Sam Thorne

Sam Thorne is a curator and writer whose work focuses on education, experimentation, and exchange. They served as director of Nottingham Contemporary and artistic director of Tate St Ives, and were previously associate editor of frieze. Thorne co-founded Open School East, a free-to-attend independent studies programme.

Thorne is the author of School: A Recent History of Self-Organized Art Education (2017), which examines artist-run schools and alternative art-education initiatives through conversations with artists, curators, and educators. They have also written catalogue essays and articles and lectured at universities and art schools.