Cassinelli Mills go beyond traditional artist representation. We are committed to holistically supporting the legacies of artist-women and non-binary artists past, present and future. We offer a patchwork approach of support, from grant applications to academic & institutional recognition, from disability access to market sales. At Southcombe Barn, our Dark Skies Reserve location on Dartmoor, we host invitation-only weekends where leading arts industry figures are offered special behind-the-scenes close encounters with contemporary artists and their practices.

Our relationships with artists are built upon bespoke support, underpinned by critical thinking. We understand the importance of a presence and legacy in histories of art for years to come. Underscored by Prof. Griselda Pollock as our patron, we are embedded in contemporary art historical scholarship and work with artists whose practices are research-based. We work with artist-women and non-binary artists whose works have been historically marginalised or omitted from the artistic canon and cultural memory,countering ongoing structural disparities.

Cassinelli Mills comprises contemporary art curator and founder of Southcombe Barn Vashti Cassinelli, in collaboration with art historian, curator and artist mentor Dr Ella S. Mills.

Southcombe Barn is an arts and artist residency space developed at Vashti’s home on Dartmoor as a space committed to offering an inspiring, nurturing and grounded environment for artists to develop ideas and connections between landscapes, communities, here and beyond borders. Vashti’s research background is in gender and sexuality. She has undertaken an MFA at Royal College of Art in curatorial practice focusing on artist-women and their future legacies, exploring cross-temporal curatorial practice as a way of reactivating the archive through her final research project.

Ella has been embedded in the contemporary art industry and academia for 20 years. As a scholar and curator Ella offers a unique model of artist support and advising combining conceptual, critical thinking with practical professional guidance. Her research and speaking invitations have included the National Gallery, V&A, Royal Academy, Bluecoat Liverpool and Modern Art Oxford. Ella was Post-Doctoral Researcher as part of the Black Artists and Modernism Project, led by Sonia Boyce, a project culminating in the BBC4 documentary Whoever Heard of a Black Artist. In addition to her artist consulting and guidance Ella also lectures in Fine Art and History of Art of the University of Plymouth.