Role Description

Overview of Role

The Arts Council Collection (ACC) is at a pivotal point in its history. Arts Council England has taken the decision to establish an independent, Coventry-based organisation to manage the ACC. The Chair will be the founding member of the new organisation and will lead its set up working closely with colleagues at Arts Council England and Southbank Centre. In 2027, the Collection will move from its existing stores in London and Yorkshire to a new logistics centre in Coventry.

Background

The ACC is the most widely circulated national collection of modern and contemporary British art. Founded in 1946, the Collection reaches audiences through loans to public institutions across the UK, galleries, schools and libraries, touring exhibitions, as well as digital and print publications. The Collection supports artists in the UK through the purchase and display of their work, and safeguards it for future generations, using the highest possible standards of collection care.

Operating as a ‘museum without walls’, the Collection includes important examples by the UK’s most prominent artists. The ACC began shortly after the Arts Council of Great Britain was founded in 1946.  Taking over a small group of paintings from the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA), its initial aim was to promote and encourage the appreciation of contemporary art through touring exhibitions. The Collection’s remit also included acquiring innovative works each year and circulating these as widely as possible.

There are currently over 8,000 works in the Collection. The Collection includes significant and often early works by the most important artists working in the UK over the last 70 years, including Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, David Hockney, Bridget Riley, Gilbert & George, Richard Hamilton, Sonia Boyce, Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley, Isaac Julien, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas, Chris Ofili, Peter Doig, Rachel Whiteread, Mona Hatoum, Steve McQueen, Grayson Perry, Lubaina Himid, and Jeremy Deller.

Since 1986, the ACC has been managed by the Southbank Centre, on behalf of Arts Council England. After its move to Coventry it will be wholly based there and operate as an independent organisation. The Collection remains the asset of Arts Council England and so there is a reporting and funding relationship with ACE and its National Council trustees, who are effective trustees of this nationally significant collection. ACE will continue to oversee collections policy and the acquisitions process as at present.

Duties and Key Responsibilities

Organisation Start up Phase

  • Manage the recruitment of the founding Board members and the rest of the board of trustees.
  • With support from Southbank Centre, lead the process of securing charitable status for the organisation.
  • Set the strategic objectives and priorities with the Director and secure endorsement of these by National Council. Lead the Board in delivering the organisation’s vision, mission and values.
  • Ensure proper policies, are in place for the new organisation.
  • Appoint the Director and support them to develop an organisational structure, systems and processes and recruit the team.
  • Support the Director and Senior team to develop a business plan for the new organisation.

Ongoing

  • Promote good governance and ensure that the Board and its Committees have the skills, experience, expertise and networks to support its legal and governance responsibilities.
  • Responsibility for fulfilling reporting requirements to both Companies House and the Charity Commission.
  • Support the Director to lead the team in achieving all the Collection’s strategic objectives.
  • Ensure the Board has a close and supportive working relationship with the Senior Team.
  • Support the Director including agreeing annual objectives, as well as managing the Director’s annual performance review and agreeing pay package with the Board.
  • Ensure that the policies and procedures of the organisation are effective and compliant with all relevant legal and other stakeholder requirements.

External

  • Develop supportive relationships with the Government, Arts Council England, Coventry City Council and other relevant bodes, including the universities of Warwick and Coventry, the Art Fund and the Contemporary Art Society.
  • Play a leading role in the search for funding and sponsorship and support the Director in developing and cultivating strategic relationships with existing and prospective donors and sponsors.
  • Support the Director in working with Southbank Centre on the transitional arrangements and handover of the Collection’s management.
  • Uphold the highest standards of integrity and probity, both personally and in relation to the Arts Council Collection, ensuring the organisation aspires to the highest standards in all its dealings, whether internally or externally.
  • Support the Director in delivering timely and effective communication with the wider local, regional and national community.