MARGATE.- Today Turner Contemporary announces the appointment of five new trustees, who will play a key role in leading the future of the organisation as it builds a vision for the next 10 years.

The new appointments form part of Turner Contemporary’s commitment to championing creativity and strengthening communities in Margate and Kent. On 16 April 2021, the gallery will celebrate 10 years since opening. Turner Contemporary’s impact on East Kent has been widely recognised, and the vision for the future is evolving to ensure that the gallery’s work continues to makes a real difference to people’s lives.

Since it opened, Turner Contemporary has created considerable social and economic impact in Margate, with research by Canterbury Christ Church University demonstrating that the gallery delivers benefits to educational attainment, community cohesion and connectedness, self-belief and inspiration.

The appointments are part of the gallery’s ongoing drive to reflect the diverse community it serves by cultivating a culture of inclusivity at every level of the organisation, including in board and leadership roles. All the newly appointed trustees have a connection with Kent and bring expertise from the fields of education, law, media, the arts and creative industries as well as on issues of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The new trustees are:

• Stephen Deuchar, Former Director of Art Fund
• Lucy Edematie, Former Editor of the Margate Mercury
• Peter Hawkes, Senior Partner at Furley Page LLP
• Yasmin Khan, Senior BBC Journalist
• Keith Valentine, Director of the Royal National Institute of Blind People

Clive Stevens, Chair of Turner Contemporary says: “Since Turner Contemporary opened in 2011, we have achieved so much more than we anticipated. As we look towards the next 10 years ensuring that our governance works to support the gallery’s ambitions against an increasingly challenging context is critical. I am delighted to welcome 5 new trustees, who will work with our existing board, to develop the gallery’s work. All of the new trustees have links to Kent, and bring impressive expertise, with a passion for supporting transformation through art in Margate and more widely.”

Victoria Pomery, Director of Turner Contemporary says: “It was fantastic to have so many applications from many talented candidates to join the Board of Trustees. Our new appointments will join an already deeply committed and passionate Board of Trustees who play a crucial role in ensuring the ongoing success of the gallery.”

Turner Contemporary’s Board, chaired by Clive Stevens, meets quarterly, and there are a series of active committees and subcommittees comprising different members of the Board. In 2020, the Board undertook a