The National Gallery’s deputy director and curator leaves shortly for the United Kingdom on professional study leave later this year.
Natalie Coleman will take a two-year sabbatical from her post to enrol part-time in a Masters in Arts Policy and Management at the University of London’s Birkbeck College.
According to the college’s online prospectus, the course is for existing arts managers who want to develop their practice and understanding of the background, theories and principles of arts and cultural management.
Ms Coleman considers that the continuation of her studies is timely.
She said that the course, which specialises in exhibition development, will be useful to the gallery when it moves into phase one of its new home with permanent exhibition space to be built on land off the Harquail bypass in two years.
In her opinion, Cayman has reached a stage in its development were it needs additional academic depth and expertise to allow the visual arts to flourish.
‘We have a young visual arts heritage, which is developing at a rapid rate, fuelled by up-and-coming local artists and a substantial financial industry interested in supporting cultural growth.
‘(Additional) knowledge gleaned in areas such as education initiatives, the exploration of community arts projects and the role of artists alongside national, regional and local policy … will enhance our existing programmes as well as help us explore new initiatives,’ she said.
National Gallery director Nancy Barnard said of Ms Coleman’s imminent departure: ‘We are excited to support her development and studies. . .
‘I believe we have a natural leader that we need to support so that the gallery will in turn be well managed culturally in the future’.
Ms Coleman currently combines her senior-management role at the gallery with those of editing Inside Out magazine and the arts and culture section of its sister publication The Journal.
Prior to taking up her current post in January 2004, she was the gallery’s education officer and previous to that a gallery volunteer.
Ms Coleman has a Masters in Arts History from Glasgow University.
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