MIDSUMMER, Group Exhibition, Co-curated with Hannah Bigley, Stamford Arts Centre, June-July 2025
Midsummer was a multi-artist exhibition held at Stamford Arts Centre from 24th June – 6th July 2024, co-curated by myself and illustrator Hannah Bigley.
Rooted in the energy of the solstice, Midsummer invited visitors to engage with art in an intimate and elemental way.
Spanning printmaking, ceramics, textiles, sculpture, and mixed media, the show explored folklore, transformation, and the natural world - showcasing contemporary artists whose practices are grounded in experience, and (witch)craft.
The exhibition became a living space for connection. Visitors were invited to touch and participate - creating moments of community and care across ages and experiences.
As one visitor shared:
“It felt like being there was intentional… a beautiful and joyous experience where everyone was part of the work.”
Featuring artists:
Emma Britten · Hannah Bigley · Rosie & Ramona · Ruth Hudson · Tiffany Arntson ·
‘The space was well designed to accommodate a range of people and it was very busy with a great atmosphere. I enjoyed being able to drop in on different activities around the room. At one point me and my friend were both decorating paper fans alongside two little girls and it was a lovely way to share an activity together. The art was well curated and cohesive.’
‘The interactive nature of the exhibition and launch activities meant it felt like being there was intentional. Often going to openings where you just stand around feels like you are incidental to the work. Once you've seen all the work it is hard to know what to do with yourself or how to relate to the work and the environment it's in. Making the audience part of the experience with craft and other interactions meant you could relate to the work and the space from within it, rather than through a separation.’
Curating Midsummer
Midsummer marked my first in-person curatorial project; a chance to explore how exhibition-making itself can be a form of ritual.
Hannah Bigley and I wanted to create a space that felt alive. A room that invited reflection and participation rather than quiet observation. We gave our selected artists complete freedom to respond to the prompt of Midsummer: magic, folklore, and the natural world, and together we spent a full day arranging their works by instinct.
We mixed paintings, prints, ceramics, and textiles together - blurring boundaries between practices to highlight connection, not separation. Every artist’s voice found resonance with someone else’s.
For me, curating Midsummer was about loosening control. Letting intuition and trust guide the process. I wanted visitors to engage, to touch, to make something of their own. The exhibition itself became a living ritual: an offering to accessibility and creative exchange.
My Midsummer Process
My own contribution to Midsummer explored hag stones, hags, and the personal folklore that shapes our lives.
I was thinking about the stories we inherit - how childhood, (lack of) freedom, and selfhood can start to feel like myth when viewed through the lens of trauma or disability.
I worked intuitively, letting materials lead me, with no fixed outcome other than celebration and/or reclamation.
For me, Midsummer became a moment to honour joy as resistance and belonging through my own lived experience.
The works became talismans for self-recognition and my survival.