Sarah McCrory, the curator at the helm of the prestigious art festival Glasgow International, has been appointed director of the new contemporary art gallery at Goldsmiths, University of London.
An ambitious project at the heart of one of the most prestigious art schools in the UK, the gallery is scheduled to open to the public in the spring of 2018. McCrory will take up the post this coming April to prepare the gallery’s program and oversee its launch.
The gallery, located at the Goldsmiths’ south London campus, will host a program featuring exhibitions, residencies, and projects by “leading professional artists,” according to a press release.
“I’m honored and thrilled to be appointed director of the new gallery at Goldsmiths. At a time when cuts and closures threaten our cultural institutions, the opening of a new gallery as part of a university with such a rich artistic history is an exciting and encouraging occasion,” McCrory said in a statement.
“I look forward to drawing upon the wealth of excellence across the university and its research departments—to work with artists to create a gallery with both an international reputation, as well as an important place for both students and local audiences in south London.”
Model of the new Goldsmiths Gallery by Assemble. Image ©Assemble, courtesy Goldsmiths Gallery.
The 1,000-square-meter gallery, which is currently in construction, has been designed by the architectural collective Assemble, the controversial winners of the Turner Prize in 2015.
The project involves the refurbishment of the Grade II-listed Laurie Grove Baths and the building’s derelict Victorian water tanks.
McCrory has been director of Glasgow International since 2012, turning the biennial Scottish art festival into one of the must-see events on the British art calendar. Prior to that, she was curator of Frieze Projects and Film, and co-curator at Studio Voltaire, London.
“We are absolutely delighted that Sarah McCrory is joining the gallery as Director. Her distinctive curatorial vision and her extensive practical experience as Director of Glasgow International make her uniquely qualified for this challenging and exciting new position,” Richard Noble, Head of the Department of Art at Goldsmiths, said in a statement.
“We are confident Sarah will build Goldsmiths’ gallery into one of the most distinctive and influential contemporary art spaces in the UK.”