Attenborough Arts Centre secures diverse leadership funding

Arts Council England is investing £100,000 to support the Attenborough Arts Centre to host a training placement for artist and producer Gurdeep Sian with a bursary.     

The funding comes from the Arts Council’s Change Makers programme which is aimed at increasing the diversity of senior leaders within England’s arts and cultural sector.

The University’s Attenborough Arts Centre is one of 20 organisations nationally to receive a share of £2.57 million from the programme.

This major investment will support disabled and Black and Minority Ethnic leaders from across the country to gain the relevant experience, knowledge skills and confidence needed to compete for Artistic Director, Chief Executive or other senior leadership positions in the future. 

Born in Leicester to working class South Asian Sikh parents, Gurdeep is a rising-star in the city’s arts and cultural scene. He is an artist and independent creative producer best known for his role as the Creative Director for the annual An Indian Summer festival. Under the mentorship of Attenborough Arts Centre’s Director Michaela Butter MBE, this will be Gurdeep’s first senior leadership role within a building-based arts venue.

Michael Attenborough CBE, Patron of Attenborough Arts Centre, said: “This is thrilling news for Attenborough Arts Centre. It vindicates everything that Michaela Butter and her dedicated team are working so hard for. Namely that the Attenborough Arts Centre should have a direct and evident impact on the community that it serves. The arts are the perfect vehicle to tackle the huge issue of mental health. Art addresses the invisible part of the National Health - our emotional, psychological and spiritual selves. As each day goes by, it becomes ever clearer that mental health is one of the burning issues of our day. So it fills me with immense pride that the Attenborough Arts Centre is to play such a key role in exploring and supporting such urgently needed work in this vital field.”

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