Manchester Museums awarded over £100k to diversify leadership

13 Oct 2016

Major Partner Museums (MPM) has received £111,650 to host Fareda Khan, an arts developer, consultant and curator, for 18 months through the Arts Council England Change Makers fund

The Manchester Major Partner Museums is a collaboration between Manchester Museum and the Whitworth (part of The University of Manchester) and Manchester Art Gallery (part of Manchester City Council).

The Change Makers fund aims to increase the diversity of senior leadership in art and culture by helping to develop a cohort of leaders who are black, minority ethnic and/or disabled by means of a targeted senior leadership training and development programme. £2.6 million was available through the Change Makers fund, including £500,000 for Major partner museums.

Through the Manchester MPM, Fareda will undertake a bespoke programme of leadership training and development. In parallel, she will help raise funds for the new £12 million Courtyard Project at Manchester Museum (incuding a large South Asia Gallery in partnership with the British Museum), and curate part of the South Asia art programme taking place in 2017.

Not only will this be an opportunity to address the diversity of senior leadership staff in the Manchester MPM, the Change Maker role will also effect organisation-wide change through challenging the Manchester MPM to reflect the diversity of contemporary society across all aspects of their work.

Fareda Khan said ‘"This is a wonderful and unique opportunity for me to further develop and grow in arts leadership. I am thrilled to part of the team at one of the most prestigious arts venues in the UK, with a track record in pioneering art programmes." 

Alison Clark, Director North, Arts Council England, said “Our Change Makers programme is part of our commitment to helping diversity flourish across England’s arts and cultural sector and I’m delighted that we have funded Manchester City Galleries to work with Fareda Khan. I’m looking forward to seeing how the partnership develops and to seeing the resulting exhibition.”

Dr Nick Merriman, Director of Manchester Museum, said “We are delighted to have received this funding from Arts Council to work in partnership with Fareda Khan to develop her leadership experience, and — on our part — to benefit from the insights she will bring to our Leadership Team across the Manchester Major Partner Museums. She will help us refine our Creative Case for Diversity and bring all of her experience of visual arts and performance to bear.”