Artist
I am a public artist based in Scotland with a diverse practice exploring relationships, systems, and change. My work has at its heart, process, public engagement, and cross-disciplinary collaboration, with a particular focus on creating participatory experiences that foster connection, reflection and transformation. Responding to site, place, or community, my work takes many forms from site-specific interventions to installations and collaborative processes.
With a background in Human Ecology, health and community development and social justice, I bring a research-driven approach to public engagement. I am interested in experimentation, critical inquiry, and the disruption of dominant narratives. My work explores how art can be a catalyst for personal, ecological and societal change.
I have collaborate with organisations, communities and other artists to create artworks and temporary environments that open up dialogue, creativity and transformation. Past projects have been developed in partnership with organisations such as Save the Children Fund, Jam Factory (Lviv, Ukraine), the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh, the Centre for Infection, Immunity and Evolution (University of Edinburgh), the Hutton and Rowett Institutes (Aberdeen), and the British Society for Immunology. These collaborations have explored a wide range of interlinked themes including community health and wellbeing, soil and the food system, creative regeneration in post-industrial cities, the social construction of landscape and ecological justice.
I work collaboratively with Robbie Coleman on an ongoing basis. See the Coleman & Hodges home page.
I am co-creator of The Museums of the Future Now a participatory project exploring futures thinking and Sanctuary Lab, an an off grid art laboratory in the Galloway Dark Skies Park. I am a trustee of EcoArt SCIO.
WORKS
The following sections are currently being updated.
Creative Engagement and Development
SUPPORT FOR AMBITION AWARD
Jo has received a Support for Ambition award from Arts D&G in 2026 to research and develop a piece of interactive theatre/performance.
PRODUCING FOR THE TWEED RIVER FESTIVAL
In 2025, Jo was engaged as Creative Producer for Connecting Threads, Tweed River Festival. Article about the Festival:https://www.tweedriverculture.org/journal/tweed-river-festival-2025
FACILITATING TRAINING ON CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH COMMUNITIES 2025
For What We Do Now, A creative placemaking network: https://whatwedonow.scot/
WORKSHOP FACILITATION: CULTURE CAFE 2024
Forres Town Hall, Forres. https://findhornbayfestival.com/
“Co-creation is a radical commitment to sharing leadership and direction. It uses collaborative processes where people with different experiences, skills and knowledge come together to work in non- hierarchical ways to make something. This Culture Cafe, hosted by Katharine Wheeler of The Stove Network and artists Jo Hodges and Robbie Coleman, invites you to explore the role of creative practice; what it requires for communities and artists to come together co-creation.”
CULTURE COLLECTIVE: COMBINE TO CREATE
In 2022 Jo, together with Robbie Coleman, was invited to work with Findhorn Bay Arts to help with the development of a new Culture Collective project based in Moray, Combine 2 Create. They facilitated a number of days with the 7 artists that had newly been appointed. Using their experience as public artists, they explored socially engaged practice and developed shared values for the project.
BECOMING EARTHLY
In 2020 Jo was selected for Becoming Earthly Run by The Barn Arts, Aberdeen, this was an experimental learning space which aimed to create the conditions to open up new innovative forms of ecological practice that respond imaginatively to the challenges we now face. The programme ran July – September 2020.
EMERGE MENTORING
In 2019 and 2025, Jo worked for Upland, mentoring a young artist for Emerge. Emerge is a 9 month programme of mentoring, networking and training for emerging artists who have a connection to Dumfries and Galloway. https://www.weareupland.com/news/emerge-2019-recipients-announced-and-mentors-matched-29012019
CAMP BREAKDOWN BREAK DOWN
In 2015, Jo attended an 11 day artist led camp exploring petrosubjectivity and cultures of survival in a post oil world 2015. Breakdown Break Down was a long term effort to organize cultural workers, artists, activists, and those interested in surviving climate breakdown, to de-industrialize our sense of self and produce the civil society that will help us endure ecological collapse. More info http://www.breakdownbreakdown.net/
SHONA PROJECTS
In 2015, Jo headed to Eilean Shona Island to be part of a pilot project to collectively learn about diverse and non-arts specific topics that can inform artistic and creative practices for the future. We experienced temporarily inhabiting an unpopulated island and participated in a structured programme of events that explored ideas around the human sensory experience, related to the natural qualities and physical remoteness.
Presentations
KEY NOTE SPEAKER AT THE SPACE BETWEEN CONFERENCE, FINDHORN BAY ARTS 2025
Jo was delighted to be invited to speak at this event with Robbie Coleman. Drawing on psychology, neuroscience, and cultural theory, they examined liminality as a space for transformation. The talk explored the “theta state” between sleep and wakefulness, cultural borderlands, and radical spaces like Temporary Autonomous Zones and queer spaces as fertile grounds for creativity, resistance and alternative futures.
ART, DESIGN AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE. LIFESPACE, DUNDEE.
Speaker at Art, Design and Antimicrobial Resistance. LifeSpace Art & Science Discussion Event at LifeSpace gallery, Dundee. September 2015
“Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the ability of microbes like bacteria, viruses and parasites to evade treatment by antibiotics and other drugs. This is an increasing threat to global health as new resistance mechanisms emerge and spread across the world. Microbial life has long captured the interest of many artists. So what can artists contribute to the interdisciplinary approach required to both tackle antimicrobial resistance, and increase public awareness of this important issue?“
EDGES : SURFACE : BORDERS EXHIBITION AT TENT GALLERY, EDINBURGH.
Exhibition opening and presentation/discussion. November 2015
PRESENTATION AT FERTILE GROUND CONFERENCE.
Presentation of A New EIA for Natural Scotland at the Fertile Ground Conference at Dunbar. The theme of the event was environmental art towards change. Oct 2014 LINK
MOVING OUT SYMPOSIUM.
Presentation of Sanctuary Lab at ‘Moving Out’ Symposium, “An exploration into the exciting range of art taking place outside conventional venues across Europe, the UK and Scotland exploring the significance of publicly engaged art. Part of the Galoshans Fesitval.
CONTEMPORARY ARTS IN RURAL CONTEXTS.
Presentation of Sanctuary Lab. The seminar was organised by Chrysalis Arts and explored how artists working in rural environments or with rural themes are developing new platforms and approaches to visual arts practice. The programme showcased current examples of innovative artistic practice from across the UK, explored how artists are engaging with some of the issues facing rural communities, and offered an international perspective on contemporary rural practice and the benefits of networking, collaboration and co-operation. Settle, 2017.
Coleman & Hodges 