Oxford Arts Consultants
Jacqui Ibbotson
Jacqui is an arts consultant and arts producer. She is currently Programme Director for the £1 million Arts Council England funded Creative People and Places programme for the New Forest, Culture in Common. Jacqui has worked for English National Opera, the Royal Shakespeare Company, was director of Camberwell Arts Festival and an independent producer before moving to Oxford in 2006 to join Oxfordshire's cultural development agency as Head of Culture until 2016. From 2017 to 2022, Jacqui was a Programme Manager and Producer for Coventry City of Culture, UK City of Culture 2021-22.
For Coventry City of Culture Jacqui was responsible for coordinating a number of high quality artistic projects similar to her role in Oxford where she additionally provided advice and support to Oxfordshire’s 70 professional arts and festival organizations and coordinated countywide programmes. These included the Thames Valley's Cultural Olympiad project, Tree of Light in 2012 and Shakespeare Oxford 2016.
Jacqui has produced plays and musicals for theatre tours, outdoor events and processions, heritage and literary projects. She has organised cultural forums, symposia and platform events to support the ambitions of cultural organisations and advocate for culture in society. She has also initiated creative learning projects in schools, brokering relationships with artists and arts organisations and running specially devised creative workshops to tackle specific issues.
In 2017, Jacqui took on the project management of Coventry's Great Place scheme, a £1.7 million project funded by Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England which involved developing research and performance projects with local and national cultural organisations which put arts and heritage at the centre of the place making vision for Coventry. In 2020 she became a Programme Manager for Coventry City of Culture Trust, managing a number of projects including three Outdoor Arts Events, Festival of Ideas and Creative Europe School of Participation and many other projects for Coventry's UK City of Culture year May 2021 - May 2022. Jacqui is now enjoying the new challenge of developing a co-created programme for the New Forest.