About

We make small but beautiful projects, produced with time and care, that embed contemporary art practices in everyday life.

In the garden, the Rule of Threes determines how best to plant your vegetables, suggesting combinations of plants that co-exist harmoniously and support each other to flourish. This describes the way we hope to work with artists and communities. We aim to initiate new art programmes which create agency and change for people and their local neighbourhoods, bringing together artists, producers and local people. Our current strands concern spatial and economic justice, and the rights of children and young people.

Rule of Threes is a not-for-profit company based in Sefton, Merseyside, established by Maria Brewster and Sue Potts in 2018.

We are committed to supporting the development of co-created arts practice within all of our work. Our projects support early career artists to develop their work and create opportunities to work alongside established artists in a community of practice model.

As a social business, we offer consultancy and partnerships. We reinvest any surplus generated into community projects, supporting artists and seeding new ideas.

We’re a tiny team with a wider network of incredible associates and creative collaborators, who bring their specialist energy and skills to our projects and commissions.

Directors

Maria Brewster is a curator, producer and arts consultant. She has worked in strategic roles for and with many arts organisations across the North West, including Liverpool Biennial, Bluecoat and FACT; and with individual artists and grassroots organisations, identifying opportunities and realising ambitious projects with social and artistic impact.

Sue Potts has a background in research and development across the arts, community sector and higher education. She has held a number of roles including leading the digital inclusion strategy for the International Centre for Digital Content at LJMU, researcher in Collaborative Arts Practice at Liverpool Screen School . She is CEO of Venus Charity

Jane Leah is and strategic communications and PR consultant focussing on digital and tech brands.

Programme

Faye Hamblett-Jones is our Programme Manager for our NPO funded project At The Library — an artist-led programme of events, workshops and happenings taking place in libraries in Sefton. Her practice is rooted in co-creation, meaningful engagement and the concept of being a good host in order to facilitate the conditions for social change. She has produced a number of participatory projects for Rule of Threes over three years, and has previously worked for Liverpool Biennial and The Royal Standard. She was part of the Clore Emerging Leaders cohort for 2023.

Laura Yates is a Participation specialist and a writer. She is Participation Producer for At the Library where she focusses on good practice in supporting people, on local history and heritage as a mechanism for engagement.

Niamh Riordan is an artist and writer with a particular interest in food as a material and space for arts practice.  A founding member of Fairland Collective, she works with us as a Creative Producer for At The Library.

Associates

Debbie Chan is an arts producer, project manager and facilitator based in Bolton. Her interests revolve around collaboration, creative processes and social engaged practice. We work with Debbie on consultation and production work whenever we can, most recently on The Cap and Dove, and The Fire Within.

Nicki McCubbing is an artist working with sculpture, installation and projects with people. She is currently working with us as Creative Producer on Playing Out, and is making her first short film.