Introducing Kate, our new Head of Cultural Programming

Even with an impressive career history at well-known cultural venues across the UK, Kate Brindley was still dazzled by the unique draw of Haigh. That rousing feeling will be familiar to regular visitors to Wigan’s ‘Jewel in the Crown’. But for this relative newcomer, it has brought with it a sense of excitement and anticipation of what’s to come.

“I was pretty blown away by the scale and the potential,” she explains, recounting her first visit to the site. “At that point I hadn’t even been inside the hall itself. The potential of transforming these buildings is something else. And it’s just an incredible landscape (the woodland park). It’s just so impressive.”

Having taken up her new post as Head of Cultural Programming in July, Kate has already made big inroads when it comes to mapping out the cultural ambitions of the site. The ambition is for the hall to appeal to wider audiences once its transformation is complete, and for the wider site to provide opportunities for everyone. “That’s the aspiration, to give those opportunities. Haigh is for the young, the old and everyone in between,” she says. “We want to offer a high-quality destination that is accessible, diverse, welcoming, and leaves people feeling inspired. From visual arts, immersive experiences, and even film or performance-based exhibitions, it’s an exciting mix.”

Kate joins the team having worked as an expert consultant within the arts and culture sector, following successful tenures at the iconic Chatsworth House in Derbyshire and the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA) amongst others. Creative arts have been a passion throughout her life, and her new role is much more than just another job, she explains.

Speaking to us from her base in the Kitchen Courtyard, her enthusiasm is clear to see. “Working in the arts is a vocation, not a career, because I think it takes huge commitment and passion, and that’s something that I have been driven by for 30 years.” she says. “Growing up, I was very creative. I was really interested in creative subjects and a talented artist as a youngster. Then I started school, and they started taking us to museums, that’s when this whole new world opened up for me. It really opened up my imagination.”

This inspiration from an early age is something she would like to focus on at Haigh. “If we can give those moments of inspiration to young people here, that’s what I think should drive us all. When I think of some of the most important places in my life that I’ve returned to over and over again, the spark came from childhood, to a teenager and then to an adult. And then I’ve taken my family, too. I never cease to be delighted by that, and we want everyone to have access to the best of art on their doorstep, from a young age right through to adulthood. I think we can bring the best of creative practice to Haigh, it’s not just a local story, we can be a national and international story.”

The offer at Haigh, of course, isn’t limited to the hall itself. The transformation will see art commissions across the wider estate too.

One of these imminent opportunities will see an artist brought on board to curate an installation which will sit at the historic, Grade II listed Plantation Gates. This is where the two historic lodges are being renovated, opening up a whole new section of the park for the public to enjoy.

With work on the Haigh transformation continuing at pace, it’s clear that the future of the site – and its cultural offer – is bright. People, culture and horticulture are all central to the project and there’s so much opportunity that comes with its future.

Given Kate’s impressive background, it’s no surprise her summation of Haigh’s potential comes in the form of an arts and culture metaphor. “The great thing about the hall and the park is they’re massive canvasses, aren’t they? Not only is Haigh a beautiful, amazing park, but we’re soon going to have an incredible new cultural venue and incredible new gardens. It’s a really great project for Wigan borough; the scale of it, the opportunity it’s going to bring. I think everyone is in for a real treat.”

Follow Haigh Hall on Instagram (external link), to stay up to date with the project including more updates from Kate.