Louise Coysh, Associate Director Arts and Culture at the University, has been invited to join the Arts Council England’s (ACE) South West Area Council.
Louise leads on delivery of the University’s Arts and Culture strategy alongside Southampton’s National Portfolio Organisations – the John Hansard Gallery and Turner Sims Concert Hall – and through partnerships with bodies like Southampton City Council. She is currently Co-Chair of Visual Arts South West and Chair of Southampton’s Mayflower 400 Cultural Group.
“It’s a brilliant time to join the Arts Council England’s South West Area Council with so much fantastic work taking place across the region and growing ambitions to ensure that arts and culture truly are for everyone,” Louise enthused. “Alongside my visual arts background, I look forward to bringing a higher education perspective to this appointment and look forward to working with colleagues across Arts Council England, South West Area Council and the region to support a dynamic and resilient cultural sector for the South West.”
ACE Area Council members are drawn from different roles across and beyond the arts and culture sector to use their expertise and grassroots knowledge of local issues to help create and implement ACE’s strategy Great art and culture for everyone and play a crucial role in both local and national decision-making.
Phil Gibby, Area Director, South West, Arts Council England, said:
“We are delighted to have Louise onto the South West Area Council board. At the Arts Council, we work closely with Higher Education Institutions as it is vital to the strength of arts and culture in England. Louise brings her expertise working in arts and cultural organisations from across the country, as well as her links to the city’s University at an important time during Southampton’s cultural development.”
