New Midlands-based company to manage Arts Council Collection

A new Midlands-based management organisation will be created to care for the nearly 800 works of modern and contemporary art in the Arts Council Collection (ACC).

Established in 1946, ACC has been managed by Southbank Centre since 1986 but requires additional storage capacity. The organisation will be consolidated into one location, the Coventry City Centre Cultural Gateway (CCCCG), based in a repurposed IKEA building, with a new dedicated management structure.

Southbank Centre will support the set-up of the new management organisation and will oversee all activities related to the collection until the new entity is fully operational.

They will also support the first stage of the new organisation’s development, which will involve the recruitment of an inaugural chair and founding trustees in early 2025.

Alongside management and acquisitions, the new organisation will aim to increase the reach of the collection to partner venues across the UK with access digitally and in exhibitions hosted by galleries, hospitals, schools and other publicly accessible buildings. It will also seek to develop its own touring shows, across the UK and internationally.

Nicholas Serota, chair of Arts Council Collection’s Acquisitions Committee, and of Arts Council England, recently said: “This move marks an exciting new chapter for the Collection, and for our aim to bring art closer to communities across the UK.

“Coventry is a city with a rich history of creativity and innovation. It has a vibrant cultural landscape, enriched by the legacy from UK City of Culture 2021, and this will ensure the Collection continues to inspire, engage and connect people from all walks of life. I would also like to express our heartfelt thanks to the Southbank Centre for their expert care and stewardship of the Collection over the past four decades.”

Mark Ball, artistic director of the Southbank Centre, said: “As the Arts Council Collection relocates its stores to Coventry, the time is right for a new Midlands-based organisation to take a lead in managing the Collection for the benefit of the nation.

“Over four decades of expert stewardship the ACC team at Southbank Centre has developed and opened up the Collection, transforming it into a national resource for the benefit of museums, galleries, audiences and communities.

“I want to pay tribute to all the Arts Council Collection staff past and present who have worked with such care and imagination, and who will continue to work over the next two years to ensure a successful transition to the new independent organisation.”