John Hoggarth will step down as Co-Director of The North Wall this month, after five and a half years in role. Ria Parry, having jointly led The North Wall with John since 2017, will become Director of The North Wall. Amy Walters, currently Programme and Marketing Manager, will become Deputy Director.
John Hoggarth says, “It has been a privilege to lead The North Wall with Ria over these last few years. The North Wall has a small, hard-working team that go above and beyond to deliver high quality creative experiences for our community. I am very proud of all that we have achieved together, and the team continues to drive forward with excellence and access at the heart of everything we do; the Participation department at The North Wall has gone from strength to strength since its inception, providing our local young people with a wealth of artistic opportunity, and we have equally learnt an enormous amount from the strong, energising relationships that have been built with our local schools, residents and community partners. This moment isn’t goodbye – I shall always remain close to The North Wall and its team, and feel lucky to be able to maintain a relationship with such a special organisation.”
Ria Parry says, “John is an incredibly talented artist and creative leader. The North Wall has benefited hugely from his dedication, creativity and drive. The team will miss him – but we are thrilled that he will remain as a Creative Associate of The North Wall, and will be returning in the Autumn to direct the UK tour of our home-grown production of ‘Brown Boys Swim’ by Karim Khan. John and I joined The North Wall as Co-Directors in 2017 with an ambition to further develop the organisation’s work with young people, our local community, and early-career artists. There are many things we can be proud of from the last few years: 2 Fringe First Awards; our family festivals in Cutteslowe Park; the development of a thriving visual arts programme; the publication of ‘100 Women of Oxford’; the growth of our annual NT Connections festival celebrating local young talent… and much much more. But John and I have always known that no arts organisation can thrive without a great team, and we are most proud of our brilliant staff team and creative associates. Amy Walters has been our valued colleague since day one, and I am excited to move in to The North Wall’s next chapter with Amy as Deputy Director.”
Amy Walters says “It’s been a pleasure working alongside John and Ria since they joined The North Wall as Co-Directors five years ago and seeing their vision for the venue come to life. I look forward to working more closely with Ria to support The North Wall to grow from strength to strength.”
