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David Garratt

Interim Head of Operations and Visitor Services - The Hepworth Wakefield

What I do:

I have been working at The Hepworth Wakefield since October 2022 and I am currently the interim Head of Operations and Visitor Services.

I oversee the operations of the building and manage the visitor facing team at the gallery. I also head our Environmental Sustainability Group so am looking at ways to reduce the carbon emissions of the gallery going forwards.

What steps I took to get where I am now:

I have been working in the arts since leaving university in 2005. I have progressed from working in visitor facing roles into areas such as programming, development, sales, outreach and marketing.

During my seven years at Square Chapel Arts Centre in Halifax I was one of the team that managed the £6.6 million pound redevelopment of the venue and introduced and managed a film programme that welcomed thousands of people a year. I also introduced the first film festival at the venue and welcomed guests such as Chris Morris, Brian Blessed, Clio Barnard, Kay Mellor and even Paul Chuckle.

I have also worked in independent events programming with an aim of all of the events being carbon neutral. I have worked with various companies to offset emissions as part of live events and am increasing working in this sector.

What creative opportunities I'm looking for:

I enjoy playing my part in encouraging interaction with the arts in the live and visual arts sectors and am interested in both operational and event programming opportunities.

An unexpected thing about me:

I once sent my own signed photo to 100 celebrities to see if they would swap with me. I now have over 400 autographs of various different people in my house!

My proudest moment:

I had a dream to screen Flash Gordon with a Brian Blessed Q&A and Queen tribute act and somehow I made it happen!

My dream creative collaboration:

I have already worked with Chris Morris on a few events and its hard to top that!

What does Wakefield mean to me?
It's a city that has the people to make the most of the cultural opportunities available to us. It's ambitions are really good to see.
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