Julia Kotziamani & Nimble Art School

SU48C, Priory Meadows, Hastings, TN34 1PH
Open: Thursday 10am -1pm , Friday 12-4 pm, Saturday 1-5 pm, and Sunday 1-4 pm.

Julia is an artist, teacher and founder of Nimble Art School. Her practice spans paper cutting, installation, relational events, performance and film, exploring the complexities of social identity, institutional frameworks and the lived realities of single motherhood. She frequently uses memes, digital fragments and short-form media to question the social economy of online identity. While completing her MFA at Goldsmiths, Julia encountered barriers facing artists without privilege or formal qualifications, which led her to create Nimble Art School (formerly Hastings Art School). The school provides high-quality, affordable arts education and resources for artists who cannot, or choose not to, attend traditional art schools, aiming to remove systemic barriers and nurture sustainable creative careers. Julia now uses the Hastings space to develop her own work and to support other working-class artists through exhibitions, workshops and public events.

Public Programme

Nimble Art School is a flexible, accessible alternative to traditional art education, currently supporting over 25 artists through its 30-week development programme and a growing range of short courses and practical workshops. The school’s radical, non-selective approach welcomes artists from all backgrounds and stages of practice, offering collaborative learning and critical engagement without formal entry requirements. Alongside its core programme, NAS runs 8-week courses and one-day sessions covering everything from digital skills to career development, as well as themed workshops like Writing Art and Appreciating Art. The school also hosts regular student-led exhibitions and collaborative projects, with past shows including The Space Between the Shadows, Here to There to Here: Hastings and Still Moments, Space and Light. Its aim is simple: to create a supportive, resource-rich environment where artists can push their practice forward and build lasting careers.