Dave Brodie  

My academic research activities have historically been related to the value attributed to objects and their makers by society as a whole. Findings dealing exclusively with craft practice have been delivered nationally through a range of Crafts Council conferences and internationally through collaborative work with colleagues in Finland. This international work prompted a number of European funding applications related to the Development of the Craft and Design Professions, which in turn encouraged me to examine how the creative process is managed and deployed. This work lead to the writing of a feasibility study concerned with Continual Vocational Education (CVE) in Community Arts and my ongoing project "Culture and Creativity". Funded by the Arts Council and the Woodland Trust, this research programme initially explored ways by which charitable organisations such as the Woodland Trust, could ensure arts funded projects effectively address their organisations specific agenda as opposed to that of the arts in general. One practical outcome from this work was my employment as the designer and builder of a twelve meter pedestrian bridge (2005) sited at Longacre Wood, Dutton, Warrington. This project continues and now centres on developing Trust employees understanding and application of arts practice. In May 2009 I became an Enterprise Curriculum Fellow. My project centres on how management practice outside of the arts could benefit from the support and guidance of creative practitioners.

Alongside teaching and academic research my output as a creative practitioner continues to evolve. Having initially practiced as a sculpture, exhibiting nationally after completing my formal education at the Slade School of Fine Art, I became a partner in the design business Kathy Little. Established in 1990, this business initially supplied ceramic ware to retail outlets such as Heals and General Trading in London and Portico in New York. The business subsequently changed direction and produced bespoke furniture commissions selling directly to private clients through the pages of Elle Decoration and Homes and Gardens. This type of commission based work continues to represent a small percentage of my making output. During 2005 I established a photographic commissioning business. This commercial enterprise’s objective was to capitalise on my photographic abilities practiced for the past 20 years and apply them to the developing digital environment.

I continue to have an interest in the built environment through both my making and photographic activities.