Hoodwink HQ

Polly Harknett and Suzie Plumb - Curators

Polly and Suzie devised Hoodwink and are its chief theorists. Together they curate the programme of activity including artists’ commissions, partnerships, collaborations, experience development and publication. They are also responsible for the long-term strategy of the group and its work.

Polly and Suzie have previously co-curated Public Art House (2011) and Kentish Delights (2010) and have more recently commissioned artists for a public art project for Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.

Polly studied Art History at Cambridge University and went on to gain postgraduate qualifications in Museum Studies and Constructed Textiles. She has worked in museums and galleries for the past 18 years, starting at Kettle’s Yard Gallery and Tate St Ives then moving to The Museum of the Moving Image and the British Film Institute. From 2002 - 2010 Polly was the Curator of Contemporary Craft at Hove Museum & Art Gallery where she commissioned and acquired new work from artists for the contemporary craft collection of Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove. This included commissioning individual craft works and architectural pieces by artists such as Jon Mills, Duncan Hooson, Lucy Brown and Julianna Sissons. Polly also managed the contemporary craft exhibition programme at Hove Museum & Art Gallery, work which included commissioning site specific work and resulted in exhibitions such as the touring exhibition Precious (2010).

Since 2009 Polly has been a co-director of Unravelled, a group of artists and curators working with conceptual craft. Unravelled is currently working with the National Trust and has commissioned artists to make site-specific work for Nymans House and Gardens and The Vyne in Basingstoke.

Suzie holds a BSc Econ from University of London, an MA in Museum and Collections Management (Bournemouth) and an MA in Art History from the University of Sussex. She has worked with museums and galleries as a curator of exhibitions and commissions for over ten years.

Suzie has worked with Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove since 2001 curating exhibitions and projects with an emphasis on film & media. Previous projects have also included work such as Pamela So’s Chinoiserie light-based installation in the Royal Pavilion gardens, as well as work with artists such as Michel Nedjar, Olivier Rebufa and Paula Rego. More recently, she devised Shoot the Wrx (2012) a retrospective of artist and filmmaker Jeff Keen at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.

Jo Wiltcher - Arts Development Manager

Jo has overall responsibility for delivering the Hoodwink project, ensuring that the team has the right support for their work. Jo is the chief champion for Hoodwink and is responsible alongside Suzie and Polly for the long-term strategy of the group.

Jo has a first class degree in History and History of Art and an HND in Theatrical Costume Interpretation. Before joining the team at Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery, Jo worked in contemporary art galleries MOMA in Oxford and Fabrica in Brighton.

In her current role Jo manages a large regional museum and arts development service. She has responsibility for developing the exhibitions and audience development programmes and has produced some innovative projects including comedian and artist Vic Reeves first gallery exhibition The Natural History of Kent & Sussex: Through My Binoculars (2009) and the empty shops project Eyelife. Jo initiated and fundraised for the project Kentish Delights and is a trustee for Unravelled.

Becca Weight - Assistant Curator

Becca is responsible for managing the Hoodwink digital activity and the administration of the programme.

Becca holds a BA in Visual Culture at the University of Brighton an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester. Her dissertation discussed the relationship between museums and their communities and previous work has been with The Royal Ballet School Museum, The Oxford University Natural History Museum, Brighton Museum and Art Gallery and more recently Monks House, National Trust.

Steering Group

Lucy Keeley - Arts Regeneration officer, West Kent. Kent County Council

Adam Chodzko - Artist

Matthew Hockley Smith – Fine Art Consultant

Jane March - Councillor and Portfolio Holder