Welcome
Thank you for your interest in the role of Artistic Director at the Southbank Centre.
We’re on the brink of writing a new chapter at the Southbank Centre and we’re looking for a visionary, dynamic and inspirational creative leader to position us right at the heart of the cultural sector, both nationally and internationally.
Like every other arts organisation, we’ve had an exceptionally tough year. But with the crisis there has also been opportunity. Out of necessity, we’ve had the chance to redesign the Southbank Centre for the future, to think afresh about our artistic priorities, our community engagement, our place as a leader in the cultural sector. Yes, we’re a smaller but also a more nimble, more flexible organisation. We proved ourselves capable of pivoting, of adapting our artistic offer and our creative learning content to meet the demands of a locked-down audience. We want to continue this agility and inventiveness as we plan for our reopening and our post pandemic future.
At the end of last year, we were awarded a substantial amount of money from the Cultural Recovery Fund, in the form of repayable finance. This replenishes our reserves and gives us solid support from which to plan a bold and exciting new artistic programme.
The potential at the Southbank Centre is huge. We are the UK’s largest arts centre. We have outdoor spaces, iconic venues and a very talented community of staff and artists. We have the support of a fully committed and brilliantly engaged Board of Governors behind us. We are ready. We’re ready for someone with passion, flair and energy, to drive our ambition forward and deliver an exciting artistic vision for the Southbank Centre that will cement our place as the country’s most dynamic and relevant arts centre.
Elaine Bedell
Chief Executive