Experienced Cultural Leader Joins Awen

Awen Cultural Trust welcomes Miriam Randall as its first Head of Libraries, Theatres and Communities, bringing more than 25 years of cultural leadership and arts management experience to the charity.

Miriam joins Awen from Brewery Arts in Kendal, Cumbria, where she worked as CEO and Artistic Director for seven years. During this time, Miriam successfully led the organisation through a period of significant change, navigating the challenges of the pandemic, overseeing a major capital project and the delivery of international festivals, live music, film, comedy, theatre, dance, visual art and creative learning

Miriam’s career has included senior leadership roles in some of the UK’s most innovative cultural organisations.

Before joining Brewery Arts, Miriam was Executive Director at Watershed, Bristol’s centre for cultural cinema and digital creativity. Prior to this, Miriam was Executive Director of Lighthouse, a Brighton based international arts agency working across visual art, film and digital culture which delivered Guiding Lights, the UK film industry’s leading mentoring scheme..

Earlier in her career, she worked as a musician and events producer, delivering projects for Island Records, Rough Trade and Skint Records, as well as collaborating with independent artists on performances, tours and recordings across the UK.

In her new role, Miriam will provide strategic and operational leadership across Awen’s libraries, theatres and place-based regeneration. She will lead the development of a cohesive portfolio that enriches communities, supports wellbeing, increases access and participation, delivers high-quality visitor experiences and strengthens Awen’s social impact.

Working collaboratively across Awen, with our current partners and by building meaningful relationships across communities and the sector, Miriam will influence development, identify opportunities for innovation and growth, and ensure Awen’s offer responds to local needs and national priorities.

Miriam said: “Awen is at the leading edge of doing things differently, bridging sectors and forging partnerships that bring about real change in the heart of communities and across towns and counties. I’m thrilled to be joining the team to continue animating and enriching the dynamic spaces and projects that have been established and helping to develop exciting new initiatives that are in the pipeline.”

Richard Hughes, Chief Executive at Awen Cultural Trust, added:

“We are delighted to welcome Miriam to Awen. She brings significant leadership experience from across the cultural sector, as well as a strong track record of developing strategic partnerships, overseeing organisational change and widening access to arts and culture.

“Miriam’s creativity, resilience and collaborative approach make her an excellent fit for this new role at Awen. Her experience of leading cultural venues, supporting cross-artform programmes, delivering commercial outcomes and connecting organisations with their communities will be extremely valuable as we continue to strengthen our libraries, theatres and our role in regeneration and town centre transformation.

“We look forward to working with Miriam to build on the achievements of our teams and increase the positive difference our services make to the people and communities across South Wales. Croeso!”