Nicola Naismith

As a visual artist Nicola’s research has explored different facets of work through the lens of labour, production, manufacturing and task analysis via residency collaborations in the fields of architecture, engineering and ergonomics. Photography, drawing, moving image and text have been used to create artworks, talks and events which have been presented nationally and internationally including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Foundling Museum, Kettles Yard, Norwich Arts Centre, Firstsite, and Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, Australia. 

In 2018 Nicola was the visual artist fellow on the Clore cultural leadership programme which included undertaking a secondment at Dance East and being mentored by choreographer Wayne McGregor. On completion of her fellowship she was awarded (via Clore) two AHRC research grants: Artists Practising Well (2019) and Practising Well: Conversations and Support Menu (2021). Both reports were accompanied by an extended programme of dissemination activities for creative practitioners, organisations and funders. She continues to develop this research under the title Practising well and is regularly invited to give talks, run workshops and programmes of support, and act in an advisory and consultancy capacity. She has also written for Arts Professional and the Contemporary Visual Arts Network and has recently authored a book chapter focused on support for creative practitioners working in the field of arts and dementia (due for publication in 2025). 

Nicola’s PhD study seeks to explore the work-based experiences of creative practitioners who identify as first-generation arts workers and to visually and textually document the instances of unwitnessed labours in their social art practices. Her PhD is supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council via the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership.