Barnaby 2016 seeks a Festival Director

As reported earlier today. Macclesfield Barnaby Festival has secured funding from Arts Council England to support the appointment of a Festival Director to oversee Barnaby2016 – a role which has been undertaken by volunteers until now.

Barnaby 2016 is the first biennial year of this celebrated Macclesfield festival and has for its theme ‘Space’.

The Festival Director will take up the part time post in July, alongside a part time Festival & Volunteer Coordinator. A Visual Arts Coordinator will join the team in the autumn to oversee the Barnaby Art commissions.

Barnaby is a volunteer led festival of contemporary arts, culture and fun celebrating Macclesfield’s rich cultural and creative heritage.  It aims to enrich cultural and civic life with an ambitious and largely original programme of up to 100 events, exhibitions and happenings. Since its inception in 2010 the Festival has become an eagerly anticipated fixture in the area’s calendar and is credited with having been a catalyst for the continuing cultural renaissance in the town.

In 2014 Barnaby Festival was described by James Berresford, CEO of Visit England as “one of the best of its kind anywhere in the country” and Ian Tabbron of Arts Council England said it “embodies what is great in the community.. it is a microcosm of what the Arts Council hopes festivals will achieve”.

The Festival Director will develop and deliver Barnaby’s artistic vision and plan for its future sustainability.  Working closely with the new Festival & Volunteer Coordinator and the Macclesfield Barnaby Festival Board of Trustees and volunteer team this is a great opportunity to consolidate the achievements of this successful community enterprise.

Chair of the Trustees, Lynne Jones said  “With this Arts Council England funding we’re looking for someone with a track record of ambitious, creative commissioning and programming, outstanding project management skills and who gets what Barnaby stands for to support our dedicated team of volunteers.  The theme for Barnaby2016 is ‘space’ in all its senses, so there is lots to work with there!”

Further details of both the Festival Director and Festival & Volunteer Coordinator roles are available from www.barnabyfestival.org.uk or mail@barnabyfestival.org.uk. The closing dates are Monday 25 May and Monday 1 June respectively.