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Who We Are

AAddo is a not-for-profit organisation that offers Curatorial, Arts Consultancy and Project Management Services towards the delivery of high quality art strategies and Programmes of works in the public realm and art and non-art spaces.

Founded by Sarah Pace and Tracy Simpson, we have in excess of 20 years experience of working in the arts in Wales, a strong track record of success and an established working practice and knowledge of delivering a broad range of art projects with and on behalf of artists, communities, voluntary organisations, and private and public sectors partners, including: permanent and temporary public artworks, artist residencies, strategies, events, exhibitions, research, evaluation and feasibility studies.

Our name

 ‘Addo’ means ‘to give, bring, place, inspire, cause, add, join’ in Latin and ‘to promise’ in Welsh and reflects:

  • Our commitment to providing and maximizing opportunities for others to make and experiences art in the public realm, in both art and non-art spaces
  • Our strong collaborative work ethic and ability to work openly and in partnership with others to maximise the potential of projects
  • Our desire to ensure that our work meets our client’s and partner’s broader social, environmental, physical and economic aims and objectives and also compliments and enhances the wider cultural ecology of a place
  • Our contribution to the forwarding of contemporary practice through our progressive and innovative approach to projects and the stimulation of critical debate
  • Our promotion of excellence in the field of art in the public realm by creating and taking opportunities to highlight good practice, disseminate knowledge and share expertise with arts and non-arts professionals

Our Services

Strategy and Policy Development

We develop strategies and policies for the delivery of arts activity in the public realm, which assess feasibility and define frameworks for implementation by:

  • Identifying and defining project contexts, opportunities and constraints
  • Advising on curatorial, commissioning, procurement and management approaches
  • Outlining programmes of work within available resources
  • Providing advise on funding, evaluation, consultation, project governance, planning requirements and the maintenance, sustainability and legacy of projects
Project Management and Consultancy Services

We offer comprehensive project management and consultancy services to define and deliver art projects in the public realm; working with key stakeholders to develop and implement project management plans by:

  • Outlining the scope, aims and objectives of projects
  • Managing project budgets, work schedules and resources
  • Providing quality assurance through the maintenance of records, obtaining material specifications and guarantees, overseeing contractual arrangements, and the production of risk assessments and maintenance schedules
  • Proposing and actioning appropriate curatorial and commissioning approaches
  • Advising on and managing transparent artist selection and procurement processes, including preparing artists’ briefs and researching, identifying and commissioning artists and other creative practitioners
  • Ensuring projects meet relevant planning requirements by liaising with planning professionals and producing necessary proposals and reports
  • Recommending suitable project governance and consultation methods and managing associated activities
  • Securing the involvement and support of all relevant parties through establishing and facilitating robust communication procedures
  • Delivering high quality outcomes by raising, exploring and managing  expectations
  • Enhancing the positive public profile of projects through appropriate press and publicity
  • Adding value by exploiting opportunities for additional and supplementary activities to positively maximise the impact and legacy of projects
  • Developing and undertaking project evaluation and fundraising activities
Advocacy, Critical Dialogue, Training & Development

We advocate for best practice through the quality of our work and associated training and development opportunities and events that encourage critical dialogue and push the boundaries of creative engagement in the public realm, such as mentoring opportunities, talks, seminars, publications and critical writing.

Meet the team

  • Sarah Pace

  • Co- Director

Sarah runs the Addo South Office in Pontypridd and has worked in the public art sector in Wales for the past 9 years, developing public art strategies, curating and managing programmes of temporary and permanent public artworks, and leading on the delivery of artist residencies, exhibitions and other events with and on behalf of artists, communities, voluntary organisations and private and public sector clients, including Arts Council of Wales, Leadbitter, Cardiff Community Housing Association, Torfaen County Borough Council, Ty Hafan and City & County of Swansea Council.

Before founding Addo, Sarah worked for CBAT The Arts & Regeneration Agency (2004 – 2007) and later Safle, the former strategic agency for public art in Wales (2007 -2010), developing and managing a wide portfolio of art projects in the public realm.  Originally trained as a painter at Loughborough University (1998 – 2001), Sarah later completed an MA in Art Museum & Gallery Studies at Newcastle University (2003 – 2004).

Following completion of her MA Sarah went on to do voluntary and freelance work for a number of major art galleries, including the National Museums & Galleries of Wales, Hatton Gallery and The New Art Gallery Walsall, where she worked on several projects, including an audience evaluation of a touring exhibition from the Tate Gallery.

In parallel to her work for Addo, Sarah is a PhD candidate at Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries at the University of South Wales

  • Tracy Simpson

  • Co-Director

Tracy runs the Addo North office in Wrexham and is leading on Artist Residencies in Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor, as well as public art consultancy in Corwen, Denbighshire and a series of collaborative projects with Glyndwr University in Wrexham.

Before founding Addo, Tracy worked for Safle, the former strategic agency for public art in Wales, as a Senior Project Manager leading on projects in North and Mid Wales, as well as working in England, most notably on the Dream Public Art Strategy for St Helens Council. Tracy has an on-going relationship with Glyndwr University where she is based, and provides partnership support to staff and students there on project development, funding and curatorial practice.

Previously, Tracy held the post of Visual Arts Officer for Wrexham County Borough Council for eight years (2000-2008).  As Director of Wrexham Arts Centre Tracy was responsible for managing the venue, including project and partnership development, curating the gallery programme and promoting the touring exhibition programme, alongside developing and managing a public art programme for the County.

Formerly she had worked in arts education at Blackfriars Arts Centre in Lincolnshire as Outreach & Education Officer (1997-1999) and as a freelance arts practitioner in Leicestershire (1994-1997).  She has a degree in Fine Art from De Montfort University, Leicester (1990-1994).