Lala Thorpe’s background began as a Project Manager and an Arts Educator with a wide range of UK and International artists and arts organisations, galleries, arts venues and schools.
She has taught, curated and programmed events and talks with a wide range of institutions, including The Design Museum, Somerset House, Parasol unit foundation for Contemporary Art, Artangel, The Arts Catalyst and the Saatchi Gallery.
Her curatorial ideas are shaped by concepts around non-venue based connections using collaborative practice to encourage and facilitate networks for artists/schools and younger audiences to collaborate and access art. As Learning Curator for the Arts Council Collection she curates loans programmes from the historical and contemporary collection of British art. Her role is to develop the engagement, widen access and learning around the collection, across schools, communities, universities as well as working closely with the hosting venues with touring exhibitions across the UK.
She is currently working with a Paul Mellon funded Collaborative project, ‘Mapping the Collection’ with University of Birmingham and BAN member, Dr Sophie Hatchwell to support the research, mapping the Collection’s acquisition history and a comprehensive overview of the collection from 1946-now.
