Name: Heart of Glass
Price range: $

After eight wonderful years, my time as Chair of Heart of Glass is coming to an end and I am preparing to make way for new leadership to support this exciting next phase of development for the organisation - Joanna Rowlands

Before I tell you a bit more about Heart of Glass, I’d like to acknowledge that Trustee recruitment is tricky at the moment. In a constantly changing world and with increasingly busy lives, taking on new commitments can be daunting, but we feel very confident that this opportunity can be positive and fulfilling for the post holder as well as incredibly valuable to the organisation.

There are a number of things you should be aware of as you consider this opportunity which may help you to make a decision. Heart of Glass supports dynamic, important, exciting and life affirming work. If you look at our social media, or have come across any of our projects you’ll know we have a committed staff team, and are privileged to support the work of diverse artists and communities. Our work has won awards (including an LCR Culture award for The Book of St Helens), received glowing reviews in the national press (read The Guardian on TORCH, 2018), and most importantly built communities, supporting us collectively to consider the world we inhabit today and how we might forge a different future together!

People are sat in the community garden at Incredible Edible Knowsley, it is sunny and there is a sign that reads 'Eat your Verb'

Bea Albanese looks through recycled objects with two young children and their mother, they are all smiling and laughing.

A woman wearing a nightdress and a hair wrap is sitting on the edge of a dishevelled bed. She is looking off camera towards a patch of light in the corner of the room. The room is dark and the light shines on her face. — Image credit: Radka Dolinska

A young boy and a women are screen printing together. Both wear white aprons splattered with paint.

A group of people stand in front of a window looking over St Helens. — Image by Joe Lee

The mural is photographed at an arial view, it reads 'Love Your Community', surrounded by pattern and is painted on a train station bridge. — Photo by Steve Samosa

A group of people who are dressed all in white, are in a white room and throw white confetti in the air.

2 buzz hub members participate in the workshop, one is smiling at the camera and the other is working in the background, they are using inks to create marbling. — Images provided by Buzz Hub

About the role

Heart of Glass has high governance standards, a committed team, an expert board and progressive policies that we are continuously seeking to improve. We’re privileged to be connected with a wide network of supporters. We describe ourselves as a learning organisation - we’ve continuously evolved over the last 10 years and will continue to do so, in the image of the work and the communities we support.

I see the role of Chair as critical to supporting the team, and Board, to maintain and continue to strive for best practice, break new ground, and maintain the quality and integrity of work we have delivered since our formation in 2014.

We are a Merseyside-based community arts organisation and registered charity. We work locally, nationally and internationally. We bring together artists and communities to make collaborative art that can imagine new futures and create change.

This summer we celebrate our tenth anniversary. Over the past decade we’ve commissioned thousands of artists and supported diverse communities and audiences to develop and engage with our work across our programmes of activities.

Now as we reflect on our successes and look to our future, we are seeking a new Chair to help lead the next stage of our strategic development.

Do you share our values of care, collaboration and challenge?
Do you have a passion for the role art can play in civic life?
Can you develop positive relationships with our trustees and support our staff team?
Are you interested in exploring the idea of Regenerative Governance with us, informed by our exploration of Permaculture Principles, and considering ways in which our actions and work can support change and continuously evolve?
Do you have the knowledge and enthusiasm to act as an ambassador and advocate for our work with external stakeholders?

Listen: Telling the Human Tales of Halewood

Listen along to six audio interviews with residents of Halewood, speaking to artist Frances Disley for the project Following the Roots: Stories of Halewood, a public sculpture trail in Halewood Triangle Park.