Open Eye Gallery has announced the appointment of a new Executive Director, Sarah Fisher, who will join Liverpool’s internationally recognised photography gallery from July 2015.
Sarah has over 25 years experience in the arts, and is currently working as a consultant with the Arts Council on the strategic development of partnerships with universities across the North. She is also Chair of FACT, Liverpool, and Axisweb, Leeds.
Her experience includes leading the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art in Manchester, where she worked with partners to exhibit Chinese artists in 7 UK cities, including the largest exhibition of Chinese contemporary art in the UK to date, Harmonious Society, delivered across 6 venues in Manchester with audiences of over 250,000.
Through her consultancy work with arts organisations Sarah specialised in supporting small artist-centred organisations to grow their businesses and resilience, including organisations that experienced the first wave of public funding cuts, such as Castlefield Gallery, but have gone on to be some of the most entrepreneurial and successful small arts providers nationally.
As Head of Visual Arts for Arts Council England North West between 2005-2010, Sarah directed the overall strategic planning process in respect of ACE North West’s £5m annual investment in the visual arts.
Sarah began her career as a London-based practicing artist, undertaking international residencies and lecturing at the Slade School of Art and Chelsea College of Art and Design. Sarah has a B.A. Fine Art (Winchester School of Art) M.A. Fine Art (Royal College of Art).
Of her new role Sarah says: “I am proud to be joining the visual arts sector in Liverpool, a city which has for decades punched above its weight, providing an exceptional world class programme, the best in the UK outside of London.”
Sarah succeeds Lorenzo Fusi, who leaves the gallery to undertake new international projects.
The next exhibition at Open Eye Gallery will be Open 1. This is the first in a series of three annual exhibitions, which offer a platform to showcase new work submitted via the Gallery’s Exhibition Submissions portal.