ACE welcomes equity champion as Midlands area chair

PAWLET BROOKES MBE has been appointed as the Midlands area chair for Arts Council England by Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport LISA NANDY.

Brookes’ role will run for a four-year term beginning this month.

Brookes is the founder, chief executive and artistic director of Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage, a Leicester-based National Portfolio Organisation that seeks to champion cultural equity in the UK and internationally.

She is also a freelance consultant at Brookes and Warner Partnership and founder of Let’s Dance International Frontiers, an annual festival for global dance in Leicester.

She has held leadership roles, including chief executive at Rich Mix, artistic director at Peepul Centre, and quality and development manager at Leicester City Council, and has previously served as a Midlands area council member.

Brookes was awarded an MBE for Services to the Arts and Cultural Diversity in 2022. She also holds Honorary Fellowships from Northern School of Contemporary Dance and Falmouth University, as well as an Honorary Doctor of Arts from De Montfort University.

ACE said it was “delighted” to announce Brookes’ appointment, adding: “Pawlet has been a long-term member of the Midlands area council, contributing her expertise to funding policy and sector strategy, as well as speaking regularly on equity and representation in the arts”.