About me
I am a freelance researcher, evaluator and consultant with over 17 years of experience in the visual arts. I work with galleries, museums, theatres, adventure playgrounds and other organisations - often supporting multi-sited partnership programmes.
My work is informed by the principles of disability justice and where possible I like to collaborate with people who bring relevant lived and professional experiences to projects. I frequently work with creative consultant and film curator Tara Brown on critical friend/evaluation commissions.
My areas of expertise are related to:
- Creative and professional development
- Inclusive and accessible practice
- Mental health, mutual care and activism in art
- Peer-led programming and social practice
- Public programming for adults and young people
- Creative labour and livelihoods
- The intersections between play and contemporary art
- Partnership working (I authored the book Youth work, galleries and the politics of partnership, 2019, based on my PhD research with ten UK galleries).
While I am based in Bristol, I work all over the UK and have developed research and evaluation work with the V&A, Tate, Wellcome Collection, Somerset House, Freelands Foundation, Chisenhale Gallery, South London Gallery and many other organisations over recent years. As a consultant I have organised major national conferences, and I have extensive experience of running public programmes in galleries – organising hundreds of events, workshops and courses and curating project exhibitions in my former role as Curator of Public Programmes at Whitechapel Gallery. Alongside my freelance practice I also work as Research Fellow: Art Partnerships at the University of the West of England: Bristol, where I manage the partnership between the University’s School of Arts and Spike Island.
EDUCATION:
2013-2017: PhD in Education, Tate/The University of Nottingham
Including research methods training in:
- Educational Research: Designing, Conducting and Evaluating Research
- The Contexts of Educational Research: Philosophy, Theory, Methodology
- Educational Research Data: Collecting, Generating, and Producing
- Analyzing Educational Research Data: Interpreting, Communicating and Disseminating
2007-2008: MA Contemporary Art Theory (Distinction), Goldsmiths, University of London
2004-2007: BA Hons. Art History (First Class Honours), The University of Nottingham
2003-2004: Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, University of Gloucestershire
WORK HISTORY:
2023-Present: Research Fellow: Art Partnerships, University of the West of England: Bristol
2013-Present: Freelance research, evaluation and consultancy (for: V&A, Touretteshero, Holocaust Centre North, Bath Spa University, The National Gallery, New Town Culture, Chisenhale Gallery, HOME, UP Projects, Madlove, Wellcome Collection, Freelands Foundation, Somerset House, Tate, South London Gallery, Create, Battersea Arts Centre, Artisa Foundation, Oasis Adventure Playground, Whitechapel Gallery and Marble Hill Playcentres)
2011-2013: Curator, Public Programmes, Whitechapel Gallery
2008-2011: Assistant Curator, Public Programmes, Whitechapel Gallery
2009-2010: Part time Visiting Curator, Public Programmes, Institute for Modern and Contemporary Culture, University of Westminster
2008-2009: Part time Schools Officer (maternity cover), Whitechapel Gallery
2007-2008: Freelance researcher and Adult Programmes Assistant, Tate Britain
2007-2008: Part time Marketing and PR Assistant, Community Focus
2005-2007: Artist's Assistant, Lakeside Arts Centre
Kind words…
“I have had the pleasure to work with Nicky over the last two and half years on the evaluation of our Creative Industry Placements and an Evaluation Framework for the Engagement & Skills team delivery. Working with Nicky is a dream, she brings expertise and empathy with a guiding hand, but hears the specific needs of all those involved in the evaluation process. Nicky captures the most authentic aspects of the programme that enables participants to reflect and move forward with their next steps while we as a team and organisation can build on the new found knowledge year on year. Nicky finds creative and unique ways to share the outcomes of her evaluation work as showcased by the development of our Creative Careers Playbook and the 2022 ENGAGE article, enabling us to share our journey with others in its fullest form. I have learnt working with Nicky and know my practice has changed as a result.” - Dhikshana Turakhia Pering, Head of Engagement and Skills, Somerset House Trust
”Working with @Tbirdflieshigh and @nickyjsim is great, and you should hire them to help make your art/process/whatever more meaningful and more intersectional and honest. And they are silly and kind too” - the vacuum cleaner aka James Leadbitter, Madlove
”I wanted to personally thank you for your work on the evaluation. It is a crucial piece of research for us, and I'm astonished by how ambitious it is. Your presence over the summer brought a focus and coherence to the programme, and I feel fortunate to have been able to work with you so early in my Chisenhale career.” - Seth Pimlott, Producer: Local and Online Audiences, Chisenhale Gallery
“We had the pleasure of working with Nicola on our learning and development programme and were thrilled with the level of professionalism and knowledge she brought. Not only did she facilitate multiple sessions, but also brought her experience to enhance our ways of working which will undoubtedly improve how we evaluate in the future." - Jack Newbury, Project Coordinator (Learning and Participation), UP Projects