Meet the team
Tessa Giblin
Director
Tessa is the Director of Talbot Rice Gallery, and since 2022 has held a Personal Chair in Contemporary Curating with Edinburgh College of Art. Tessa Giblin has worked as a curator for 20 years – in New Zealand, the Netherlands, Ireland and now Scotland. As Director of Talbot Rice Gallery she curates exhibitions as well as leading the team and organisation. Her exhibitions engage with issues being digested as part of the national conversation, championing art and exhibitions as platforms for complex histories and debates, pushing back against polarisation. She has also initiated a series of solo exhibitions of artists who ‘mine the museum’, bringing items out of the University’s heritage collections that respond to their practices. She was previously Curator of Visual Arts in the multidisciplinary Project Arts Centre, Dublin, Guest Curator of the steirischer herbst festival exhibition in Graz, and Commissioner and Curator of Ireland at La Biennale di Venezia. She was raised in Otautahi/Christchurch in Aotearoa/New Zealand, where she was born.
Director
Tessa is the Director of Talbot Rice Gallery, and since 2022 has held a Personal Chair in Contemporary Curating with Edinburgh College of Art. Tessa Giblin has worked as a curator for 20 years – in New Zealand, the Netherlands, Ireland and now Scotland. As Director of Talbot Rice Gallery she curates exhibitions as well as leading the team and organisation. Her exhibitions engage with issues being digested as part of the national conversation, championing art and exhibitions as platforms for complex histories and debates, pushing back against polarisation. She has also initiated a series of solo exhibitions of artists who ‘mine the museum’, bringing items out of the University’s heritage collections that respond to their practices. She was previously Curator of Visual Arts in the multidisciplinary Project Arts Centre, Dublin, Guest Curator of the steirischer herbst festival exhibition in Graz, and Commissioner and Curator of Ireland at La Biennale di Venezia. She was raised in Otautahi/Christchurch in Aotearoa/New Zealand, where she was born.
Melissa MacRobert
Deputy Director
email: melissa.macrobert@ed.ac.uk
tel: +44 (0)131 650 9746
Melissa MacRobert is Deputy Director at Talbot Rice Gallery. She joined as Gallery & Exhibitions Manager in April 2018. With a background in project management and artist liaison, she previously worked with The Modern Institute, Glasgow and Hauser & Wirth, most significantly with Phyllida Barlow on new commissions for British Pavilion, Venice Biennale (2017); Kunsthalle Zürich (2016); Tate Britain Duveen Commission (2014) and Carnegie International, Pittsburgh (2013).
Melissa leads on exhibition management and manages the operational, strategic and creative activities of the gallery to meet commitments to the University, funders, artists and audiences. Responsibilities include: managing new artistic commissions, project-managing exhibitions and touring; publishing; financial management, fundraising and income generation.
Deputy Director
email: melissa.macrobert@ed.ac.uk
tel: +44 (0)131 650 9746
Melissa MacRobert is Deputy Director at Talbot Rice Gallery. She joined as Gallery & Exhibitions Manager in April 2018. With a background in project management and artist liaison, she previously worked with The Modern Institute, Glasgow and Hauser & Wirth, most significantly with Phyllida Barlow on new commissions for British Pavilion, Venice Biennale (2017); Kunsthalle Zürich (2016); Tate Britain Duveen Commission (2014) and Carnegie International, Pittsburgh (2013).
Melissa leads on exhibition management and manages the operational, strategic and creative activities of the gallery to meet commitments to the University, funders, artists and audiences. Responsibilities include: managing new artistic commissions, project-managing exhibitions and touring; publishing; financial management, fundraising and income generation.
James Clegg
Curator
email: james.clegg@ed.ac.uk
tel: +44 (0)131 650 2211
James joined Talbot Rice Gallery in 2010. Working on the development of exhibitions - from their inception through to delivery - he is involved in all aspects of the Gallery's creative programme. He also organises the Outreach and Widening Participation programme, working with schools, prisons and those affected by homelessness. James has led on a number of exhibitions since 2014, including John Akomfrah's 'Vertigo Sea' and Stephen Sutcliffe's 'Sex Symbols in Sandwich Signs' and 'Pine's Eye' - a major group show exploring how ecological thinking might positively transform our sense of being human.
Curator
email: james.clegg@ed.ac.uk
tel: +44 (0)131 650 2211
James joined Talbot Rice Gallery in 2010. Working on the development of exhibitions - from their inception through to delivery - he is involved in all aspects of the Gallery's creative programme. He also organises the Outreach and Widening Participation programme, working with schools, prisons and those affected by homelessness. James has led on a number of exhibitions since 2014, including John Akomfrah's 'Vertigo Sea' and Stephen Sutcliffe's 'Sex Symbols in Sandwich Signs' and 'Pine's Eye' - a major group show exploring how ecological thinking might positively transform our sense of being human.
Monika Stepanikova
Duty & Office Manager
email: Monika.Stepanikova@ed.ac.uk
tel: +44(0)131 651 4356
Monika joined Talbot Rice Gallery in June 2022. Born and raised in Alberta, Canada, she has called Edinburgh home since 2019. An alumnus of ECA, she graduated with a Msc. in Modern and Contemporary Art History focusing on Feminist Art History and Decolonial Feminism.
As Duty & Office Manager at Talbot Rice Gallery, Monika supports the operational, financial and HR components of the gallery. She is responsible for TRG Front of House team, events and budget management, and assists with artists' projects for exhibitions.
Duty & Office Manager
email: Monika.Stepanikova@ed.ac.uk
tel: +44(0)131 651 4356
Monika joined Talbot Rice Gallery in June 2022. Born and raised in Alberta, Canada, she has called Edinburgh home since 2019. An alumnus of ECA, she graduated with a Msc. in Modern and Contemporary Art History focusing on Feminist Art History and Decolonial Feminism.
As Duty & Office Manager at Talbot Rice Gallery, Monika supports the operational, financial and HR components of the gallery. She is responsible for TRG Front of House team, events and budget management, and assists with artists' projects for exhibitions.
Josh Young
Communications & Marketing Manager
email: josh.young@ed.ac.uk
tel: +44 (0)131 651 4540
Josh joined Talbot Rice Gallery in March 2024. He is responsible for delivering marketing campaigns, driving audience development, designing exhibition related materials and creating digital content.
His campaigns have communicated a range of culturural offerings including contemporary art, digital technology, film and performance. Working collaboratively with artists, he has connected audiences with artworks across Liverpool, Brighton and Hove, and Edinburgh.
Communications & Marketing Manager
email: josh.young@ed.ac.uk
tel: +44 (0)131 651 4540
Josh joined Talbot Rice Gallery in March 2024. He is responsible for delivering marketing campaigns, driving audience development, designing exhibition related materials and creating digital content.
His campaigns have communicated a range of culturural offerings including contemporary art, digital technology, film and performance. Working collaboratively with artists, he has connected audiences with artworks across Liverpool, Brighton and Hove, and Edinburgh.
Sarah Leal
Community Engagement Officer
email: sleal@ed.ac.uk
tel: +44(0)131 651 4784
Sarah joined Talbot Rice Gallery in November 2023. Born in France with a multicultural background, she moved to Scotland in 2017. For the past six years, she worked in communities and museums (notably The Burrell Collection and the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow) widening access and participation. Her upbringing and experiences taught her the barriers that people might face in accessing art, which shone a light on the power of community engagement and the transformative potential of art.
As the Community Engagement Officer, Sarah is responsible for developing and leading workshops, tours and activities for the community. Contributing to creating and sustaining stronger relationships with the University community and external local organisations and partners.
Community Engagement Officer
email: sleal@ed.ac.uk
tel: +44(0)131 651 4784
Sarah joined Talbot Rice Gallery in November 2023. Born in France with a multicultural background, she moved to Scotland in 2017. For the past six years, she worked in communities and museums (notably The Burrell Collection and the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow) widening access and participation. Her upbringing and experiences taught her the barriers that people might face in accessing art, which shone a light on the power of community engagement and the transformative potential of art.
As the Community Engagement Officer, Sarah is responsible for developing and leading workshops, tours and activities for the community. Contributing to creating and sustaining stronger relationships with the University community and external local organisations and partners.
Holly Morton
Assistant Technician
email: h.morton@ed.ac.uk
tel: +44(0)131 651 4584
Holly provides technical support for the Talbot Rice Gallery and its exhibition programme. She works alongside Senior Gallery Technician to help plan, prepare and deliver upcoming events and exhibitions, in addition to day-to-day Gallery maintenance. She is passionate about helping others to realise creative projects, with a focus on practical, hands-on work and installation.
She joined the Gallery in August 2024 after leaving the Technical Fabrication team at Edinburgh College of Art where she supported students and technicians in multiple disciplines - a ‘jack of all trades’ of sorts. She is continuously building on a wide range of skills and strives to utilise her specialist technical knowledge when faced with new challenges.
Assistant Technician
email: h.morton@ed.ac.uk
tel: +44(0)131 651 4584
Holly provides technical support for the Talbot Rice Gallery and its exhibition programme. She works alongside Senior Gallery Technician to help plan, prepare and deliver upcoming events and exhibitions, in addition to day-to-day Gallery maintenance. She is passionate about helping others to realise creative projects, with a focus on practical, hands-on work and installation.
She joined the Gallery in August 2024 after leaving the Technical Fabrication team at Edinburgh College of Art where she supported students and technicians in multiple disciplines - a ‘jack of all trades’ of sorts. She is continuously building on a wide range of skills and strives to utilise her specialist technical knowledge when faced with new challenges.