Spotlight on Gaynor Seville - Creative Director

Gaynor Seville is Creative Director of The Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery, in Rawtenstall, Lancashire

Winner of the Lancashire Tourism Award for Cultural Venue of the Year

In our Q&A we invited Gaynor to tell us more about her role as Creative Director and the role of The Whitaker, in the local and national cultural landscape.

What does your role entail and what was your training and career path to this point?
I manage the museum team and drive the overall vision and strategy. I oversee the exhibition programme and work with the exhibiting artists, helping to plan and curate the exhibitions. I manage our external partnerships and oversee the funding strategy that supports the operation of the museum’s activities.
I originally studied fine art and have had an interesting career in public art project management, local authority cultural services, and have worked with artists internationally, including over a decade working in Ireland.

What are the key aims and objectives of The Whitaker Museum and Galleries?
Our aim is to provide excellent high quality experiences for all of our community. We are a free to enter venue and we aim to make art accessible for all. We care for a fantastic heritage collection that tells the story of our area and we find ways to share this in interesting ways and to use the collection to ask questions about our life now and what matters to us now and looking to the future.

What makes a great, modern museum and gallery?
Spaces and opportunities that feel accessible for everyone, constant surprises and being prepared to challenge yourself and your visitors. For me the space where the heritage collections and our visiting contemporary artists collide is where exciting things happen. It is our role to enable those partnerships and to present the outcomes in the best possible way for our visitors. I am a firm believer in not dumbing down or assuming local audience won’t get, or be interested in challenging topics. I also don’t believe you should need to go to city centre venues to experience the very best of arts and culture.

How is The Whitaker (a free to enter attraction) funded and how has that changed in recent years?
We are funded in several ways. We are an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation so we are lucky to get generous support from them. We also receive funding from the Brian Mercer Trust, Rossendale Borough Council and a variety of other project funds that we apply for. We also raise income from ticketed events, our small gift shop and donations from the public. We have a big focus now on donations and sponsorship and hope to build our income through this route. Museums and Galleries need to be agile and smart in developing multiple funding streams, these are expensive programmes and expensive buildings to run, but we are passionate about remaining free to enter.

How does that funding impact/support your programming?
It enables us to pay our artists and facilitators properly and to be able to offer low and no cost events. We also deliver training and support for emerging artists and support our huge volunteer team to help deliver our events and activities. We provide activities for early years children, school children, adults and families, through workshops, festivals, theatre and all kinds of activities. All of this is possible through the funding we secure.

The Whitaker is a wonderful asset for the community but where does The Whitaker figure in the national arts landscape?
Our reputation is growing rapidly. We are a very popular venue in the North West art scene and our profile is extending nationally. We show the very best artists from around the country, as well as supporting local talent. We show new graduate artists every year and have also shown Turner prize winning artists and artist with significant international profiles. We host the British Textile Biennial and have shown large group shows of artists from all over the country.

How many visitors do you welcome annually?
We current welcome c40,000 visitors annually and we have loyal local returning visitors as well as new demographics all the time. Our visitors book shows people coming from all over world. Our last exhibition opening attracted 200 people through the door on the opening night, many who come regularly and lots of new faces. Our wide ranging programme of events and activities attracts a wide range of people and we work hard to make the offer attractive to different audiences and to be a draw to those from further afield.

How do visiting artists respond to The Whitaker?
Artists love exploring our collections and finding out more about our local heritage. Often they include items from the collections in their exhibitions, or create new work by responding to them. The building itself is inspiring for many artists and we encourage work to be created all over the building and in our outside spaces too, not just the galleries. The views form the Whitaker are stunning and artists love the surrounding landscape and the beautiful park we are based in . We love a challenge and encourage artists to be brave and try new things.

What are your hopes and plans for the immediate future of The Whitaker?
We are working towards being more financially sustainable and are welcoming a new events and hospitality partner this Spring. We are excited to work together on a new café and events offer. We have ambitious exhibitions and displays lined up and strive to raise funds for new projects that engage with a wide variety of our communities. Behind the scenes we are also looking at designs for a new wing that will house accommodation and studios for visitors and artists. Watch this space!

Is there a particular event/exhibition that you are particularly excited about at the moment?
Our current exhibition by Jamie Holman is keeping us busy with talks and tours, it is an incredible exhibition that spans the whole building. Jane Horrocks provided a voice recording for one of the pieces and is coming to do an in conversation event with Jamie on April 26th which we are really looking forward to. We’ll be hosting the second Pride event this Summer after we delivered the first ever one in Rossendale last year. This year will be even bigger and better. We are also working towards an exciting fashion focused cross site exhibition at the end of the year that will include multiple artists, our heritage fashion collections, and fashion show events and activities.

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The winning team from The Whitaker at the Lancashire Tourism Awards 2024, held at The Blackpool Tower on 11 February 2025

Click here to see all the winners