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​Bernie Grant Arts Centre (BGAC) is a £15 million purpose-built arts centre in the heart of Tottenham, inspired by the vision of the late, great Bernie Grant MP. With a 274-seat auditorium, studio, three rehearsal spaces, a café, bar, courtyard and Enterprise Centre, BGAC creates space to celebrate the rich cultural resources of Black communities and Black artists. They commission work, build audiences and create meaningful arts participation and community engagement on a local, national and international level. Their vision is of a world in which Black artists, creatives and performers no longer have to fight to have their stories made. BGAC invest in Black artists, and offers a venue to present their work; in developing new audiences, they inspire, provoke, and bring joy to all who come through BGAC's doors; value the Black lived experience; and honour all intersections.

Providing opportunities for and with Black artists is at the heart of everything they do, but there’s a wider aspect to BGAC's impact. They also provide a unique springboard from which to develop careers in the arts – from stage managers to sound technicians, music lawyers to actors’ agents, you’d be surprised how many of the Black professionals working in the creative industries today took their first steps with BGAC. The centre's first and constant focus is of course its home patch of Tottenham and Haringey, but in the medium term they also want to share what they’ve learned more widely across the UK, as well as to forge new partnerships with artists across the global Black diaspora; their recent successful bid for NPO status brings this ambitious vision closer.

The next few years will be an enormously exciting, intense period of growth and development for BGAC, and they are looking for a new Chair of Trustees who can make sure they capitalise on every new opportunity, both during the NPO period and beyond. Like any organisation experiencing rapid growth, they're developing stronger systems and infrastructure, but still want to hold onto that indefinable culture and essence that makes them so special. On the programming front, BGAC want to build on the success of recent projects such as the Windrush Festival and the Tottenham Literature Festival. And while funding is clearly on a much firmer footing, there’s never room for financial complacency in the arts sector; their aim is a balanced mixed economy that maximises income and impact.

We’re looking for someone who can embrace all of these domains and more, and who will materially enhance BGAC's profile and reputation as a powerhouse of Black culture in Britain. We need someone who’s able to do both the detail (especially finance) and the big picture; who can generate and sustain great partnerships of purpose; and who has a deep personal understanding of communities like Tottenham. Senior experience of arts administration, whether executive or non-executive, would be a distinct advantage. In return, you’ll be invigorated by BGAC's energy and desire to shape a better world, and your own optimism and generosity of spirit will find a warm home in their talented Black-led team.

If you are excited by this opportunity but feel that you may not be in a position to consider becoming a Chair at this time, we would still very much love to hear from you, in order to keep you informed about future trustee opportunities with BGAC.

For more information on the role, click here to view the Candidate Pack.

As part of your application, please complete the Candidate Declaration Form and attach it to your BeApplied submission as a supplementary document.

If you have any questions that remain unanswered, please email bgac-chair@cadencepartners.co.uk.

Closing date: 17 September 2023.