STAFF AND BOARD MEMBERS
NES would not be possible without the efforts and dedication of the chairperson, director and board members. The NES team works together to develop the residency’s vision, problem-solve current challenges, and initiate a variety of projects for the benefit of the organisation and the community.
Chairperson - Eva Guðbjartsdóttir
Eva Guðbjartsdóttir has a diverse education in various fields. Eva is a practical nurse, event manager, ranger and has a BA-degree in tourism. Her interest in art and culture has been in her blood for a long time and she has always had one foot in the cultural world. Eva was chairman of the theater in Sólheimar as well as being the sitting chairman of the Blönduós Theater and now NES Art Residency. Eva is a co-director of Brimrót co-op which is a cultural center in Stokkseyri and has been involved in all kinds of events over the years, such as þorrablót, festivals, concerts, book readings, art workshops, and ukulele courses. Eva is excited to do good work for NES and can’t wait to take the challenges.
Director - Vicki O'Shea
Vicki hails from Western Australia and has extensive experience in the arts, teaching, and management. With a background in art and printmaking, she has taught at tertiary and secondary levels. Vicki was a senior lecturer for Curtin University, managing 9 regional education centres. During her time at Curtin Vicki also facilitated the delivery of its Jeta art degree program for incarcerated students and was a course writer and visual culture lecturer for Curtin University’s online degree program with Open University Australia.
Looking for a sea change, Vicki relocated to Iceland in 2010.
Board Member - Andri Þór Árnason
Andri Þór has been a board member of NES Artist Residency since 2016. He joined the NES team through the Icelandic Regional Development Institute (Bygðastofnun). Andri admits at the very first meeting he had zero knowledge of the art world but has learned much from the NES team. Andri’s background is in finance and it is this expertise that he brings to the table.
Board Member - Signý Ósk Richter
Signý Ósk Richter was raised in Reykjavík but moved to Skagaströnd in 1983. Signý is the Operations Manager at Landsbankinn in Skagaströnd. She has been on the board of the NES Artist Residency since its founding in 2008. During this time Signý has witnessed an increase in cultural life in Skagaströnd through the creative opportunities for young and old initiated by NES.
Board Member - Hrafnhildur Sigurðardóttir
Hrafnhildur Sigurðardóttir lives and works in Reykjavík. She graduated from the textile department of The Icelandic College of Art and Crafts in 1986 and an MFA from the Sculpture department of the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2000.
Hrafnhildur has participated in over 100 group exhibitions in Europe and the United States and has had sixteen solo exhibitions in six countries. In 2005 she was awarded “The Nordic Award in Textiles.” She became the director of the Textile Center in Blönduós in Northwestern Iceland in 2007. In 2008 Hrafnhildur was the founding director for the NES Artist Residency. She moved on to become the Chairman of the Board of SÍM – The Association of Icelandic Visual Artists in 2010, and has been a board member of NES since then.
Board Member - Rachel Lin Weaver
Rachel Lin Weaver is an educator, writer, and transdisciplinary artist whose works span video, installation, sound, social practice, and performance. Her research and artworks explore Arctic community resilience, memory, Indigenous sovereignty, collisions of the human and nonhuman, ecological systems, and landscapes and people in flux. Weaver’s interests relate directly to her upbringing in wilderness areas and remote communities in poverty. She finds many useful metaphors in the natural world.