One of Manchester's best-known arts chiefs is to leave the building he ushered into existence, HOME Manchester
Dave Moutrey OBE will step down from his role as director and CEO at HOME after a 26-year run as the head of Greater Manchester Arts Centre Ltd – trading originally as Cornerhouse, and as HOME since 2015.
Dave conceived and led both the merger of Cornerhouse and the Library Theatre Company and the £25m capital project to create HOME, which attracts almost a million visits a year.
HOME has established itself as a major contributor to the arts sector in the Manchester region, as well as nationally and internationally, across film, theatre and visual arts, as well as offering a programme of artist development and community engagement.
He has also championed ambitious new projects, including work currently underway on the HOME Arches, due to open in 2024; a £3.5m project to create new space for artists, to develop and retain creative talent in the city.
Dave leaves HOME at the end of March 2024 to move to Manchester City Council, where he has been on a part-time secondment as Director of Culture and Creative Industries since 2018. When he leaves HOME he will move into the role full time – leading the implementation of the city's new cultural strategy, currently being created with residents and the cultural sector and due to be published early next year.
Dave said: "It will be incredibly hard to leave such a great team of people, and our amazing venue, but the timing feels right to move on.
"I'm excited about the opportunity the new cultural strategy presents for Manchester, and as HOME begins to focus on plans for 2026 and beyond, I believe the person who develops the strategy to take the organisation forward should be the person to deliver it.
"My sincere thanks go to everyone who has supported HOME, who has shared in our vision, and who has been on this journey with me. It has been an immense privilege."
Kathryn Jacobs, Chair of HOME’s Board of Trustees said: "The news about Dave Moutrey leaving HOME is a time for celebration and reflection; celebration of all he has achieved during his tenure at GMAC, Cornerhouse and HOME, as well as the prospect of having one of the leading figures in the arts – locally, nationally, and internationally – embedding culture and the role of the creative arts even more firmly into the heart of our city.
‘As a Board, we owe him a huge debt of gratitude. The team at HOME – present and past – hold him in the highest regard, and the love and respect that he commands is a testament to his leadership, wisdom and the kindness he has always demonstrated."
Councillor Luthfur Rahman OBE, who is deputy leader for Manchester City Council, said: "Through our new 10-year plan, with Dave at the helm, we want to go even further to harness the power we know the arts have to change and improve lives."
"Dave has been a huge figure in the cultural landscape of Manchester for many years and has been instrumental in our approach to culture in the city since 2018. There are few people who understand the symbiotic relationship between the city, our residents and the arts.’
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