In this episode Dr Rachel Keighley (she/they) is joined by Jonathan Blyth (he/him) to talk about anti-racism and social justice work beyond academia.
Find Jon on: linkedin
Director Jabulani CIC & Plymouth Social Enterprise Network
Committee Mixed Families Together
Strategy advisor Ubuntu Education and Mentoring Services
Steering group Hidden Figures of Plymouth
Co-founder Fotonow CIC & Camper Obscura
Jonathan Blyth has been exploring social enterprise, visual culture, creative learning and socially engaged practice since co-establishing Fotonow CIC as a Creative Director in early 2009.
Fotonow is based in Plymouth’s Royal William Yard. The Camper Obscura project has been at the Photographers Gallery London, Format International Photography Festival Derby, Diffusion Festival Cardiff and the Brighton Photo Biennial amongst many other national venues and events.
A decade’s further exploration of creative learning and social engagement has further led to collaborations that established St Saviours CIC (2015) in Plymouth and Arts Lab CIC (2018).
He’s an experienced professional with a proven ability for curriculum design, multidisciplinary practice, collaboration, research, network building, managing relationships, community engagement, arts and wellbeing, and partnership development in the sectors of social enterprise, higher education, arts and cultural heritage.
Jonathan also extensive experience of co-designing learning in youth centres, primary and secondary schools, galleries, museums, festivals and many other non institutional learning spaces for children and young people.
His advisory roles include the board for Sound Communities CIC, Field Notes CIC, Vital Sparks, Encounters 'Chrysalis' amongst others. I'm a member of the Steering Committee for WonderZoo CIC’s ‘Hidden Figures of Plymouth’ project.
He’s been a Lecturer for BA Photography and BA Commercial Photography, a Research Group Convenor for Art + Social Action, and Subject Tutor for MA Photography and MA Entrepreneurship for Creative Practice programme at Arts University Plymouth (2009-24). H represented AUP at the Social Enterprise World Forum in Glasgow.
Currently Jonathan is an Associate Lecturer at the University of the West of England in Bristol, Director at Plymouth Social Enterprise Network (2020) and Jabulani CIC (2023), a committee member for Mixed Families Together (2023), actively pursuing several anti-racism projects through collaborations with Diversity Business Incubator CIC.