Dr Andrea Hannon and Annette Rolston are the Co-founders of the Being Woman exhibition, which – this year – opens at Mandell’s Gallery in Norwich on International Women’s Day. Here, the curators explain how it has become much so more than an exhibition
What are your artistic backgrounds and whereabouts in Norfolk are you based?
Andrea: I am a freelance artist based in Diss, my background has always been within Fine Art. I was a lecturer on the Fine Art course at both Coventry and De Montfort Universities, before having my children, then focusing on my own practice whilst also bringing them up. They are still quite young now, 8 and 5 years old, but I still find time to make work. I mainly work with print, collage and textiles, but more recently I have moved back into ceramics, something I dabbled in during my degree, creating figurative sculptures. I currently deliver sculpture workshops and courses at Mudhubpottery based in Carrow House in Norwich and I am developing my own business, ‘Soft Ground Studio’, that combines the disciplines of pottery, print and collage. This will be based in Diss and will offer the opportunity for people to come along and explore their creativity, through workshops for both adults and children, with a particular focus on neurodiversity and how creativity can support wellbeing.
I was born in Coventry in 1982, and completed my BA (Hons) Fine Art (2002-05) and MA (2007-08) Fine Art degrees at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Coventry University where in 2014 I was awarded my PhD in Visual Arts. I have presented work at Studio 1.1 Gallery, London, Wolverhampton Art Gallery and Museum and Compton Verney, and I have published and delivered papers for GLAD Sheffield Institute of Arts, Sheffield Conference: The Studio: Where do we learn? Where do we teach? Hallam University and ‘The house is still named after him’: Exploring the subjective tensions of the female artist inhabiting cultural discourses:’ Paper for Practice Makes Perfect: Theorising method in Visual Language Symposium. Swansea Metropolitan University.
Annette : I am based at designermakers21 in Diss, a creative centre that houses permanent craft studios, artists in residence, a gallery shop and exhibition spaces. I am a founder member of Designermakers and have a print studio there, as well as managing several projects, Print in Action, Focus on drawing, the Big Draw with local high schools. I deliver workshops in schools, museums and art centres and I previously ran the Octagon Gallery in Diss for a few years.I have an MA honors in Fine Art Printmaking from Brighton art school. BA Hons in Fine Art from Newcastle University.
What did you first have the idea for the Being Woman exhibition, and what is the thinking behind it?
Annette: Whilst running my gallery Octagon I befriended 2 women artists whose work I admired and was selling….Andrea Hannon and SuzanneBreeze. We got together over coffee and decided to create an exhibiting group of women artists. Partly to help ease feelings of isolation. To offer mutual support. To show off women’s talents and give a voice. To provide exhibiting opportunities. Andrea Hannon coined the name “Being Woman”.
Andrea: We were discussing the similarities in both our work but also in our life experiences as women and how these informed the kinds of things we explored within our practice. We realised we are from different walks of life, different generations but experiencing the same tensions, and histories really. Particularly around isolation, working alone as an artist, feeling alone as a woman with the ‘load’ of existence and then also feeling ‘unseen’, the disappearing of the self as you become older. As a woman, there is an invisibility that creeps in, that many other women recognise, this is two-fold as a female artist. We have always had to fight to be seen, to be heard. I coined the name “Being Woman” as it is a statement that becomes a question really. What does it mean to ‘be woman’? Positive or negative, each individual’s experience and exploration of this is subjective, it is different. That’s where things become interesting and conversations start to happen, that’s where we can really start to dig down and shatter the presuppositions of what it means to ‘be woman’.
Why is it an important exhibition?
Annette: It brings together a wide variety of styles, talents and messages by local women artists. There is a high standard of craftsmanship and artistic value. There are many different messages about each individual’s take on “Being Woman ” concerning gender politics, mythological past queens and goddesses, conservation issues, maternity, etc . There is something for everyone we feel. We have had excellent feedback from our launch @Diss Cornhall last March. Several people often tell me it was their favourite exhibition there.
Andrea: I think one of the most important things about the exhibition is the intergenerational aspect, bringing together the work of 25 female artists from across generations creates a unique platform from which we can share experiences, similar and otherwise. It gives a voice to each artist in their own right and each one is celebrated, seen, heard and considered. The exhibition is not only about the work and the artist, but also the collective of being woman artists. Being Woman has become more than just an exhibition of works that draw upon the female experience, it is shared experience, support, and friendship. The exhibition is important for female artists as it captures our ever evolving perspectives and experience of being women at a particular point in our lives, it celebrates the work we do, the ideas and experiences we have, and most importantly it gives us visibility.
How many artists are involved and would you like to name check any of them?
There are 25 exhibitors, all of whom are established, talented artists and all working in unique and individual ways. From sculpture, painting to textiles there is a real wealth of diverse work on show.
Georgina Warne makes exquisite ceramic sculptures that reference her work and research with ‘Conservation Without Borders’, an active endangered wildlife charity.
Marie Mallen will be exhibiting a coat of sedition that the audience can interact with finding hidden notes secreted in the pockets.
Andrea Hannon’s collage works and assemblages draw from existing imagery and found objects questioning perpetuated ideals of the woman’s role.
Rachel Collier Wilson explores queer identities, joining us literally off the tail end of their annual Queerfest in Norwich.
Malca Schotten has a series of large scale, strong, expressive drawings works based on her direct experience of maternity.
Suzanne Breeze illustrates ancient folk tales featuring Queens, goddesses and mythical women in beautifully painted colourful scenes.
Janine Oxley has created a powerful piece about the experience of ovarian cancer. Her visual and spoken piece draws upon the voices of women in her support group, evidencing a shared experience that raises awareness of this common threat.
Clare Gaylard is creating fascinating tiny glass sculptures that reference a woman’s journey of fertility, Clare has also been instrumental to the Being Woman publicity, working tirelessly on our Instagram, for which we are extremely grateful.
Juliette Lockhart is bringing to light the life of Mary Beale, 17th century Suffolk artist who enjoyed a successful career as a portrait painter.
When and where will the exhibition be held this year and what can people expect? Is it timed to coincide with IWD?
The exhibition opens at Mandells Gallery in Elm Hill, Norwich, NR3 1HN on International Women’s day, 8th March 12-3pm. When we held the first Being Woman exhibition at The Corn Hall in Diss, it was serendipitous that the opening actually fell on IWD. We decided moving forward where possible it would be great to have a Being Woman event, exhibition or otherwise on IWD, afterall we are here to showcase what it is we do and who we are as female artists.
Mandell’s director and curator Rachel Allen has been essential in enabling this large exhibition to happen, working with myself and Andrea Hannon. She introduced half a dozen established female artists associated with Mandell’s gallery, into the existing Being Woman group, which has further strengthened an already strong exhibition.
The exhibition opens on the 8th March – continuing until 18th April. Tues – Sat 10am-5pm. There will be a variety of works on show; painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and video, exploring various themes from goddesses and folklore to real-life stories and historic figures.
On Thursday 16th April we will be delivering a talk about the exhibition, with a select few artists discussing their works, as part of Norfolk Contemporary Arts Society’s (NCAS) programme of events. Talk starts 7.00pm at the Norwich School Blake Studio, Norwich NR1 4DD
Members £7.00, non-members £10.00, students FREE
Where can people find out more about what you both do generally, and the exhibition?
The main place to find out more about Being Woman and all the artists involved is through our Instagram account @BeingWoman2026.
Annette: Visit mine and four other BeingWoman members studios @designermakers21 in Diss (21 St. Nicholas Street, IP22 4LB) or visit designermakers21.co.uk. Follow me on Facebook @annetterolston designs or email annetterol@yahoo.com.
Andrea: You can find me on (@andreahannonartist) • Instagram @andreahannonartist or my website andrehannon.co.uk.
What is next for you both?
We see Being Woman as more than just an exhibition, it is a collective, a platform that gives women a voice through creative intervention. We have plans to apply for arts Council funding for a touring exhibition, a website and possibly a festival.
The Being Woman exhibition at Mandell’s Gallery in Norwich runs from March 8 to April 18, 2026. Tues – Sat 10am-5pm. Follow Being Woman (@beingwoman2026) on Instagram
Featured images – supplied
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