Curator of Contemporary Arts

Forestry England cares for more forests and land than any other organisation in England which gives us unique opportunities to address biodiversity loss at scale and have an impact on people’s health and wellbeing. We are at the forefront of the climate crisis, using the latest scientific research to plan and plant forests which will survive in a changing climate. The nation’s forests are incredibly popular. We are the largest provider of outdoor recreation in the country – 296 million people visited us last year.

Our arts programme is a vital mechanism through which we connect audiences with our work. As the largest land managers in the country, we have the ability to implement projects at a scale like no other organisation and as our ambition is to play a crucial role at the cross-roads of art production and environmental and climate issues.

Forestry England has been supporting the arts since 1968. We were instrumental in artists making work for spaces beyond the museum and gallery. Today we continue this legacy by commissioning and presenting artworks across our sites and connecting creative practitioners with our foresters and recreational teams and the latest research on climate, environment and biodiversity.

Join our marketing and engagement team and help us tell our incredible story. We are a small team with a big heart. We care passionately about forests and forestry and work with the most beautiful places in England alongside incredibly talented experts.

Working as part of Forestry England’s national marketing and engagement team, the Curator of Contemporary Arts will lead the implementation of our new arts strategy, acting as the champion of ambitious, impactful arts programming across the organisation. Forestry England is looking for someone who will help grow the ambition of the programme and also in time, the arts team.

About you

You will be a dynamic advocate for the arts with an established network of contacts and senior relationships in the arts and culture sector. You will be a great communicator, able to translate the ideas of artists and makers to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. You will also be an astute project manager, able to manage multiple projects at different stages of development and to resolve challenges with a calm and collaborative approach. You will also be comfortable working in the public domain and have a passion to explore the potential for arts within outdoor, wild places.