Introducing Sam and the ArtCart!

Samantha Hutton joined WheelWorks Arts in January 2023 as the ArtCart Co-Ordinator covering a maternity post. The ArtCart [link] is Wheelworks Arts outreach and community engagement programme and the name given to our unique and fully equipped ArtCart vehicle. Sam’s role as co-ordinator is to enable artists and the ArtCart to travel anywhere in Northern Ireland. The ArtCart programme gives the WheelWorks Arts charity an active presence in the community, public spaces and at large festivals and events.

In 2022, Sam gained a First-Class BA Hons in Drama from Ulster University. Before graduating and prior to Covid, Sam was a small-business owner, running her own private counselling practice. She has also worked as a mental-health mentor, a night-time support worker for Mind and youth worker. As a consequence, she is very practiced in the co-ordination of people, projects and activities, whilst also knowing how to care and support individuals! Sam is passionate about making the arts central to promoting well-being and encouraging positive mental health. 

In addition to her work life, Sam, who is originally from England, is the mother to an energy filled 6-year-old and wife. She is also an artist, who uses mixed media to share challenging stories which aim to disrupt negative social narratives.