Meet The Team
Who Are Dry Water?
Dry Water Arts, delivered by Dry Water North East Ltd (a Company Limited by Guarantee), is a socially engaged arts organisation operating Dry Water Arts Centre and governed by three independent directors responsible for strategy, finance, safeguarding and compliance. We use creativity to support place-making, community engagement and civic listening, bringing artists, residents and partners together through participatory projects that spark dialogue, connection and change. Alongside this, we develop practices such as active listening and listening circles to amplify community voices and inform ideas, dialogue and emerging policy, supported by a voluntary Advisory Board providing non-binding community insight.
Dry Water is a Not For Profit organisation.
FRANCES ANDERSON - Artist, Photographer, Filmmaker & Designer
Frances is an award winning visual artist who works across printmaking, film, textiles, photography, installations, kites and kinetic art and sculpture.
She is also a Channel swimmer, swimming the English Channel in 2008 and the Gibraltar Strait in 2015. Her swim experiences and relationship to water influence her work. Frances regularly exhibits her work in the UK as well as internationally and her work is held in private collections across the world. Frances is also a member of the international artists collective Drachensyndikat who show their work internationally.
PAULA TURNER - Dance Artist -Improviser- Movement Enthusiast. Radical Geographer.
Paula loves moving (and being still sometimes!). She is a performer and teacher of dance improvisation, physical theatre and yoga. Playfully inviting people to move with confidence and ease, sourcing material from their own experiences and felt senses.
Paula is an independent dance artist, Leverhulme Artist, Churchill Fellow and visiting fellow at Newcastle University. She is also the artistic director of Grand Gestures Dance Collective who highlight the artistic qualities of the older dancer and especially the culturally disruptive tendencies of their dance work "Bringing dance as a means of social and political expression, we openly challenge the prevailing view of ageing in this country"
Paula regularly collaborates with artists and researchers from varied disciplines and social contexts and is increasingly interested in the co-construction, articulation and dissemination of research in relation to cultural value, health and well-being.
Having studied with many of the foremost practitioners of dance improvisation and somatics, Paula has in turn taught and performed in the UK, Europe Australia and the USA - always interested in the broadest implications of moving together and bringing about positive change.
Paula is now very happy and content to be in the mighty North East and is looking forward to the next part of the journey...
Chloe Dullaghan - Youth Engagement Co-Ordinator
Chloe Dullaghan is our Youth engagement Coordinator. She focuses on creating a space where every young person feels seen and heard. Chloe is a fierce advocate for youth representation, dedicated to empowering the next generation to find their voices and confidently ask for what they need. At the heart of her practice is a commitment to radical inclusion, ensuring that every session is a welcoming environment where young people can celebrate exactly who they are while having a brilliant time doing it.
Jen Linley - Reading Room Facilitator & Community Advocate
Originally a Yorkshire lass , Jen brings a lifelong passion for creativity and connection to our team . As lead for our Reading Room programme, she creates a welcoming space for people to gather and share their love for any and all literature. A dedicated dementia-positive advocate, Jen participates in many of our classes, providing quiet, empathic support to ensure everyone can engage fully and compassionately. Whether she’s sharing a book or lending a hand in a workshop, Jen’s warmth ensures that Dry Water Arts remains a truly inclusive space for all.
Volunteer Horticultural Team
Louise and Tony do a fantastic job maintaining our outdoor areas and raised beds. These areas hold a very special significance to us, as the original planting was lovingly completed by our Going Good Dementia positive arts group . Under Louise and Tony’s dedicated care, these spaces continue to flourish as a tribute to those original creators.
Tony and Louise also offer advice to visitors encouraging everyone, regardless of experience to try their hand at growing something. They are enthusiastic advocates for the wellbeing benefits of planting and the simple joy of watching life bloom throughout the seasons.
Dave Cook - Repair Cafe Coordinator & Sustainability Advocate
Dave is the driving force behind our mission to keep everyday household items out of the landfill and back in working order.
With a friendly, hands-on approach to recycling and upcycling, Dave is deeply committed to helping us all become more environmentally conscious. He believes that playing our part in protecting the planet starts with the things we already own—making them last longer through care and clever repair.
Of course, Dave doesn’t do it alone! He leads a fantastic team of volunteers who bring a wealth of skills to each repair cafe . From toasters to Teddy bears the Repair Cafe is a tangible way to more sustainable living respecting our environment, one repair at a time."
The Repair Cafe Collective
The wonderful Repair Cafe volunteers are a talented team that are a shining example of community spirit and generosity ,combining their time and skills, with a warm welcome to everyone who walks through the door.Between them, they breathe new life into everything from household appliances and I.T. equipment to clothing and textiles. Whether they are sharpening knives, fixing a beloved ornament or reviving a tired beloved teddy bear they take the time to figure out how to give an item a second chance. Beyond the tools and the talent, our volunteers love the stories that inevitably come with every object, making the Repair Cafe as much about connection as it is about fixing.
Culture Creativity and Community thats the Repair Cafe
Get a sense of how we work....
“Now you know a bit more about us - get in touch, check out all the upcoming online classes events. Our aim continues to be to keep people connected and creative. ”