About - Portraits of Recovery

Portraits of Recovery (PORe) is the UK’s only visual arts charity inspiring and supporting people affected by and in recovery from substance use (Recoverists).

About Us

Portraits of Recovery (PORe) is a pioneering visual arts charity based in Manchester, dedicated to inspiring and supporting individuals affected by substance use and those in recovery (Recoverists).

As the UK’s only contemporary visual arts organization working exclusively in this field, we collaborate with leading contemporary artists, individuals in recovery, and recovery communities to showcase the human face of the recovery journey. Our mission is to break down barriers, promote inclusion, and highlight that addiction is a health, social, and cultural issue.

Founded in 2011 by Director Mark Prest, who has his own lived experience with recovery, Portraits of Recovery creates new conversations about addiction and recovery through the lens of contemporary art. We empower those in recovery to become artists and creators, fostering their cultural participation, demystifying contemporary art, and amplifying the voices of an often marginalised community.

Our Impact

Our key stakeholders—people in recovery from substance use—engage with and create high-quality, inspirational art as a critical part of their recovery journey. Our work is inclusive, activist, and process-based. Through culture, we build ambition and empower a stigmatized community to drive systemic change.

Our Vision

We envision a transformed society where individuals in recovery are empowered by the arts to creatively shape the world around them. Our philosophy, Recoverism, is an inclusive social movement inspired by Manchester’s rich history of social change, from Trade Unionism and Suffrage to the Cooperative Society.

What is Recoverism?

Recoverism reimagines the world we live in and how people and communities affected by substance use recovery are represented and understood. This cultural activism encourages collaboration and mutual support between those in recovery, artists, and the wider society, fostering a world where recovery is not just a possibility but a very real lifestyle choice.

Who We Are

The Team

Mark Prest, Founding Director & CEO

Mark Prest founded Portraits of Recovery in 2011 as a response to his professional background in the arts and his own lived experience of recovery from alcoholism. He says of himself “I’m a curator, man in recovery, recovery activist and the proud owner of a diva dog called Summer”.

Jonathan McGrath, Deputy Director

Jonathan McGrath is a Producer and facilitator with 20 years experience working across theatre, opera, outdoor arts, site-specific art, live art practice and contemporary performance. Constant in all of Jonathan’s work is his approach to collaboration with all he works with, Jonathan takes a person-centred approach to work and regularly mentors artists in the psychological and somatic challenges that come with making work mined from personal experience. 

Jonathan spent 15 years making, teaching and touring all over the world before changing direction in 2018 and joining  Arts Council England, first within the investment centre and then as a Relationship Manager in Combined Arts. During this time Jonathan was responsible for several NPOs in the North and championed artists who would not normally engage with ACE.

Dominic Pillai, Curator of Social Engagement

Dominic Pillai has worked in the arts and charity sector as a curator, project manager and creative facilitator for over a decade. As a practicing filmmaker, writer and sound artist, Dominic has showcased work at Cannes Film Festival, Tate Liverpool, The Lowry, Folkestone Triennial and BBC 6 Music. Trained as a visual anthropologist, and with lived experience of recovery, Dominic is passionate about accessibility, diversity and innovation within the arts.

Rhea Mehmet, Digital Marketing Lead

Rhea has been working in the arts and culture sector in London for over 15 years. She is proud to have worked at the Science Museum, Royal Albert Hall, and Battersea Arts Centre, to name a few.

She is passionate about developing relationships with underrepresented audiences and was a member of the Arts Marketing Associations’ Audience Diversity Academy. More recently she has worked with smaller arts organisations as a freelancer, such as Carbon Theatre, ThickSkin, Wonderfools, and Fio.

Board of Trustees

Bill Griffiths (Chair)

Now retired from full time work, has extensive experience in management, sales and marketing operations, and international business development and consultancy (manufacturing). He is Chairman of the Board of the Fielden Centre Association (a registered charity and limited company running Fielden Hall).

Jayne Gosnall

Jayne is in Recovery and has a long relationship with Portraits of Recovery from being a participant, volunteer and maker. She is passionate about PORe’s commitment to visible recovery and is a proud Recoverist.

Alex Herod

Alex Herod is a marketer, therapist, writer, and researcher. She is a Senior Marketing Manager at The University of Salford, and has worked in higher education, charity, arts, and business development organisations. Alex is currently undertaking a PhD at Salford, exploring the therapeutic potential of reading and writing autobiographically in recovery from alcohol addiction, drawing on her own lived experience of recovery and involvement in creative writing, bibliotherapy, and sober support networks.

Lisa Williams

Dr Lisa Williams is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Manchester. She teaches students about drugs and drug policy. Her research engages with people with lived experience. It has explored how recreational drug-taking changes across the life course and the implementation of criminal justice interventions in the drug treatment sector. More recently, she has turned to using arts-based approaches in her research, including photography to document how recreational drugs are stored in the home and cross-stitching to provoke public conversations about drugs and drug policy.

Stephen Whittle

Stephen Whittle is a museum professional and has managed several museums and galleries in the North-West over the last 30 years. Stephen currently works at The Atkinson in Southport where he enjoys presenting a public programme and working with a wide variety of artists, curators and audiences.

Zoe Welch

Zoe Welch joined the Board in 2015 after meeting Mark through the Arts for Health network. Zoe has worked as a drug and alcohol researcher in charities for over 20 years and is a strong believer in the power of participation in the arts to improve health and support lasting change. Zoe is currently Head of Research at Change, Grow, Live.