Bazalgette to step down in 2017 - Museums Association

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Bazalgette to step down in 2017

New arts council chairman to start next year
Patrick Steel
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Peter Bazalgette, the chairman of Arts Council England (ACE), has announced he will step down in January 2017. Recruitment for the new chair is expected to begin in the spring.

Bazalgette’s term as chairman has coincided with the Conservative government’s austerity programme, which has seen dwindling funds for the arts council, although a standstill settlement in November’s spending review was seen as a good result after the organisation was asked to model 40% cuts.

The Major Partner Museum portfolio has been given a wider geographical spread during his tenure, and the arts council has given a renewed emphasis to diversifying the museum workforce, accompanied by an action plan and dedicated funds.

As local authority funding has been slashed, interventions by the arts council have seen funding for arts and culture maintained in some areas where it might otherwise have diminished completely, notably in Newcastle in 2013, where the council was persuaded to continue funding the arts through a new model, albeit with a 48% cut.

And some progress has been made on redressing the imbalance between London and the rest of England in ACE’s funding, on which Bazalgette told the Museums Association conference in 2013: “Judge us in a couple of years.” Many outside London would judge that further action is still needed as, in the words of the Museums Association’s director Sharon Heal: “Two years since Rebalancing Our Cultural Capital… not much seems to have changed.”

“Baz [Peter Bazalgette] has been an outstanding leader for the arts and culture sector. He took over as chairman at a pivotal moment in the arts council’s history,” said Darren Henley, ACE’s chief executive. “He’s a listener, an advocate and a strategist; a great communicator who has reached out across the arts and culture sector, and beyond, building relationships and forming alliances.

“He’s never been afraid to tell it as he sees it; to speak truths as well as to encourage; and to look for new solutions to old problems. He’s promoted the digital agenda, challenged our approach to diversity, and introduced new ways of thinking about finance. He’s earned the respect of the arts and culture sector - and our stakeholders across government departments.

“The recognition of the importance of arts and culture to this country in the recent spending review is a testament to the sustained and intelligent championing of public investment in art and culture by Baz throughout his time here.”



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