Gallery Climate Coalition welcomes inaugural chair

The Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) has appointed FRANCES MORRIS as chair of the organisation’s board.

A museum curator, art historian and writer, Morris joined Tate as a curator in 1987. When Tate Modern opened in 2000, she became head of displays and then director of international art collections before taking over as director of Tate Modern from 2016 to 2023.

In 2019, Morris committed to halving the organisation’s carbon footprint by 2023, alongside other measures, including adopting a train-first travel policy, switching to a green electricity tariff, regular carbon auditing and the sustainable sourcing of produce for Tate’s restaurants. 

She is currently a visiting professor at Ewha Womans’ University, Seoul, and serves on advisory boards to several international museums and galleries, including the Whitechapel Art Gallery, London; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; MNAC, Bucuresti; and Serralves, Porto.

Discussing her appointment to GCC, an international coalition of more than 1,800 arts organisations and professionals working to reduce the visual art sector’s environmental impacts, Morris said: “The urgency of the climate crisis demands bold, collective action, and GCC has already made remarkable strides in galvanising the art world towards meaningful change.

“I have long admired the coalition’s commitment to practical, systemic solutions, and I look forward to working alongside the team and its members to accelerate this progress. Together, we have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to ensure that the arts lead by example in building a more sustainable future.”

Managing director at GCC HEATH LOWNDES added, “I’m delighted to welcome Frances to GCC’s board of trustees – her bold leadership and impressive track record of driving tangible climate action within a major institution, along with her unwavering commitment to systemic change, make her the ideal person to help lead GCC forward at this critical juncture.”