Esther’s first involvement with a-n was as contributor to a-n’s Art with People handbook (1995), writing as co-director of Artists’ Agency about artists’ social, environmental and critical arts practices, and later as an a-n Board member and subsequently Chair of the Board of the organisation. She held this position until 2011 when she was succeeded by Jayne Knight.
Esther steered the company through the seismic techno-change from paper to online publishing and the creation of Networking Artists’ Network (NAN) that uniquely linked up artists’ initiatives across the UK. Her wit, wisdom and clarity of vision were vital to developing a-n’s artists’ membership scheme. Launched in 2007 with free PPL insurance and a raft of practice-led opportunity, membership ensured artists – and their self-defined communities of interest – would remain front and centre in the company’s development.
Susan Jones, a-n Director 2000-2014, paid tribute: “Esther’s unswerving commitment to cultural democracy served to anchor a-n in the real world. It was thanks to Esther’s insight and mentorship that the company navigated through the rocky waters of shifting arts policies and that supporting artists’ ambitions and reasonable expectation for equitable social status remained the company’s mission.”
