Sovay Berriman, an artist from Falmouth, uses their practice as a structure and prompt for action and discussion and is committed to questioning balances of power.

Sovay developed the concept of ReWilding Arts Leadership during their journey as a Fellow and Sovay has now built an offer to organisations to help them ‘rewild’ their governance and executive processes. 

The research asks how the policy, governance and strategic layer of the arts and cultural sector can better intersect with the behaviours and practices of creative production. 

An extract from Sovay’s provocation paper for the Fellowship explains this further:

“At a time of well recognised climate crisis and limited resources, a time of acknowledgment of societal inequality, when practices of care are being called for, we need a rebalancing of power, and access to power, that is supple, responsive, reflective and in-tune with the natural cycles of our lives. Using a methodology that comes from the land we walk and live on, even eat from, feels congruent with the change we need to make.”

Organisations are also able to contribute learning and thinking to the concept of ReWilding the Arts in a peer learning space.

During the Clore Fellowship, Sovay gained accreditation as a coach with RD1st and now offers coaching alongside mentoring and consultation. Sovay is also joining the board of trustees for Creative Kernow - one of Cornwall's key creative industries organisations, part funded by Arts Council England and Cornwall Council. The purpose of Creative Kernow is to champion creativity as a positive force for change.

As Sovay reflects on their Fellowship journey they add: “I found it confirmed a lot for me about how arts and culture works and about the potential for change. I feel more secure in my approach to work, and in what I can contribute to the systemic change that is, slowly, underway.”

You can find out more about Sovay’s journey and plans for ReWilding the Arts on their website: https://sovayberriman.co.uk