Sarah Yaccabe (Artist and Administrator at YVAN)
Introducing YVAN’s Team Artist Spotlights. YVAN is run by a small staff team of three, each working with the organisation one day a week while continuing their own artistic practices. This series offers a glimpse into the varied work they create alongside their roles at YVAN.
Sarah Yaccabe is an administrator at YVAN and workshop assistant at Yorkshire Sculpture Park and is based in Wakefield. Sarah is also a textile artist whose practice is rooted in sustainability, alongside supporting artistic communities through her administrative and workshop roles.
“I’m fairly resourceful in my practice in upcycling existing garments, using second hand materials and experimenting with foraged natural plants. Sustainability and inspiration from nature are important to me.”
Can you tell us a bit about your practice as a visual artist?
Recently I have been repairing and upcycling clothing. I have made bespoke clothing for friends and ran crafts and repair sessions for community focused organisations and individuals.
Could you tell us about your role at YVAN and any other work you do, alongside your practice?
My role as Administrator involves scheduling meetings, note taking, data management and evaluation and making sure everything is organised and running smoothly. I take part in organising events, reporting and updating policies. Accessibility and EDI policy and procedure have been important in my role to ensure events, meetings and programmes are meeting people's needs. This role is 9 hours per week, alongside this I am a workshop assistant at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, where I support artist facilitators who run workshops for families, adults, schools and community groups. I also create sensory textile resources for gallery spaces to provide something tactile relevant to a current exhibition.
From your time at YVAN, what project stands out for you as a highlight?
I took on a freelance role as Project coordinator for the 'Uncover Cultural Skills' programme. This felt really valuable in seeing hidden creatives build their confidence and creative community through workshops with artist facilitators, creating work for a group exhibition and starting conversations around different cultural values and expressing this creatively and with the public. It was also great to be able to meet people in person and connect face to face.
Why do you create?
I create because I enjoy the process of getting to know a client, designing and creating something bespoke for them. Seeing a piece come together and to have a person in mind gives it purpose. I'm fairly resourceful in my practice in upcycling existing garments, using second hand materials and experimenting with foraged natural plants. Sustainability and inspiration from nature are important to me.
Do you consider yourself to be part of an artist network/community, and how does this impact your own practice?
Wakefield has a good creative community. I have got to know artists in Westgate Studios on Artwalk events, The Art House and Yorkshire Sculpture Park. This impacts my practice by having that peer support element, having people to talk to about progress with our work and values. Sharing challenges and reflecting on how we are doing.
“It would be great to see more financial support to fund artists’ day to day work, which is often lowly paid or not at all.”
What changes would you like to see in the wider arts sector?
It would be great to see more financial support to fund artists' day to day work, which is often lowly paid or not at all. More community spaces for freelancers to work together, through co-working, partnerships and collaborations across sectors in science, health and wellbeing, with appropriate support and training.
What are your future aspirations as a visual artist and have you got anything coming up you’d like to share?
My future aspirations are to find more ways to incorporate nature and wildlife conservation practices into my creative practice or vice versa. At the moment my creative work for the public is at a stand still as I feel I need to reconnect my creative identity to the ways the environment is changing - socially and ecologically.
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