New Art Exchange in Nottingham has announced that Saad Eddine Said has been appointed as the new Artistic Director and CEO, he will take up the role in the autumn.
Saad Eddine Said has a history of delivering innovative projects that break down boundaries between artforms and bring together communities, artists, activists and innovators. He is known for co-creating impactful artistic takeovers that re-think, re-imagine and re-shape the structure and future of institutions and communities in towns and cities, locally, nationally and internationally.
Before his appointment at NAE he was the the Director of Home in Slough, a Creative People and Places project, and was the Co-Founder and former Co-Artistic Director of the charity Terre Sans Frontiere in Morocco. In 2019 he curated the Occupy season at Battersea Arts Centre and the London City Take Over.
Saad Eddine Said commented: “I’m extremely excited to be joining New Art Exchange’s fantastic team and community. I can’t wait to work with everyone to co-design and co-create the next chapter for the organisation. New Art Exchange has an uncompromising history of stimulating new perspectives about the value of diversity in art and society. The organisation plays a vital role to support, incubate and nurture culturally diverse talent within Hyson Green’s wider community and beyond. It is also home to the most influential, underrepresented and visionary artists. It’s the combination of all of these elements that makes New Art Exchange so unique and inspiring to me and to others.”
Leslie McDonald, Chair of New Art Exchange said: “We warmly welcome Saad to New Art Exchange. With his innovative experience, commitment to communities and the arts, energy, and enthusiasm. we are excited for the new phase his leadership will bring to the whole organisation, all our partners and key stakeholders.”
Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England said: “We are really pleased to welcome Saad Eddine Said as CEO of New Art Exchange, who brings with him a wealth of expertise and ambition. NAE is a key part of Nottingham’s cultural scene, doing great work around the value of diversity in art and society. We look forward to seeing them continue to grow and take on a bigger role in the creative sector locally, nationally and internationally with Saad at the helm.”
Cllr Eunice Campbell-Clark, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Schools at Nottingham City Council said: “We’re proud and lucky to have a space like New Art Exchange here in Nottingham to celebrate the rich cultural diversity and heritage of our city. The innovation and experience Saad brings to NAE will further enhance its reputation locally, nationally and internationally as an inclusive and accessible contemporary arts venue.”
New Art Exchange (NAE) is a ground-breaking, award-winning and internationally recognised creative space in the heart of Hyson Green, Nottingham, dedicated to promoting excellence in culturally diverse contemporary arts.
They present a changing programme of exhibitions, public programmes, creative activities for families and young people, film screenings, festival days, and live performance. It is the executive producer of Nottingham Mela, the oldest Mela in the UK and supports emerging artists and creative practitioners of the future through a range of talent development initiatives.
To both inspire excellence and to support the development of new talent, they work with a range of artists from the internationally acclaimed to the local and emerging. The programme to date has included: John Akomfrah, Zarina Bhimji, Larissa Sansour, Hardeep Pandhal, Shiraz Bayjoo, Sarah Maple, Phoebe Boswell, Larry Achiampong, Ima-Abasi Okon, Zineb Sedira, Mahtab Hussain, Hetain Patel, Sonia Boyce, Hassan Hajjaj, Rashid Rana, Sethembile Msezane, Zanele Muholi, and Christine Sun Kim.
The organisation was formed in 2003 as a partnership between South Asian arts specialists APNA Arts and EMACA Visual Arts, a group dedicated to supporting African Caribbean artists. Together, these partners created a dynamic new organisation to drive the development of New Art Exchange.