Joe GallopOutdoor arts specialists Walk the Plank has appointed Dr Beatriz Garcia, senior research fellow in Communication and Media at the University of Liverpool, as its new chair of the board of trustees.
Dr Beatriz Garcia is a member of the European Capital of Culture Selection Committee and the Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission.
Salford-based Walk the Plank recently received confirmation of its continued funding as an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. Projects it has produced include UNBOXED event Green Space Dark Skies, Manchester Day Parade, and touring night-time installation BODY.
Garcia said, “This is a very exciting time to join as chair of Walk the Plank, an organisation I have followed and admired since their origins in the 1990s. Walk the Plank demonstrates what is possible to achieve when grand spectacle is entirely grounded in community work. It is about generating collective joy that can far outlast the spark of the moment.
“I look forward to the next chapter, working across the UK and internationally, protecting our original vision and proving that in order to survive – and move on from – a permacrisis, we must continue engaging communities, celebrating our creativity and finding ways to have fun, while remaining responsible and self-aware.”
Dr. Garcia takes over from Shona McCarthy, chief executive at Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society.
Walk the Plank creative producer and co-founder Liz Pugh said, “As we develop relationships with global partners while maintaining our European links, we wanted a chair with a well-honed sense of the value of international practice.
“Dr Beatriz Garcia’s research has pushed forward the UK’s understanding of ‘cultural capital’ and supported the European Commission and the International Olympic Committee to think about the impact of investment in culture and culture-led regeneration. Her advocacy skills, alongside her focus on challenging us to maximise the impact of the work we make, in public space with public money, will be invaluable.”