Emma Underhill is Founder and Artistic Director of UP Projects with over 20 years’ experience in curating and leading large scale, ambitious projects in the public realm, often delivered through complex partnership working. Under Emma’s leadership, UP Projects has gained an expansive reputation for progressive public art commissioning, robust and genuine community engagement methodologies and a commitment to artist development, often providing artists with career changing opportunities.
Emma leads the artistic direction of UP Projects’ core programme which includes the Constellations learning & development programme for public art practitioners, digital commissions and public art commissions that have social relevance and explore the pressing issues of our time. Recent projects that Emma has directed and curated include The National Windrush Monument by Basil Watson at London Waterloo Station (unveiled 2022) working with the Windrush Commemoration Committee and HM Government Department of Levelling Up Housing & Communities; a highly ambitious commission on the behalf of Crossrail in Newham working with Sonia Boyce OBE (completed 2021) a series of wall-based commissions by Jessie Brennan in the Royal Docks (2019/20) and a series of integrated artworks for the Nine Elms Development, Vauxhall (launched 2018).
Emma is a highly experienced strategic thinker with a strong belief that artists can play a valuable role in every stage of the urban development cycle. She has written many cultural, public art and community engagement strategies for organisations and locations including The Royal Parks, London; Artlands, Kent & Medway; Southwark Council; Berkeley Homes, Nine Elms, London; Knight Dragon, Greenwich Peninsula; Crossrail, Newham, London and Telford Homes, Rotherhithe, London.