On this page you can read about our Vision and Mission, staff, board and artists. There is a short history about us at the bottom of the page as well.
Want to find out about the benefit of our work on local people and communities? Read our Good News newsletter here, have a look at our testimonies from participants and partners or see our previous press coverage.
For further information join our mailing list or contact us on admin@artinthepark.org.uk or 01142686813
Vision. Art in the Park’s vision is that “All of Sheffield and surrounding areas will be vibrant and creative communities.”
Our Mission is “to ignite imaginations by increasing access to high quality creative activities.”
To achieve this we aim to:
1. Increase access to high quality creative activity in local communities
2. Develop creative skills
3. Ignite imaginations and leave a lasting legacy in the communities in which we work
Our core values are to be:
• Creative
• Inclusive
• Engaging
• Rooted
We believe in:
•Delivering creative, bespoke and high quality arts activities.
•Including the community, our artists and volunteers to develop, deliver and celebrate our projects.
•Engaging communities, rural and urban, where there is little opportunity to be creative.
•Being rooted within the places we work; understanding the needs as well striving to work long term in the area.
Luisa Golob
Chief Executive
Luisa has been passionate about visual arts and the charity sector since an early age and has organised fundraisers since she was 11 years old! After studying Psychology at Sheffield University in 2002, she worked for a number of charities including Barnardo's (mentoring young people), Safe@Last (fundraiser) and Leeds City Council (organising large arts event) before becoming CEO at Art in the Park in 2008. She has lead the organisation from running a small number of events under one funding body to managing over 20 large events/projects and funding streams, working with over 4000 people per year. She is currently on the Steering group for the Sheffield Arts and Wellbeing Network and a board member for Sheffield Cubed.
Outside of Art in the Park Luisa has been involved in running Sharrow Lantern Carnival since 2006 and has developed Creative Action Network www.creativeaction.net, the name of the group that began the carnival, into a small arts organisation that now delivers events, workshops and Sheffield Independent School of Art in Sharrow, Sheffield. As well as working as a freelance artist she co manages the craft brewery, On the Edge.
Cassie Kill
Project Manager
Cassie has worked at Art in the Park since June 2007, and has helped the organisation grow and develop exponentially in that time.
Cassie is an experienced freelance workshop facilitator in her own right and has a strong writing and performance practice, including showing work at festivals in the UK and abroad. She has a Postgraduate Certificate in Creative Enterprise from Leeds Metropolitan University, a PTLLS teaching qualification and is a Guest Lecturer on the MA Cultural Policy and Management at Sheffield Hallam University.
Katie Smith
Project Support and Admin Worker
Contact: admin@artinthepark.org.uk
Art in the Park is a Company Limited by Guarantee and Registered Charity. We are managed by a board of Trustees, who meet every quarter. They are all volunteers and come from a diverse range of backgrounds.
Chair: Helen Featherstone
Vice Chair: Amy Beard
Treasurer: Oliver Mantell
Board Member: Carolyn Usher
Our Artist's pool is composed of professional artists, poets, film, drama and environmental practitioners from in and around Sheffield.
Click here to find out more about our current artists
In February 2003 a group of artists and residents of North West Sheffield took part in the Wond’rous Watery walk – an event on the Ponderosa. This was funded and planned through the Garden Rooms, an arts organisation which existed at the time, as part of Bloom - a local festival in Netherthorpe, Upperthorpe and Langsett. Roanna Heller and Cassie Limb were inspired by Richard Long and Andy Goldsworthy, and wanted to create art in the park!!! They wanted local residents in North West Sheffield to get involved, get inspired and engage creatively with natural found objects.
The Art in the Park project became bigger and more diverse than the Garden Rooms could support in terms of arts activity and in 2004 the project received it’s own Arts Council funding. Art in the Park were running an event practically each month and events took the format of: bring food, bring volunteers and see what happens! They were very low key, but showed there was a community need and interest in free, environmental art.
Our limited company status was given in May 2006 and we became a registered charity in November 2006.