Dora House became an anchor for me at a time when everything felt uncertain. I joined the Royal Society of Sculptors as an international member while living in Singapore, then Dublin. During lockdown, my connection to Dora House was entirely virtual – a way of being part of a community of artists long before I could physically step inside.
When I finally did, it felt both welcoming and steeped in history.
Later, as a trustee, I saw the building in a completely different way. I was part of conversations around its renewal and even found myself on the rooftop, hard hat on, seeing it from angles most people never do.
But beyond the building itself, Dora House is about people. It’s a place where you can walk in, introduce yourself, and start a conversation without hesitation. There’s an openness. A sense that you are part of something shared.
As an artist working with text and collective expression, I think a lot about where words and voices sit – on a page, in a landscape, in a body, in a building.
For me, a sculptor's 'home' within Dora House is found in those exchanges. In conversation, in listening, and in the sense of locating yourself within a wider field of voices.
Nicola Anthony MRSS, former Trustee, March 2026 (pictured above on the Dora House roof during the Saving Dora House works)
Nicola Anthony MRSS is a British sculptor known for large-scale text-based works spanning sculpture, installation and light. Working across public and private contexts, her practice explores how language can hold collective memory, drawing on themes of human rights, equality and voice. Her work is held in collections including the Goldrich Family Foundation, The Ingram Collection and AstraZeneca. Recent artworks include 'The Words That Bind Us' at Durham Cathedral, visited by over 150,000 people. She is currently developing a new light installation in Washington DC with the USC Shoah Foundation and was recently shortlisted for the A+C Award, and the On The Record commission.
Ahead of the Year of the Home in 2026 when we celebrate the Society's 50 years at Dora House, we asked members to share with us their personal memories of Dora House. We will be sharing them throughout 2026 as part of a programme of this milestone, marked also by the delivery of our project Creating a Home for Sculptors. If you have a memory you would like to share, you can still do so via this link.
