Sara Matson joins the CMP Board

Having worked in the heritage sector in Cornwall for the last 19 years, I am delighted to be joining the board at CMP. With a career in museums that spans nearly three decades – from Tate and the National Library of Wales, to various venues in Leicester, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Leamington Spa – I have a broad range of experience working in strategic, research and delivery roles for national and regional museums.

I have a passion for working with collections and contemporary artists but have also been fortunate to be the curatorial lead for Barbara Hepworth’s Museum and Palais studio. I have managed development and delivery for capital bids, have a considerable track record of fundraising, exhibition making, residencies and commissioning, as well as consultative delivery of collection displays. I strongly advocate community focussed, collaborative projects like Cornwall Look Groups and Pool Academy’s pioneering artist and pupil-led gallery.

Like my colleagues at CMP, my drive comes from a desire to make museums places that audiences want to reach and for cultural centres to be reflective of the communities they serve. Working as an independent consultant, and supporting clients such as Eden International, brings new perspectives to my practice. I am now particularly interested in sustainability. What can museums do to respond to the green agenda and how does this impact directly on access, diversity and inclusion? What solutions can the international creative sector offer in the face of our global crisis? I want to be a useful contributor to these debates within the museum community during these challenging times, in Cornwall and beyond.