Janet’s Story

The Globe….where do I start? As a young, naieve, cossetted student from NI, doing a “Mickey Mouse” course, taking on a 3rd year at The Globe was transformational on so many levels. 1996, the Year of the Visual Arts in Newcastle and Gateshead…it was all happening and I walked through the door not long after the Globe’s inaugural shows! What brought me to North Shields remains a mystery to this day but I have drawn on the lessons I learned during that time every single day since and The Globe shaped my life in ways I will never be able to quantify.

Globe was always about people, the artists it supported, the students it showcased, the volunteers it attracted, the community who supported it and the enigmatic, passionate and downright stubborn determination of Rashida Davison made it something special… something that made you want to be involved , know more, learn more, experience more!

Globe taught me that art could be inclusive, art could inspire, art could transform lives by giving hope and providing a place to experiment, challenge and test ideology. It wasn’t about money or highbrow theses. It was about connections, to the aesthetic, to others and to feeling part of something brave and ‘cutting edge’ and a little bit unpolished.

Globe taught me so much…from how to stop the electricity being disconnected, to how best to paint a floor and how to communicate with resprentatives from RIBA…it also taught me about people power (how one person’s drive can inspire others, build momentum and bring a vision to reality). It taught me about the importance of relationships and belief and finally, that a family is so much more than blood relations…

Genuinely, even today, not a week goes by when I don’t draw on those formative years, learning from Rashida and the community of the Globe and I’m so desperately proud to still be a part of the organisation, the team and the family it created…from am individuals’ vision to the impactful inclusive community it is today. Globe us 25 but it has never aged and will never age whilst it continues to be inclusive, relevant and challenging for a contemporary audience. It’ll always be a part of me and I’m sure I’m not alone in the impact it has had on my personal life, my career choices and my life path…here’s to the next 25!