Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery appoints new director
Rebecca Lyons has been named as the new director of Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery in west London. She will assume the role on 1 September, taking the reins of a new era for Sir John Soane’s country home in Ealing.
Chair of the board, Howell James, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Rebecca Lyons as the new director of Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery. Rebecca’s passion for the arts, vision for cultural engagement, deep involvement in arts, heritage and senior leadership experience make her ideally placed to guide Pitzhanger into its next chapter.”
Lyons said of her new role: “I am thrilled and honoured to take up the position of director at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery with its extraordinary blend of historic and architectural interest, high-quality contemporary exhibitions and committed learning and community programming, all in a beautiful setting.”
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Heritage Fund grants awarded
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced major funding to support the heritage of the Royal Air Force and the Royal Marines. The RAF Museum Midlands in Cosford has been awarded £9.3m for an engagement programme, national exhibition, learning centre, collections hub and enhanced public realm.
The National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth has received £4.4m to transform its historic boathouse and create a dedicated Royal Marines Experience. The grants were announced earlier this month as part of celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
Barber Institute of Fine Arts refurbishment plans
The University of Birmingham’s Barber Institute of Fine Arts has announced plans to build a new learning wing and refurbish their existing gallery. The Barber Institute launched a fundraising campaign in January to raise money for the plans and £4.9m has already been secured. The project requires a further £600,000 to ensure the project goes ahead.
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The project aims to replace the gallery’s faded 1980s wall coverings with new wall linings, install a state-of-the-art lighting system, and introduce new air-handling system in the four principle galleries. The new learning wing will allow access to the Barber’s collection through a range of creative and digital resources and highlight the building’s heritage.
The new wing will provide sufficient space for visiting schools, with space for up to 50 people. The project has so-far secured funding from the Henry Barber Trust and the University of Birmingham, several local and national trusts, and individuals.
NHM reopens climate crisis grant scheme
The Natural History Museum (NHM) has relaunched its grant scheme Fixing Our Broken Planet: Interconnected, offering funding and support through two specialist programmes. Both schemes provide up to £3,000 worth of funding and the opportunity to receive guidance from the team at the National History Museum. Applications close on 30 June.
FOPBI aims to collaboratively address the climate crisis, focussing on four themes – The Food We Eat, The Stuff We Use, The Energy We Use, and Our Health. Applications are open across the UK but this year the scheme is particularly interested in applications on the theme of “our health” and organisations based in Northern Ireland or Wales.
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UK and India sign culture agreement
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy has signed onto a new Cultural Cooperation Agreement with India’s minister for culture and tourism. The agreement opens the door to increased UK creative exports and further cultural partnerships between the UK and India.
Nandy presented a keynote speech the day before signing the agreement at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (Waves), reflecting positively on the relationship between the UK and India.
She said: “In the arts and creative industries, Britain and India lead the world, and I look forward to this agreement opening up fresh opportunities for collaboration, innovation and economic growth for our artists, cultural institutions and creative businesses.”
Nandy was accompanied by representatives from VisitBritain, the British Film Institute and the Science Museum.
British Museum selects partners for youth arts programme
The British Museum’s Where We Are… programme has selected Tyneside Cinema and NE Youth in Newcastle, as well as Metal and The Kite Trust in Peterborough as its four latest partners. Now in its fifth year, the programme aims to empower young people aged 16-24 through collaborative cultural projects in local communities.
Tyneside Cinema is a registered charity and arts hub that platforms underrepresented voices, while NE Youth provides opportunities for young people to achieve their potential as a leading regional youth organisation.
Likewise, in Peterborough, Metal emphasises the value of community, enabling conversations between artists and their local area, while the Kite Trust tackles inequality through its training programmes to support LGBTQ+ young people.
Manchester Jewish Museum boss steps down
Chief executive Gareth Redston is to step down after a decade at Manchester Jewish Museum. Redston has held the position for three years and Gemma Meek is set to act as interim Chief Executive while his replacement is found. Redston is moving to a new role as director of creative engagement and impact at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton.
Redston said: “The museum, the team here and our amazing communities have been one of the most important things in my life for the last ten years. In my new role at the Octagon Theatre I’ll be drawing on the experience I’ve gained here at the museum, especially in our work with the diverse local communities of Cheetham Hill and our amazing Synagogue Nights performance seasons.”
During his time as chief executive, Redston chaired the annual Cheetham Cultural Festival, as well as overseeing Manchester Jewish Museum’s £6m redevelopment in 2021 and celebrations for the building’s 150th anniversary last year.
Association for Art History announces 2025 curatorial prize winners
In a first for the Association for Art History’s (AHA) Curatorial Prize, the association’s exhibitions and curatorial writing awards have been given to curators on the same project. Ego Ahaiwe Sowinski with Eleanor Clayton and Farah Dailami won the exhibitions prize for their work on Ronald Moody: Sculpting Lifeat the Hepworth Wakefield and were also awarded the curatorial writing prize for the volume accompanying the exhibition.
The exhibit was recognised for its retrospective correction in placing Moody alongside the great 20th-century sculptors of Europe and the US. The accompanying publication was commended for offering an engaging narrative with valuable research and personal recollections from those who knew the artist.
The panel also praised the curators for two further exhibitions: Karanjit Panesar: Furnace Fruit, at Leeds Art Gallery and Entangled Pasts: 1768-now: Art, Colonialism and Change at the Royal Academy.
Fitzwilliam Museum appoints Islamic art specialist as head of curatorial
Cambridge University’s Fitzwilliam Museum has appointed Ladan Akbarnia as head of curatorial and professor of Islamic World Collections. Akbarnia will step into the new role this September.
She most recently worked as curator of South Asian and Islamic Art at the San Diego Museum of Art, and prior to that as curator and assistant keeper for the Islamic Collections at the British Museum. Akbarnia will be the Fitzwilliam Museum’s first specialist in the art of the Islamic World, curating and leading research tied to the collection.
Akbarnia said of her appointment: “I am delighted to join the team at the Fitzwilliam Museum. I especially look forward to working closely with the team to support and enhance the development of the museum’s collection, grow its innovative research and help leverage the exciting possibilities offered by partnerships with the university and city of Cambridge and beyond.”
