WeAreClass_ The Gathering

This is one of the festival's Pay What You Can events. We don’t want any barriers for people to join in and miss out on class chats!

We Are Class_ is dedicated to amplify the voices and experiences of working-class individuals within the art and cultural sector in Northern Ireland.

The Gathering, is hopefully the start of many conversations striving for a cultural sector where all voices are heard and celebrated, regardless of class background.

We will focus on reflecting on policy, data and research and hear from real experiences of artists and professionals in the field, question what we can do to change the sector and have a good chance to connect, chat and potential gegs!

So, join us for the start of a more inclusive and equitable arts landscape for those to have an opportunity to lead, innovate and shape the cultural discourse.

Amanda Doherty is an actor and theatre maker with classical training from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, London. Her original work elevates the narratives and experiences of oppressed communities, exploring themes of resilience and vulnerability and has toured across Europe and the USA. She is proud to be a working class artist and advocates for the unique needs of working-class and benefits-class actors to experience the industry with ambition, dignity, and support. Amanda is passionate in her support for those living in areas of conflict facing colonial violence across the world and believes that none of us are free until all of us are free.

Leah Davis is a Belfast-born visual artist whose work explores the complexities of the human condition through a distinctive, emotionally charged painting style. Since graduating from Belfast School of Art in 2021, Leah has exhibited both nationally and internationally. Leah’s work often blurs the boundaries between drawing and painting, creating an interplay between presence and absence, control and spontaneity. At the heart of her work is a continuous investigation into what it means to be human.

Young Spencer is a multi-genre recording artist, actor, creative, and entrepreneur from the Shankill Road in Belfast. Young Spencer has built a dedicated following through word of mouth and social media, amassing millions of streams and collaborating with organisations including the BBC, RTÉ, Sky TV, and TG4. His work addresses working-class identity and sociopolitical realities from his own lived perspective. In December 2024, he performed alongside Kneecap at Belfast’s SSE Arena to a sold-out crowd, using the moment to highlight unity across the city’s cultural divide. Young Spencer continues to use music, activism, film, and art to bridge divisions, uplift communities, and amplify unheard voices in Belfast and beyond.

Holly Foskett (she/her) is the eejit behind WeAreClass_
Holly's background is in visual arts, arts events, and management. She studied at Ulster University where she obtained a BA Hons in Photography and has also achieved an Arts Management and Cultural Policy in Queens University- with her thesis focusing on Working Class Inclusion in the Arts in NI. She currently works with the amazing team at Arts & Business NI and sits on the Belfast Visual Arts Forum steering group.

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Host or Publisher Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas & Politics