With a degree in Fine Art (history and practice) from Leeds University and a subsequent diploma in Picture Conservation, Julian became Exhibitions Officer for the Art Department in Belfast’s Ulster Museum. Responsible for a very wide range of contemporary exhibitions as well as hanging the Museum’s permanent art collections, he was also a Board Member with the Irish Museums Association. Progressing to freelance exhibition work in locations across Ireland, and becoming Chair of Belfast’s dynamic, learning-based Crescent Arts Centre, Julian has developed strategic understanding and experience with activity at the tension point between contemporary arts practice and the heritage requirements of museums. Returning to Scotland in 2004, he taught final-year students in Media and Imaging, Duncan and Jordanstone, Dundee, was on the team restoring Phoebe Anna Traquair’s extraordinary cycle of murals in Edinburgh’s Mansfield Place Church and a Board Member of the Institute of Conservation – ICON (Scotland). Julian’s work transitioned to encompass the “total economics” of restoring historic buildings for new purposes, encompassing the benefits and challenges of such endeavours. This also included land management, social surveying, archiving, exhibitions and programming associated with these projects. Currently, he works as a freelance consultant in the Third Sector and Community spheres in Scotland and beyond, sometimes operating independently but most frequently collaborating with others. Julian’s role within the DG Unlimited Board is as a strategic advisor, particularly in the areas of heritage and the arts as culture, and the development of cultural projects in this region.
