Dimity Nicholls
Dimity Nicholls
Executive Director
Hear how to pronounce my name here. My pronouns are she/her.
I joined Fevered Sleep in the summer of 2019, having previously worked mainly in the visual arts, so a move to a company with a background in dance and theatre was quite a change.
I originally studied Fine Art, specialising in painting and installation. When I graduated, I didn’t know how to ‘be an artist’, and I knew that I wanted to work with people rather than in a studio on my own. To earn money I worked in offices and shops, and was a cleaner. To gain the arts experience I wanted, I volunteered in galleries, ran workshops for schools and organised a public art exhibition with a group of artist friends. My first proper arts job was in a local authority arts’ & events team in London. For ten years I managed a large set of artists’ and designer makers’ studios and a programme of artist-led engagement projects in parks, community venues and schools.
I help to ensure that the fundraising, finances and people remain healthy and are able to thrive.
When I returned to work after a parenting break, I gained new experience working front of house at my local arts centre, and took part in the Step Change development programme for arts professionals. During this year, I updated my skills and training, undertook work placements and immersed myself in a year of personal and professional creativity. This is when I first saw and was excited by the work of Fevered Sleep.
Having gained a few more years of experience, more recently as Education Director at Cubitt Artists, I moved into this role as Fevered Sleep’s Executive Director. My focus is the business side of the company, supporting the financial management, governance, fundraising and strategic development.
Arts and cultural engagement enriches all our lives and I believe in tackling the barriers to opportunity that so many encounter. After being a long-time supporter, I became a trustee with Arts Emergency in June 2025. With the team there and with my colleagues at Fevered Sleep, we work towards equitable inclusive access to the arts.
In my own time, I love cooking, long walks, making wobbly pots and wonky scarves and seeing unusual work in unusual spaces.