Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums recruiting new Director
27 November 2020
We are seeking a new Director to lead the future development of one of the country’s most successful cultural organisations. Following the retirement of our present Director, in March 2021, the successful candidate will lead and develop new plans to steer Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM) through a period of great uncertainty and social change and shape our application to Arts Council for the next round of National Portfolio Organisation funding.
Current Director, Iain Watson will retire in March 2021
Iain Watson, Director of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM), said:
“I joined TWAM nearly 20 years ago as Senior Curator at what was then the Hancock Museum. It’s been a great privilege working for TWAM over that 20-year period (plus, a previous six years at TWAM from 1986 to 1992) and a particular privilege, since March 2010, being Director and leading the organisation.
“This has been a difficult decision but one I have been thinking about for some time. It was a decision made before the pandemic and I believe it's a good time to leave for both me and the organisation. For me it's an opportunity to pursue new opportunities and challenges and for TWAM I'm delighted that we’ve just secured funding from the Arts Council Culture Recovery Fund ensuring our resilience in the short-term. Soon TWAM will need to set out its plans for the next 4 years - this means the new Director will be in place and ready to lead the development of the next National Portfolio Organisation grant application and business planning which they will then see through and implement.
“TWAM’s venues will always be very special to me and the future Director can be safe in the knowledge that they will have the support of an outstanding team. They will have the opportunity to work with highly committed partners in developing amazing venues and collections and most importantly, to use them to make a difference to the lives of our region’s residents and visitors.”
