Staff

Sile Penkert is a well-known native of Waterford and has spent all of her adult life working in the arts sector with a particular interest in community and participative projects. She oversees all of the arts centres year-round programming and with her dedicated team she manages the day to day running of a busy working environment, spanning two historical buildings of significance in the heart of Waterford city. Síle is approachable, and happy to facilitate queries where possible. To email Síle please drop a line to sile@garterlane.ie

Derek is the Community Employment Supervisor at Garter Lane. His role is to oversee the smooth running of all CE participants on the scheme . At Garter Lane we have 17 team members on CE carrying out different roles across two buildings here in O’Connell St. They are the backbone of Garter Lane. We also have 5 placements in Waterford Healing Arts Trust (WHAT).

Community Employment (CE) is a Department of Social Protection (DSP) funded scheme that is designed to bring people who are aged 21 years or over and in receipt of a DSP payment for a year or more back into the labour market. Garter Lane is a sponsor and active in promoting the Arts here in Waterford. The participant is paid an additional top up of their social protection entitlement. In addition, they can receive training as part of the contract.

Brid McGuire has been employed at Garter Lane on a part-time basis since 2007 where she is responsible for the busy Finance Department. She is ably assisted by two part-time Finance Assistants.

Michael has been the technical manager of Garter Lane for nearly three decades. Running the busy technical department of a multi discipline arts venue. Michael is also the health and safety officer for the centre Aided by a skilled technical team to oversee Garter Lanes program of Plays, Musicals, Concerts and Film screenings.

Sandra Kelly is Garter Lane Art Centre’s Visual Arts and Education Manager. She works alongside artists to create and exhibit quality exhibitions and events. Sandra holds a BA in Visual Arts and a MA in Arts Management and Heritage from Waterford Institute of Technology and she is currently undertaking a course in International Curatorial Studies.

Mary-Claire’s main role as box office manager is to oversee the day to day runnings of Garter Lane’s busy box office while working hard to create a comfortable space for our users both performers and patrons alike. Our Box Office Staff interact with our patrons on a daily basis and we aim to ensure a high level of customer service as one of our main priorities.
On a administrative level Mary-Claire’s role includes, new event set up, staff training, sales and marketing, and working with her colleagues and event organisers in making sure all of our incoming events are planned meticulously ensuring a rewarding experience for all.

Jo McCluskey is Garter Lane Arts Centre’s Marketing and Communications Manager. Jo has almost 20 years’ experience working in the arts, culture, education and charity sectors in the UK and Ireland. With a MSc in Marketing Jo has worked across communications, marketing and project management where she has managed teams, events and conferences for educational and arts institutions. Jo has worked in public engagement art on large scale collaborative projects and public outreach art workshops for local community groups and schools.