Spike Island is thrilled to announce the appointment of Professor Judith Squires as Chair of the Board of Trustees. As the organisation’s most senior non-executive Director, the Chair of the Board is responsible for ensuring the organisation achieves its artistic vision and organisational objectives, and acts as the lead advocate and spokesperson for the organisation at board level.

Judith joins Spike Island during a period of unprecedented growth. This includes Spike Island being awarded £1.18m from Arts Council England as co-lead of the West of England Visual Arts Alliance; its strong recovery from the impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic; and the ongoing success of our exhibitions and commissions programme, including Veronica Ryan’s 2021 exhibition, Along a Spectrum, which has recently been nominated for 2022 Turner Prize.

Judith begins the role in June 2022, taking over from Interim Chair Louise O’Donnell, who will remain as Honorary Treasurer.

Robert Leckie, Director, said:

“We are thrilled to welcome Judith Squires as our new Chair. Judith will bring a wealth of skills and experience to the leadership of Spike Island over the coming years. The role of Chair is critical to shaping the future of the organisation, and I look forward to working closely with Judith and the rest of our Board of Trustees during this exciting period of growth.”

 Louise O’Donnell, Interim Chair, said:

“I am delighted that Judith Squires is joining as the new Chair of Spike Island. It has been a pleasure covering the role while we recruited the right candidate and I am sure Judith will be a real asset to Spike Island going forward.”

JUDITH SQUIRES

Judith Squires is Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at the University of Bristol and a Professor of Political Theory. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost is the chief academic officer at the University, responsible for leading academic strategy and delivering on the University’s academic aims. Judith brings a strong understanding of the city and its cultural networks and as previous Chair of Bristol Cultural Development Partnership Board (2015-19), and current member of Bristol Ideas Board (2020-) and Chair of the Brunel Institute Collaborative Management Board (2018-).  She has been an active member of a wide range of organisations in the city over a number of years, including Bristol Green Capital Partnership, and WECA Cultural Strategy Engagement Group.

Judith Squires said:

“I am delighted to be joining Spike Island as the Chair of its Board of Trustees. Spike Island has an outstanding record of showcasing internationally recognised and emerging artists, and for providing a vibrant space for artists and creatives to work and develop. I am very much looking forward to leading the Board during the next exciting phase of its development, supporting Spike Island to realise its ambitious future potential.”

For further information please contact Aidan Woodburn, Deputy Director at Spike Island on aidan.woodburn@spikeisland.org.uk or +44 (0)117 9292266.