VICTORIA Robinson has co-created art and design exhibitions and events for 15 years both in London and in her home county of Yorkshire.

Part of a three-person team bringing The Art Market York to York Racecourse on September 30 to October 2, the event is Yorkshire’s largest and most exciting public art and contemporary craft show, giving visitors the opportunity to view and buy art from more than 120 selected artists whose work includes paintings, prints, sculptures, ceramics, glass and other art forms.

Visitors can also meet the artists, enjoy talks, demonstrations, installations, join in with interactive areas and workshops, and relax with live music and a café area.

What job would you like to have other than your own and why?

I honestly can’t think of a role that I would prefer to do – I’m incredibly lucky to be able to work with a great team of people – to be honest, we are three bosses and no one is above anyone at The Art Market. My team members are Brendan Hesmondhalgh, the sculptor who creates some of the largest ceramic sculptures in the UK, and fellow artist Emily Stubbs, whose speciality is ceramics. I’d like to think we are a complementary blend of business acumen and creativity, which has enabled The Art Market to have a great relationship with the artists and designer-makers that we work with. We work with some great artists and makers, such as ceramic artists David Roberts and Tony Laverick, kinetic sculptor Jim Bond, wirework artist Helaina Sharpley, illustrative sculptor Samantha Bryan as well as international textile artist Michael Brennand-Wood, among others. There aren’t many roles around that allow you such scope in your daily work.

What makes you most angry?

Really, there isn’t anything much that makes me angry at The Art Market. We always said that we’d do this if we laughed a lot and felt like we were still doing something positive. At a push… People who don’t read the information we email properly and then ask us loads of questions!

What do you need to make life complete?

Of course, life would be more complete for me with a Cy Twombly hanging on my wall, and a Barbara Hepworth sculpture in my living room, but I am of the mind that if I can see people enjoying art, whether it’s meeting the artists themselves, or learning about the creative process, and from our side, seeing the artists enjoy exhibiting and meeting people and making a living from selling their own art, then at that juncture, life seems pretty complete.

Why do you make a difference?

We have a programme entitled RAW which helps and nurtures up and coming artistic talent so they can show and sell their work at The Art Market. One of our last young artists blossomed with the confidence that she gained following her involvement in The Art Market and she has just returned from a residency in New York and will be exhibiting her newest collection of work at The Art Market York, so living the classic dream of a young artist. Brendan, Emily and I really enjoy viewing artists’ work at graduation shows and making sure we don’t miss a trick. I love the RAW section; firstly we can show up-and-coming artists work to the public, something they may not be able to achieve at this stage of their careers, and potentially give them the confidence to pursue a career in the creative sector. I’d like to think The Art Market supports these emerging artists, sharing our experience as practising artists and of course providing an opportunity for people to invest in their work at a warm and friendly show.

Epitaph

Art is for everyone.