exhibitions and publications detailed at: https://dangoodmanartist.cargo.site/cv
Yes;
2018 – 2024 PhD in Fine Art & Art History. Title System Gallery: What’s the Point? A Practice-Based Study of Value Generation in Artist-Run Initiatives. Newcastle University.
2013 – 2014 MA in Art Museum and Gallery Studies. Dissertation Title: Making Meaning in Virtual Museum Environments. International Centre for Culture and Heritage Studies, Newcastle University.
2007 – 2010 BA (Hons) in Painting and Drawing. Dissertation Title: Peter Fuller the Forgotten Critic? University of Northampton.
Yes, recent funding includes:
2024-2025 Hold the Door Open Bursary awarded by North East Cultural Freelancers.
2024-2025 The NewBridge Programme Committee awarded by The NewBridge Project.
2024 Artists’ Agency Newcastle Commission awarded by Helix Arts and Creative Culture: NCL.
2023 Artists’ Agency Newcastle awarded by Helix Arts and Newcastle’s Culture and Creative Zone.
2023 Fine Art Research Environment Fund awarded by Newcastle University.
2023 Covid-19 Impact Funding awarded by Newcastle University.
2022 Cost of Living Impact Fund 2022/23 awarded by Newcastle University.
2022 School of Arts and Cultures Postgraduate Research Student Training Fund for ‘Now That’s What I Call Feedback!’ awarded by Newcastle University.
2021 Covid-19 Impact Funding awarded by Newcastle University.
2021 Bartlett Off-Site fund for ‘Vault’ exhibition held at GAS Contemporary awarded by Newcastle University.
2021 School of Arts and Cultures Postgraduate Research Student Training Fund for ‘Folly’ awarded
by Newcastle University.
2020 Arts Council England to contribute to ‘What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About the Artist-Led’ symposium held at Exhibition Research Lab, Liverpool John Moores University.
2019 Institute for Creative Arts Practice and School of Arts and Cultures Postgraduate Research Fieldwork Fund to participate in Supermarket: Stockholm Independent Art Fair awarded by Newcastle University.
Yes, I am actively involved in organising self-initiated professional opportunities that support both my own practice and the wider artistic community. I previously ran System Gallery in Newcastle, an artist-led space that served as a platform for early-career practitioners to test and present work in an open, accessible context. This included developing and curating the Now That’s What I Call Art series—an ongoing programme of exhibitions that embraced humour, experimentation, and low-barrier participation.
I am also the co-founder of Wormworks, a studio block, alternative pedagogical space, and community venue currently in development in Gateshead. Wormworks aims to support cross-disciplinary practices, informal education, and artist-led organising—building infrastructure that reflects collective needs and long-term sustainability.
Previously, I co-founded and co-ran ReadingRoom in Sunderland, a short-lived but active platform for emerging artistic practices, where we curated exhibitions, events, and discussions that responded to both local context and wider critical discourse.
I am also a studio holder and active member of Albion Row Studios.
Yes. Over the past few years, I’ve delivered workshops, one-to-one artist development, and curated projects for The NewBridge Project—both as a freelance artist and as part of the programme committee. Most recently, I co-curated Support Structures with The Collective Studio (NewBridge’s artist development programme), which was presented as part of The Late Shows 2025 – a city-wide late-night culture crawl in Newcastle and Gateshead that opens up galleries, studios, and museums to the public.
In 2024, I curated the NewBridge ‘Open’ Open at The NewBridge Project in Newcastle, and co-produced NE1 4 NE1, a public artwork commissioned through Helix Arts and Creative Culture: NCL. That same year, my writing was published in FIELD notes: TWO – ‘Thoughts on FIELD… And Then Some Stuff about Boats’, edited by Two Destination Language and supported by Arts Council England and East Street Arts.
I’ve worked with a range of public and artist-led organisations, including The NewBridge Project, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle University, Northumbria University, European Regional Development Fund, Newcastle City Council, and Tyne and Wear Museums and Archives contributing to exhibitions, public programming, publishing, and research-based initiatives.
A presentation that I delivered at ‘What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk about the Artist-led’ at Liverpool John Moores University was featured in a review by Corridor 8: https://corridor8.co.uk/article/what-we-dont-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-the-artist-led/
Yes.
2021 FIELD: Value supported by Two Destination Language and East Street Arts, Leeds.
2020 Professional Networking Participants at Supermarket: Stockholm Independent Art Fair.
2019 British School at Ankara 2019 Residential supported by Northern Bridge Consortium.
Email: systemncl@gmail.com
Address: 12 Chirton Wynd, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, Tyne and Wear, NE6 2PW, GB
Local Authority: Newcastle City Council
