Directors
Anna Francis
Anna Francis is an artist and researcher whose work aims to create space to discuss and reframe city resources, through participatory art interventions. She creates situations for herself, the public and other artists to explore places differently. In recent years the interventions which Anna has worked on focus on the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and use an action research process to recognise untapped resources, plan responses to disused sites in the city, take action to change the way these sites are viewed, and potentially, make changes, which can be temporary and sometimes permanent. Through this, Anna aims to gain an understanding of the role of artists, arts organisations and communities in the development of places. Anna leads The Portland Inn project with artist Rebecca Davies, and is Associate Professor of Fine Art and Social Practice at Staffordshire University.
Gallery roles - strategy and vision, curation, programming, education and outreach.
Glen Stoker
Glen Stoker A visual artist working in photography and film, installation and assemblage, performance and text. The site and location specific practice is centred on acts of walk and response, and carried out largely in the public realm. Themes of urban place and space narrow down to a particular focus on urban land use and the post-industrial human living condition, alongside ideas of absence and presence and longing and belonging in the contemporary city.
Gallery roles - strategy and vision, curation, programming, artist liaison, marketing.
Andrew Branscombe
Andrew Branscombe is an artist and founding member of AirSpace Gallery. In his artistic practice he works with a variety of media, both in a gallery setting and on site specific projects. His practice is mainly concerned with the idea of work and effort and often involves elements of engineering.
Gallery roles - strategy, technical, legal and financial.
Public Programming
Rebecca Davies
Rebecca Davies is from London and lives in Stoke On Trent. She has a deeply embedded and collaborative practice that crosses illustration, design, performance and event. Her work explores the role of art in making change, as a device and platform, to represent and communicate complex stories and politics. She has run participation projects with Turner Contemporary, Tate, South London Gallery, and was lead artist of the Whitechapel Gallery Community Workshops for 3 years. Rebecca and artist Anna Francis set up The Portland Inn Project CIC in 2016 in a residential area of Stoke on Trent, working in collaboration with other artists, arts organisations and residents to improve their community and renovate an old pub building. The project advocates for people led change, and champions the importance of art in leading that change, and in cooperation with public services..
Gallery roles - Events, Socials, Screenings, Clubs (Print and Film)
Board Members
Terry Shave
Terry Shave is an artist and Emeritus Professor of Fine Art. He lives in Staffordshire with a studio in Stoke. He has had work in nearly 200 solo and mixed exhibitions; these include The World Artists Festival in Seoul, South Korea, The Presence of Painting in Sheffield and The Artist and the City at AirSpace. He has won prizes in the John Moores painting exhibition and is represented in The National Collection with work in museums and the Arts Council. Shave has also initiated a significant range of arts projects and was a founder member of UK Young Artists, a young artists support agency based in the East Midlands.
Gallery roles - artistic vision, education, funding.
Claire Garner
Claire Garner has been a longterm supporter and member of the AirSpace Board. She has a background in company law and is currently employed by JCB Excavators on their legal team. Claire brings both her legal expertise to the board as well as providing a voice of someone who has an interest in art but is not from an arts background.
Gallery roles - legal advice, business links.
