about me

Dr Jenny Peevers (she/her)

I am a researcher, arts consultant, and founder/director of Thirdspace Project. With a broad background in the arts spanning over 20 years, my work combines curating and producing socially engaged projects, arts strategy and policy development, and leading collaborative evaluation for arts organisations.

Having also studied visual art, photography and urban design, my practice-led research explores the possibilities within the ‘between space’ of art practice and urbanism. Drawing on my recently completed PhD, current research considers lived experience a missing knowledge within regeneration practice and policy. My work explores socially engaged arts practice as a method of learning human and more-than-human lived experience, developing empathetic perceptions of place.

I am a strong advocate for the value of arts within place-based partnerships and networks. Varied roles have included Relationship Manager (RM) for Regional Partnerships at Arts Council England where I brokered partnerships between the arts and local authorities and regional networks and was the regional lead RM for the set-up of Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places initiative. Working with Bryant Priest Newman Architects, I was part of a team developing the vision for Fargo Village in Coventry and was the researcher for Kings College London (KCL) for the publication Improving Places, Culture and Business Improvement Districts: Thriving Partnerships (2017), examining the role of culture within Business Improvement Districts, (a partnership project with Mayor of London’s Office, Arts Council England and KCL). I am currently working with Eastside Projects and Grand Union in Birmingham's Digbeth area, collaborating with Digbeth's creative community to develop a cultural placemaking plan.

I facilitate collaborative and reflective evaluation of arts projects with organisations across the UK. Recent projects include Grand Union’s community programme, The Growing Project; Future Wales Fellowship, a partnership project with Arts Council of Wales, Natural Resources Wales, National Trust and Elan Valley Trust; and the Shipyard Town Project, a capital programme for the Dock Museum in Barrow-in-Furness, working with evaluation specialist Mary Clarke.