Walk the Plank announces Dr. Beatriz Garcia as new Chair of the Board

Walk the Plank is delighted to announce the appointment of its new Chair of the Board of Trustees, Dr Beatriz Garcia, Senior Research Fellow in Communication and Media at the University of Liverpool, as the company enters its fourth decade of artistic innovation in outdoor spaces.

Dr Beatriz Garcia is a member of the European Capital of Culture Selection Committee, an expert member of the Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission and has been at the forefront of research on the rhetoric and impact of culture-led city regeneration interventions since 1999.

Dr Beatriz Garcia had this to say about joining Walk the Plank:

"This is a very exciting time to join as chair of Walk the Plank, an organisation I have followed and admired since their origins in the 1990s.

Walk the Plank demonstrates what is possible to achieve when grand spectacle is entirely grounded in community work. It is about generating collective joy that can far outlast the spark of the moment.

I look forward to the next chapter, working across the UK and internationally, protecting our original vision and proving that in order to survive – and move on from - a permacrisis, we must continue engaging communities, celebrating our creativity and finding ways to have fun, while remaining responsible and self-aware. This is what Walk the Plank has pioneered for 30 years and counting!"

Dr. Garcia takes over from the brilliant work done by the outgoing first Walk the Plank Chair Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive at Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society.

Walk the Plank, one of the UK’s leading outdoor arts companies, has a vast, award-winning portfolio from over 30 years of storytelling, from epic shows to intimate installations through artistic creativity; working with artists and communities to create work in public spaces.

Salford-based Walk the Plank has recently received confirmation of its continued funding as an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. 

Walk the Plank Creative Producer and Co-founder, Liz Pugh says:

“As we develop relationships with global partners while maintaining our European links, we wanted a Chair with a well-honed sense of the value of international practice. Dr Beatriz Garcia’s research has pushed forward the UK’s understanding of ‘cultural capital’ and supported the European Commission and the International Olympic Committee to think about the impact of investment in culture and culture-led regeneration. Her advocacy skills, alongside her focus on challenging us to maximise the impact of the work we make, in public space with public money, will be invaluable. We are delighted that she has agreed to lead the Board as we take forward the legacy of Green Space Dark Skies and plan new projects with collaborators across the globe.”

Recent projects Walk the Plank has produced are multi-award-winning Green Space Dark Skies, commissioned by Unboxed, Manchester Day Parade, commissioned by Manchester City Council, and touring night-time installation BODY, recently brought to Dublin by Science Foundation Ireland alongside work in communities across Greater Manchester.

For further information

Helen Palmer, Marcomms Consultant, Walk the Plank helenp@walktheplank.co.uk,  +44(0)161 736 8964, ext.303 or +44(0)7957 544290.

Notes

Walk the Plank’s team of outdoor arts experts work together to dream up, create and produce outstanding moments of outdoor theatre and civic celebration, often with participation at its heart. They have a long track record of making large-scale events and festivals that bring diverse communities together in public space. This is based on their ability to come up with big ideas that connect people from all paths in life. Storytelling is at the heart of everything they do, and the arena for their work is the great outdoors. Their mission is to enrich lives through shared creative experiences. https://walktheplank.co.uk/

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Dr. Beatriz Garcia is Senior Research Fellow in Communication and Media at University of Liverpool. Her areas of research include Urban Cultural Policy and culture-led regeneration. Major events: Olympic Games cultural programme (Cultural Olympiad) and European Capital of Culture Programme. Twitter | LinkedIn