Beth Hughes has been a Curator at Arts Council Collection since 2014, based at Southbank Centre, and is responsible for the care and research of the non-sculptural holdings as well as overseeing the loans programme and supporting organisations around the country to borrow from the Collection. Beth’s curatorial practice balances the fundamental belief in the importance and power of public art collections with a dedicated commitment to collaboration and access. Since joining the Arts Council Collection, Beth has curated a number of exhibitions including Criminal Ornamentation: Yinka Shonibare MBE curates the Arts Council Collection, the Grayson Perry tapestry series, The Vanity of Small Differences and is currently working on a forthcoming major project with Lubaina Himid CBE.
Beth leads the Working Class British Art Network and her research interests include the position of working class women artists in Britain since 1970 and examining working class representation in publicly funded contemporary art collections.
