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What is your current role and how long have you been working in it?
I am Chief Curator at Tate Britain. I have been in the job for five years.
I spent a year at a dot com company, Eyestorm, but have worked mainly in public galleries and museums since my first job which was as Education Officer at Leeds City Art Gallery. I moved to Tate Liverpool as Exhibitions Curator then left to be Director of the Chisenhale Gallery in East London. This felt like a big jump! At Chisenhale, we had to raise every exhibition budget as we went along, without the safety harness of a large institution. It was exhausting but thrilling. In a smaller organisation, you feel every impact – good or bad.
Does location make a big difference in terms of career choices?
In London there is a greater variety of jobs because there are a greater number of organisations, of different sizes, and focussing on different things. In the bigger regional cities you also get a range of organisations, and clusters of interesting networks. Artists have certainly proved that you don’t have to come to London to base your career here. For others, in curatorial and other roles, I’d say it’s vitally important to consider going to where the opportunity is. Working outside London gives you a national perspective on the arts industry – London is only part of the picture!
So do you have a typical working day?
It’s a long day which often ends with an evening event, such as an exhibition opening. And lots of meetings in between! Big complex organisations require a lot of internal communication to ensure everyone knows what they need to know and expertise can be fully utilised. I’m sometimes deeply involved in one particular project but more often I’m keeping track of issues arising from a whole range of projects. That means lots of update meetings with curators and project teams, and with our tour partners from around the world – and frequent travel too.
What are the perks are about the job?
No doubt at all – it’s the endless stimulation through contact with art and artists. And generally, it’s a supportive environment to work in. It’s true that women don’t occupy many of the top jobs in our major galleries and museums, relative to the high numbers of women at middle management or senior management level, but everyday sexism is rare.
Have you ever had to make a really important or difficult decision in your job or your career?
There’s always someone else to talk it over with: principally my director, but also other colleagues. People rightly have high expectations of our public bodies, though it’s inevitable that our decisions won’t please everybody all of the time.
What qualifications do you have?
I have an MA in Art History, on Renaissance painting, sculpture and architecture. It was great just to acquire knowledge of an important period in art history but it also taught me research skills and approaches to thinking about art in its own time. My BA degree was in English and History of Art – I thought I might like to be a journalist but got hooked by art!
What advice or links or recommendations to young people who are interested in your kind of job?
There are many different degree options in art history and curating but also plenty of opportunities to get directly involved in the contemporary art world. It’s really not a closed world. Increasingly it’s essential to get experience working in a museum, an artist’s studio or a commercial gallery. Competition is tough but if you know it’s what you want to do then there are ways in. It takes persistence and stamina, but it’s a great way to spend your working life!
