March 13, 19:30
Never before have cultural leaders had to deal with such complexity, from ensuring mission relevance to operational and institutional sustainability in a fast-changing global environment. In response to the multiple urgencies of our times, Sarah Munro will draw on lessons learned from her leadership journey over the last twenty-five years working in the arts to address a number of interrelated questions within her lecture.
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art is the largest visual art gallery in the UK. With no public collection and over 3000 sq. m. of arts space (four galleries and a flexible performance space), artists’ studios, cinema/lecture space, shop, a contemporary art library, and archive, BALTIC works in partnership with a vast range of collaborators. Sarah Munro was appointed the first women Director of BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in fall 2015. Over the last three years Munro has led on the design and implementation of a renewed mission and vision for BALTIC. This has incorporated shifting from a founding focus on “cultural led economic regeneration” in the face of postindustrial decline, to a new urgency that emphasizes the building of social and cultural capital. Munro will question how institutions address their social biases and strengthen links between their values and operations.
The lecture is a part of the series “Theories and practices of cultural leadership” organised by Garage Museum of Contemporary Art together with the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy in Moscow.
Sarah Munro has over twenty years’ experience of cultural leadership following a distinguished career in Glasgow as both Artistic Director of Tramway and Head of Arts for the city, where she led the bid to bring Turner Prize 2015 to Scotland for the first time. From 1996 until 2008, Munro was Director at the Collective Gallery, Edinburgh, and prior to this she was Projects Director at ARTLINK, Edinburgh. In August 2015, Munro was appointed as Director of BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. During this time she has led on a powerful new shared vision and ambition enhancing the social and civic mission of the organization. Munro was a selector for the British Pavilion for the 58th Venice Biennale. She is the Chair of Scottish Contemporary Art Network (SCAN); is Chair of Contemporary Visual Arts Network (CVAN) North East region. She gained an MA (Hons) in Politics and Philosophy from University of Dundee and holds a PG Diploma from City University, London.
The lecture will be held in English with interpreting into Russian. Free admission. Booking will be available later.18+
