My friend Ingrid Beazley, who has died of cancer aged 67, was an inspirational teacher and art curator. She will be remembered for the energy and enthusiasm with which she communicated the magic of diverse art forms to people from all walks of life.
Born in Guildford, Surrey, to Ian Marrable, a doctor, and his wife, Kari (nee Bonde), Ingrid spent her childhood in Tanzania (then Tanganyika), where her father was a medical officer and where she attended the Lushoto preparatory school. Returning to Britain, she obtained a BA in art history and psychology from the University of London and then went to teacher training college in Gloucestershire.
Thereafter she taught in a range of institutions, including at the Anglo-Chinese school in Singapore and, in the UK, at Streatham Hill and Clapham high school, James Allen’s preparatory school and Islington Green school. Eventually, however, she started to work with the education department at Dulwich Picture Gallery, south London, where from 1996 she spent 20 years teaching children and adults, exploring exciting ways to make art more accessible.
Ingrid ran many interesting projects at the gallery, including bringing art to a remand home and a prison, and promoting the use of e-learning and new technologies to encourage a wider appreciation of art. She also worked for the Magic Lantern project, bringing art images directly into local school classrooms.
From 2005 until 2008 Ingrid was chair of the Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery, a role in which she was responsible for many fresh developments, including late-night openings, film screenings, and an award-winning community and gallery blog, Dulwich OnView.
In 2013, Ingrid set up Dulwich Outdoor Gallery, in which major street artists from around the world painted outdoor murals in the area, using their own styles but inspired by old master paintings in Dulwich Picture Gallery. Beginning as a collaboration with the street artist Stik in 2012, this project helped to break down prejudice and barriers in the art world – and delighted most local people. It was beautifully documented in Ingrid’s 2014 book, Street Art, Fine Art.
Ingrid is survived by her husband, Tom Beazley, whom she married in 1980, by their daughters, Kim and Beatrice, and grandchildren, Isobel and Oliver, and by her honorary daughter, Katsura.
