Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (Twam) has appointed Keith Merrin as its new director, replacing Iain Watson, who announced his retirement last year.
Merrin is currently the chief executive of Sunderland Culture, an organisation formed by the University of Sunderland, Sunderland City Council and the Sunderland Music Arts and Culture Trust to operate cultural venues and deliver major projects. He combined this role with being the director of the National Glass Centre.
From 2008 to 2016 Merrin was the chief executive of Woodhorn Charitable Trust and before that led Bede’s World in South Tyneside.
“As a proud north-easterner I am delighted to have the honour of working with such an amazing collection of museums, galleries and archives," Merrin said. "They not only represent the stories and culture of our communities but also showcase some of the most important artworks, artefacts and heritage sites anywhere in the country to audiences from all over the world.
"I am passionate about ensuring that everyone in our communities has the opportunity to enjoy and benefit from culture and look forward to working with the brilliant staff and volunteers at Twam and its local authority and university partners to find new ways to make that happen.”
Twam manages a collection of nine museums and galleries across Tyneside and the archives for Tyne and Wear. It is supported by the four local authorities in Tyneside and Newcastle University, and is also a National Portfolio Organisation funded by Arts Council England.
Watson announced in November last year that he was retiring after almost 20 years at the museum service. He will step down in March.
