Alun Pugh, Welsh Assembly Government Culture Minister today [5 April] announced the names of the panel that will take forward the Welsh Assembly Government’s review of the Arts Council of Wales.The panel, chaired by Elan Closs Stephens, CBE, former Chair of S4C, and Professor of Communications and Creative Industries in the Department of Theatre, Film and Television at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, will comprise: Roger Lewis, Managing Director, ITV Wales; Paul Loveluck, CBE, President of the National Museum Wales; Vicky Macdonald, former Curator of the Cambrian Academy Conwy from 1993-2005; Professor M Wynn Thomas, Swansea, Director of the Centre for Research into the English Literature and Language of Wales; and Alan Watkin, Chief Leisure, Libraries and Culture Officer Wrexham County Council. Alun Pugh said: “I am confident that this panel of experienced and distinguished individuals will all bring a wealth and diversity of experience of the arts in Wales and further afield to this review. I look forward to receiving their recommendations before Christmas”. Elan Closs Stephens said: “I want to focus on what’s important, the way forward for the arts in Wales. The review will be an ongoing and thorough, public discussion which will involve both the Arts Council, its clients and more widely, everyone interested in the wellbeing of creative excellence and endeavour. “I see this review as a national conversation in Wales about how we fund the arts. We are a nation of extremely creative individuals, performers and artists and I’m sure there are a lot of people who will want to contribute to this review. I would urge everyone to do so.” The panel will start to work immediately on reviewing published evidence and will meet formally for the first time on 27 April. Biographies Elan Closs Stephens (Chair) Elan is Professor of Communications and Creative Industries in the Department of Theatre, Film and Television at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth where she has been in turn Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Director and Head of Department since 1975. Her academic interests are Welsh Theatre, Television Drama in the UK and Media Policy. In 1998, having served on a number of Welsh broadcasting bodies including the BBC, she was appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to chair S4C, the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority and was re-appointed for a second term in 2002. She has served on the Council of the National Library of Wales, has been a member and Vice-Chair of the statutory Welsh Language Board and Chair of Chwarae Teg, a company promoting the economic development of women. She has also served as a School Governor. She is currently a Governor of the University of Glamorgan and a Governor of the British Film Institute and Chair of its Audit and Governance Committee. She is currently Chair of the British Council in Wales and a member of the CRE in Wales. Elan was awarded a CBE in the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours. Roger Lewis, Director, ITV Wales Roger is Managing Director ITV Wales. Born in Cefn Cribwr, Mid Glamorgan, Roger returns home having spent all of his career in the media and music industries in London. In the 1980’s he worked as a producer at Capital Radio and then the BBC where he became Head of Music at Radio 1. In the 1990’s he joined EMI Records as a Managing Director of the classical Division and then President of Decca Record Company at Polygram and worldwide President of the Decca Record Company. Immediately prior to joining ITV, Roger was Managing Director and Programme Controller of Classic FM and a main board director of its parent company, GWR group plc for six years. He is the Chair of Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and a Director of the Liverpool Culture Company as well as being a Board member of the Wales Millennium Centre. He also sits on the London circle of the WNO. He is deputy chair of Boosey and Hawkes, the world’s largest classical music publisher. He is an Honorary member of the Royal College of Music and a Fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music. Roger read music at University. Paul E Loveluck, CBE, JP President of Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales Paul took up his position as President of Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales in October 2002 for a term of 5 years. In his role he provides direction and leadership to the Council, the executive body of Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Wales responsible for the management of the Museum Paul has been the President of the Drama Association of Wales, an organisation sponsored by the Arts Council of Wales which promotes community drama for the last ten eyars. He is a lso a former Chair of the Welsh Chamber Orchestra. He is a former Chief Executive of both the Wales Tourist Board and the Countryside Council of Wales. Born and brought up in Maesteg, he is a graduate of the University of Wales at Cardiff and joined the Welsh Office in 1969 from the Board of Trade, London. He was acting Chief Executive of the Wales Tourist Board during a period of reorganisation in 1984. He was later appointed the role on a permanent basis and awarded the CBE in the Birthday Honours List for services to the Tourism Industry in Wales. Paul was Chief Executive of the Countryside Council for Wales from January 1996 until February 2002. Working mostly from CCW's Bangor Headquarters, he was involved for the last 6 years in the work to protect and improve Wales' natural environment and to make it more accessible to the general public. He has had a long association with the work of the National Museums & Galleries of Wales serving on the Archaeology Committee in the 1980s and representing both the WTB and CCW on the museum's Court. He was a member of the Picton Castle — Graham Sutherland Trust and involved in the transfer of the Sutherland Collection to the Museum. Vicky Macdonald Vicky has been involved with the arts in Wales for a number of years now. She was Curator of the Royal Cambrian Academy, Conwy from 1993-2005, having previously owned her own art gallery. She was a member of the Arts Council of Wales Local Government Consultative group in 1995, sat on the ACW North Wales Area Committee in 2001, was re-appointed in 2003 and this was extended in 2006. Since 2002 Vicky has been on the ACW advisors panel and is chair of the Clwyd Fine Arts Trust. She is a Councillor on Conwy Town Council, and Chair of the ‘Business Group’ in Conwy Professor M Wynn Thomas, Swansea Professor Thomas is Director of CREW (the Centre for Research into the English Literature and Language of Wales), University of Wales Swansea and is a specialist in American poetry and in the two literatures of modern Wales. A Fellow of the British Academy, he is currently Chair of the Welsh Books Council and has held visiting professorships at Harvard and at Tubingen, was Chairman of the Welsh Arts Council's Literature Committee for five years, and has acted as Chairman of the Welsh Academy of writers, Yr Academi Gymreig, becoming a Fellow of the Academy in 2000. Alan Watkin, Chief Leisure, Libraries and Culture Officer Wrexham County Council Alan is the Chief Officer for Libraries, Leisure and Culture for Wrexham County Borough Council and was formally the Deputy Director of the Clwyd Library and Information Service. He is a member of the CyMal advisory Board and is Wales representative on the Board of M.L.A- the Museums ,Libraries and Archives Council. In addition he is a member of the advisory panel of Gwaith Cymru, a member of the executive committee of Niace Dysgu Cymru, an UK Board member of LLUK sector skill council and Chair of its Wales panel. Former roles have included membership and chair of the Library and Information Services Council for Wales, membership of the ACW N. Wales regional committee and of the N. Wales Sportslot regional panel |
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| non jones e-mail: non.jones@wales.gsi.gov.uk |
Wednesday, April 5, 2006 |
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