LONDON.- The Board of Trustees of Tate announced that Anna Lowe has been appointed Youth Engagement Tate Trustee, to bring the views of the next generation to the highest level of Tate’s decision-making process. The appointment, which has been made by the Prime Minister, began on 1 March 2019 for a period of four years. Anna Lowe is the youngest serving Board member at a UK national museum or gallery.

Anna Lowe said: ‘I am thrilled to be appointed Tate’s first Trustee with a focus on young people. I am joining the Board at a time when we increasingly live both online and off, empowering many young people to find their own platforms, connections and represent themselves. I look forward to supporting Tate in becoming an enabler and amplifier for the creative energy of young people.’

Maria Balshaw, Director, Tate, said: ‘Last year we said we would appoint a new Trustee to place the views of younger generations at the heart of Tate. I’m delighted to welcome Anna to Tate’s Board of Trustees. She has fantastic experience and networks on which to draw to bring new insight to the Board and to help shape Tate’s future.’

Anna Lowe (28) is a digital strategist and trained arts educator with extensive experience in devising and delivering arts programmes and digital products. She co-founded Smartify, a multi award-winning app which uses image recognition technology to identify artworks and offer curated information in text, audio, video and Augmented Reality (AR). She was previously an arts officer for the London Borough of Camden, where she delivered community-driven arts programmes, as well as working for the UK’s Creative Industries Federation and producing a free late-night event series at the National Museum of Fine Art in Argentina. She holds a BA in History from the University of York and an MA in the Cultural and Creative Industries from King’s College London, and earlier this year she was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 annual list.

Tate also announced today that 60,000 16-25-year olds have now joined Tate Collective. Launched on 17 April 2018, the scheme is free to join online and offers £5 tickets to all Tate’s exhibitions alongside discounts in gallery cafes and shops. In less than a year, it is now believed to be the largest scheme of its kind for young people at any museum or gallery in the world. Over 57,000 £5 tickets have already been redeemed for exhibitions across all four Tate galleries. There have also been special events for Tate Collective members, including an exclusive overnight viewing of Christian Marclay’s The Clock at Tate Modern in November 2018.

Tate’s commitment to this age group has led to a wide range of special events and projects in recent months. Lates at Tate Britain, well established at the gallery, are now held monthly attracting regular attendances of several thousand. Uniqlo Tate Lates have continued to attract around 10,000 people to Tate Modern on the last Friday of every month, around 20 per cent of whom have never visited the gallery before. Similar events are held at Tate Liverpool and St Ives. A recent Op Art party organised by Tate Collective attracted over 900 people. BNP Paribas’ sponsorship of the Turner Prize enabled free entry to everyone aged 25 or under for the first 25 days of the 2018 exhibition, with over 5,500 free tickets issued. In October 2018, through a partnership with the Mayor of London, Tate Collective’s team of young producers commissioned 20 new artworks across London, for the LDN WMN project, celebrating women in the city’s history.