|
Arts Council of Wales chair appointed
|
Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport, Alun Pugh AM today (21 March 2007) announced the appointment of Professor Dai Smith as Chair of The Arts Council of Wales, following a full public appointments exercise.
Professor Smith’s appointment will run for three years from 1st April 2007.
Announcing the appointment, Culture Minister Alun Pugh said: “I am very pleased to appoint Dai Smith as chair of The Arts Council of Wales. His skills, expertise and passion to make sure that people in all communities all over Wales have access to high quality arts make him the ideal appointment at this time of change”.
“Professor Smith took on the role of Chair for an interim period in April 2006 and has helped steer the Arts Council through a year in which a comprehensive review has been carried out into funding for the arts in Wales. Dai will have a key role in bringing the recommendations of the Stephens Review to fruition ”
Professor Dai Smith said:
“To be asked to continue to take The Arts Council forward at this key time of change and in our twinned roles of development and access is a responsibility that I regard as both a privilege and a trust. It has been a great support to me to work with such a dedicated Council and with the staff who at all levels have shown their dedication to the arts. I believe that the future of the arts in Wales and the full growth of civic Welsh society are inseparable factors. We will listen, we will act in partnership, we will facilitate creativity and participation, and we will not be found unwilling to take appropriate risks or to offer constructive leadership.”
Professor Dai Smith was appointed as the result of an open and transparent public appointment process, in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice and the Assembly’s Code of Practice on Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies.
Biography:
Professor Dai Smith
Dai Smith was born in the Rhondda in 1945 and educated at Porth County and Barry Grammar School. He read History and Literature at Balliol College, Oxford; Columbia University, New York; and University of Wales, Swansea.
From 1969 to 1993 he taught History at the universities of Lancaster, Swansea and Cardiff. In 1986 he was awarded a Personal Chair by the University of Wales.
In 1993 he joined the BBC as Editor of Radio Wales and from 1994 to 2000 was Head of Broadcast (English Language) at BBC Wales where he commissioned a number of notable and award-winning programmes, especially in the Arts and in Drama. Professor Smith is a renowned historian and prolific writer on the arts and cultural issues. He has just completed a major biographical study of the Welsh writer and intellectual, Raymond Williams. He is well known as a broadcaster on radio and television.
Professor Dai Smith was Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Regeneration) at the University of Glamorgan from 2001 and had particular responsibility for initiatives relating to the social, economic and cultural contribution which the University made within the community. In March 2005 he left this post to accept appointment as Research Chair in the Cultural History of Wales at Swansea University.
Appointments Process
The Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport is responsible for appointing the Chair and members of The Arts Council of Wales.
The appointment commences on 1st April 2007 and runs until 31st March 2010. The Chair is expected to work 2.5 days a week. This is a salaried post.
All appointments are made on merit.
The Welsh Assembly Government is committed to making appointments to public bodies, whether paid or unpaid, by fair and open competition. This appointment was conducted in line with the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice and the Assembly’s Code of Practice on Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies.
The Arts Council of Wales has two primary aims: to develop and improve the knowledge, understanding and practice of the arts and to develop and improve the accessibility of the arts to the public in Wales. In pursuing these aims, the Council works closely with a wide range of partners in both the public and private sectors, carrying out its objectives through the medium of both the English and Welsh languages.
The Council is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government through Grant in Aid and it is also one of the four Lottery distributors in Wales. The total amount of Grant in Aid is set out in The Arts Council of Wales’s Remit letter. |
web site: |
e-mail: |
Wednesday, March 21, 2007 |
|
|
|
|
Older news
stories have been carefully archived.
2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999
