About Grit
About Grit
What is GRIT?
GRIT is a Nuneaton based artist led group who will initiate experiences, be provocative, ask questions and embed itself in Nuneaton’s creative development. Inspiring those they work with and proving:
- Why we all need art
- Why it is important
- How it leads to positive cultural change
Through conversation, stories, observation and outreach workshops GRIT will reach out from its centre, to the edges of Nuneaton’s social, economical, industrial, urban and green landscapes, to its communities and workplace. Inviting opportunities for engagement and exchange, wonder and intrigue leading to the production of high quality artwork and creative experience.
About Us
Who Are GRIT?
Grit are Alisha Miller, Nathan Parker and Simon Winterman – professional artists working and living in Nuneaton whose practices cover Public, Transit and Street Art, theatre and physical performance.
Alisha
Transit Art • Visual Art • Public Art
Convoy – Lead artist / curator
Portrait of a Town – Artist collaborator
Award winning Nuneaton artist Alisha Miller creates enormous public and transit artworks in digital and hand cut vinyl, paint and steel for public places and spaces. Her Transit Art travels across the land on working lorries taking art to new and unexpected audiences. Her artwork often focuses on the mundane and overlooked, the roles, locations and people we all take for granted yet are essential and part our everyday lives. She gathers stories from those whose job, working landscape and everyday environments are fundamental to the sites her artwork remains resident.
Observational drawing and conversation underpin the creative process. Her recent work is a return to painting on paper and canvas along with continued digital drawing and vinyl print at large scale.
Many of Alisha’s early projects were self initiated and grant funded which has led to commissioned public and private work over the last 20 years. Her wealth of experience in creative consultancy, engagement and project management has seen her work closely within industry, the private and public sector, with communities and volunteers, local charities, councils, national and royal organisations to lead and manage large scale budgets, public art projects, gallery exhibition curation and artist collaboration. Alisha has discussed her work on BBC4 Woman’s Hour, Channel 4, BBC Radio 2, local and national TV, press and publication. She featured in the Guardian along with fellow artist and long term partner Spencer Jenkins in an artist focused on thriving artists in places of cultural deprivation. Alisha runs her own art classes and works on paintings for personal gallery projects along side commissioned work.
“I was privileged to be asked to help write and lead this element of the Creative Explorers programme which will bring and to continue to develop professional arts in Nuneaton”.
Nathan
N4T4 • Neveready • Street Artist & Illustrator
Street Art – Lead artist / curator
Portrait of a Town – Artist collaborator
Nathan Parker (n4t4) is an internationally known street artist based in Nuneaton, specializing in large-scale mural art created with spray paint. With over 30 years of experience and a First-Class Honors degree in Illustration from Manchester Metropolitan University, Nathan has created murals across the UK, Spain, and Australia.
Nathan’s artistic style involves large-scale figurative artwork characterized by intricate textures and the use of double-exposed imagery. He starts with realism as a foundation and then incorporates abstract elements to invite interpretation by viewers.
His inspiration is drawn from Aboriginal art and graffiti, where he finds aesthetic and conceptual influences, including visual languages, dual meanings, and cultural elements. Nathan’s art often captures a sense of movement and narrative.
Beyond his artistry, Nathan has conducted workshops in various settings, including community centers, youth clubs, schools, and secure facilities, nurturing creativity and artistic skills within communities.
Nathan’s murals are typically site-specific, responding to the locale and the community they are located in, allowing for direct interaction and feedback. Notable commissions include a mural at Digbeth Coach Station in Birmingham, celebrating 50 years of Black Sabbath, and a mural honoring England’s footballers during the Euro finals.
His portfolio also includes smaller works exhibited globally in cities such as London, New York, Rome, Paris, Sydney, and Melbourne. Nathan has collaborated with clients like Red Bull, Channel 4, Stagecoach, LCFC, Leicester Tigers, Carling, Big Issue, Coventry City of Culture, Custard Factory, and John Lewis.
Nathan has actively participated in various festivals, including Journey Festival International, City of Culture 2021 (Coventry), Upfest (Bristol), Bring The Paint (Leicester), High Vis (Birmingham), Cheltenham Paint Festival, Leamington Art in The Park, and Godiva Festival (Coventry), contributing to the contemporary art scene. His work continues to engage communities and art enthusiasts alike.
Simon
Sudden Impulse • Creative Director • Actor
Verbatim Theatre – Lead Artist/Director
Physical Theatre – Artist Collaborator
Simon worked in industry for a decade before studying for a degree in Drama and the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. Followed by a post graduate diploma in Theatre Directing at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, London. He is Artistic Director of Sudden Impulse Theatre Group and has directed more than 100 productions. He has had work performed at Edinburgh and Buxton Festival Fringes and won a number ofawards. As well as teaching drama and performing arts and mentoring Simon has written several plays and pantomimes and worked on a number of original productions based on the works of George Eliot. He has been guest lecturer at the University of Geneva giving a lecture on transforming Eliot from page to stage.
About Our Funders
Creative Explorers
GRIT is an Artist Led Group within a programme called Creative Explorers.
Creative Explorers is an 18-month cultural programme led by Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council in partnership with Imagineer, Warwickshire County Council and Artichoke.
Local artists and communities in Nuneaton and Bedworth will come together for a programme of cultural events during 2023-2025. The hope is to give profile to an existing and often hidden network of artists and creative activity, engage all sectors of the community and inspire people to value and embed creativity into their lives.
Nuneaton is the most populous town in Warwickshire, but residents of the county’s largest urban centre do not have the same quality of life as their neighbours. Five neighbourhoods in the Borough are within the 10% most deprived nationally and residents of Nuneaton & Bedworth generally have less disposable income compared to the rest of the county.
Funded by an Arts Council England Place Partnership award, the Creative Explorers programme forms part of NBBC’s long term strategy for sustainable regeneration in the Borough.
