Candidate Brief Trustees & Non-Executive Director York Museums Trust July 2021 Disclaimer Please note that York Museums Trust believes that while the information contained in this document is true to the best of the Trust’s knowledge at the time of writing, such information may change without notice. Further, the information therein is the property of the Trust and must not be passed onto third parties, published or attributed unless explicitly agreed. 1 | P a g e www.thegoodboard.com Contents Background 3 The Role of Trustees 8 Description of Skills and Abilities 9 Time Commitment and Term of Office 9 How to Apply 10 Appendix I: Trustees 11 The Good Board The Good Board are supporting York Museums Trust on the appointment of 3 new Trustees and a Non-Executive Director. Initial discussions will be with The Good Board, with interviews and further discussions taking place with York Museums Trust directly. In the first instance please contact: Louise Gatenby [email protected] Lexie Sims [email protected] Shivani Patel [email protected] The Good Board is a purpose-led executive search and leadership development firm and works with responsible organisations and their leadership teams to accelerate positive change towards a more inclusive and sustainable future. We are delighted to partner with York Museums Trust and support their cultural and community ambitions. 2 | P a g e www.thegoodboard.com Background York Museums Trust, one of the most successful leading regional Museums and Gallery services in the UK, is seeking to appoint three new Trustees to its Board from the Autumn of 2021. York Museums Trust was formed on 1 August 2002 as an independent charitable trust to manage the museums and gallery service previously run by City of York Council. All the collections are designated and include Art, Science, History and Archaeology. Prior to the pandemic the museums and galleries attracted about 500,000 visitors each year with an additional c1.2m visits to the Museum Gardens. The Trust is responsible for: York Art Gallery York Art Gallery is one of the best regional galleries in the country, with a nationally significant collection spanning 600 years. These range from 14th Century Italian panels and 17th Century Dutch masterpieces to Victorian narrative paintings and 20th Century works by LS Lowry and David Hockney. A refurbishment in 2015 saw public space increase by more than 60 per cent and created an appropriate home for the Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA) which displays the gallery's world-class collection of British studio pottery. A bold and award-winning exhibition programme has brought brilliant art to York, displayed in innovative and creative ways. Recent highlights include The BFG in Pictures, When All is Quiet : Kaiser Chiefs in Conversation with York Art Gallery, Ruskin, Turner & The Storm Cloud and Sounds Like Her - Gender, sound art and sonic cultures. The gallery is the host venue for the Aesthetica Art Prize and an integral part of York Mediale, the biannual international media arts festival. 3 | P a g e www.thegoodboard.com York Castle Museum Housed in a former Debtors’ Prison and an adjoining women’s prison, York Castle Museum was founded by Dr John Kirk in 1938 and is home to his extraordinary collection of social history, reflecting everyday life. Investment in the Museum over recent years has refurbished the display galleries on the first floor of the Museum dedicated to the history of the First World War. A much loved Museum, York Castle Museum is a key player in the plans being developed by York City Council with English Heritage to completely re-develop the Castle Area of the City, including Clifford's Tower. This will create an ambitious opportunity further to develop the Castle Museum and the surrounding area with a major capital project, probably developed in phases as fund-raising progresses. Yorkshire Museum The Yorkshire Museum, set in ten acres of Museum Gardens, was founded in the 1830s by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society. it has also been subject to major refurbishment in recent years, re- opening in 2010 after a £2 million investment. With five galleries showcasing some of Britain’s finest archaeological treasures and many rare animals, birds and fossils, the Museum houses the archaeological, geological and natural history collections of the Trust. Highlights of the archaeological collections include the Roman statue of Mars, the best example of 3D Roman sculpture ever found in Britain, the York Helmet and the stunning Middleham Jewel. One of the most remarkable recent acquisitions is the 800 year old figure of Christ which originally belonged to the monks of St Mary’s Abbey. After 200 years of absence, it is now on display in the Yorkshire Museum which is within the precinct of the Abbey. The Yorkshire Museum remains at the forefront of archaeological discovery, working with academics and universities to shed new light on the collections in our care. This includes the partnership with the team excavating the Early Mesolithic site at Star Carr in North Yorkshire which led to the Museum acquiring an 11,000 year old engraved shale pendant. 4 | P a g e www.thegoodboard.com York Museum Gardens The Gardens, which are listed and registered as a place of special scientific interest, were in 2015/2016 extended to the land behind York Art Gallery, creating an additional 4 acres of beautiful, high quality public space in the city centre, adding to the cultural life of the city and the opportunity which this outdoor space affords for events which add to the City's visitor offer. The extension means that the Yorkshire Museum and York Art Gallery are linked for the first time via a new “Artists’ Garden”, reuniting the St Mary's Abbey precinct. Within the Museum Gardens is the 14th century Hospitium, overlooked by the ruins of St Mary's Abbey which provides an excellent venue for weddings, conferences and events and which is an important source of revenue for the Museum Trust. Other parts of the YMT Estate are also made available for hire when practicable, also contributing to the income-generating potential of YMT. York St Mary’s A deconsecrated medieval church, situated in Coppergate, was used as York Art Gallery’s contemporary art venue while it was undergoing refurbishment. In recent years St Mary’s has been used by the Trust for specialist exhibitions, as a hub for public consultation around the Castle Gateway proposals and also let to an arts experience company who have used it as the setting for a Van Gogh Experience. Collections The Collections of York Museums Trust cover a broad spectrum of subject matter including: archaeology, biology, costume and textiles, decorative arts, fine art, geology, military history, numismatics, photography and social history. The Trust is one of just a handful of UK 5 | P a g e www.thegoodboard.com regional museum services which has all its collections designated, and these include the most representative collection of British Studio Ceramics in the UK. The Trust continues an active programme to grow the collections in its care. The Trust actively lends works to museums in the UK and internationally. Other Matters YMT has an excellent track record in its learning and engagement activity - from formal education workshops for schools to family learning to activities and events for a broader public. Reaching out to communities, bringing opportunity to those, for example, with mental health issues or who are homeless are all part of YMT's imaginative programming. YMT is also recognised as a UK leader in digital engagement, promoting digital access both to its own collections and across the museums sector. For example, the Trust has worked actively with major digital platforms, including Wikimedia UK. YMT’s award winning social media strategy has grown an international audience, with #CuratorBattle, an online Twitter event held regularly throughout the pandemic, being seen by 6.2 million people and generating news coverage around the world. YMT's Purpose and Activities Mission York Museums Trust shares collections, gardens, buildings, art and stories for learning, enjoyment and wellbeing. Rooted in York and Yorkshire, we look outwards nationally and globally. As a charity, our income enables the Trust to care for heritage and to benefit all. Vision To work together with audiences and communities to inspire, to share and to care for cultural heritage. Our priorities are: • Survive the Covid-19 crisis and work together with audiences and communities to recover and rebuild • Deliver innovative public programming which supports an audience-focused, inclusive, visitor-first approach • Progress two capital projects: the Castle Transformation Project and the Collections Development and Storage Project • Increase our resilience by expanding enterprises and fundraising activities, investing in our people, and caring for our environment • Improve York and York Museums Trust’s profiles through local, regional, national and international leadership and partnership to maximise YMT’s impact. 6 | P a g e www.thegoodboard.com Funding and Organisation Funding Prior to the pandemic York Museums Trust had an annual unrestricted income of c£6.0m and was, and remains, an Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio Organisation. The Trust is also a Sector Support Organisation, delivering Museum Development Yorkshire, with funds also granted by ACE (2018 until 2022). This service provides information, advice, guidance and consultancy to small and medium sized accredited museums across Yorkshire and Humberside, one of nine providers delivering comprehensive support to Museums In England. The Trust benefits from funding from York City Council, with an annual contribution of c£300,000. The Council also provided further support during the pandemic. During the pandemic the Trust’s museums were closed. Various sums of emergency funding were received including two significant grants from the Culture Recovery Fund.