Katherine Wood has been Director of firstsite since its inception in 1994. Under her early leadership, firstsite attracted international artists such as Louise Bourgeois and Yoko Ono to firstsite’s former home in Colchester’s Minories Gallery.

Katherine’s artistic programme has helped to raise the profile of local and regional artists, celebrate the art history of Colchester and put firstsite on the national visual arts map. Kath has also led a £1.2 million campaign for the new firstsite building, the development of which she has overseen from the start as founding Director.

Katherine came to Colchester from Bristol where she was Exhibitions Officer at Arnolfini. She was previously selected to train as exhibitions organiser at Third Eye Centre, Glasgow, in 1989 where she curated the Canadian exhibition Other Frontiers.

Kath has a degree in Film & Media Studies with Fine Art from the University of Stirling, which included a Museum Studies Graduate course at the University of Kansas.