The Royal West of England Academy (RWA) in Bristol has announced that Alison Bevan has been appointed as its new director. Bevan is currently Director of the Penlee House Gallery in Penzance, Cornwall. In 2012 she was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s New Year Honours List for services to cultural heritage in the county.
RWA trustee Professor Paul Gough, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of the West of England, said: “We were delighted with the calibre of applicants for the role of Director which demonstrates the high regard in which the Academy is held. We are very pleased to be welcoming Alison to the role and know she will be building on the significant changes that the Academy has taken over the past three years.”
Bevan takes up position on 1 August and will oversee the remainder of the RWA’s 2013 programme while developing the programme for 2014/15. She replaces previous Director Trystan Hawkins, who joined the Academy in May 2010.
Hawkins courted controversy during his tenure, in particular for installing Damien Hirst’s 22ft ‘Charity’ sculpture above the entrance to the Grade-II listed building during an exhibition of the artist’s work. He also ruffled a few feathers by hosting a Jack Vettriano retrospective, leading to the high-profile resignation of the Academy’s president, Simon Quadrat. At the time, Quadrat stated that the direction taken by Hawkins was “undermining the integrity” of the Academy.
When it opened in 1858, the RWA was Bristol’s first art gallery. Its current temporary exhibition is Drawn, which runs until 2 June and ‘aims to raise the profile of drawing, presenting it as both an autonomous discipline and an interdisciplinary tool.’ Artists featured in the show include Simon Read and Reece Jones. An interactive, artist-led ‘Drawing Lab’ – a studio space designed to encourage audience participation – is open for the duration of the show.
