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National Service – leading institutions today
10 June 2025 @ 5.30pm to 7.00pm
About National Service – leading institutions today
What does it mean to lead a national institution today? Join prominent cultural leaders for a candid conversation about balancing history with innovation and holding the tension between tradition and change. How do personal values sit in relationship with the responsibilities of institutional leadership?
Guest speakers include Devyani Saltzman, Director for Arts and Participation at the Barbican, John McGrath, Factory International Artistic Director & Chief Executive; Professor Michael Smets, Senior Research Fellow of Green Templeton College and Professor of Management at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Chaired by Kate McGrath. Further guest speakers will be announced soon.
This talk is part of Fuelling Change: Values and Ethics in Cultural Production.
Public Conversations, Live from Oxford
We live in a world full of evolving ethical questions and dilemmas. Our cultural life reflects the society we live in. How do cultural leaders approach these questions and dilemmas today? What place do values have in navigating decision making? How do cultural leaders manage conflicts or tensions when they arise? How can vision and values align?
A series of three public conversations with leaders from across the cultural landscape – independents, founders, and leaders of major institutions exploring approaches to ethics and values in cultural production today.
The events are curated and hosted by Kate McGrath, Artistic Director & CEO of Fuel, as part of her Fellowship with the Cultural Programme and Hertford College at Oxford University. The Fellowship offers artists and curators the chance to reflect on their practice, develop new work, and share it with a wider audience.
Coinciding with Kate’s twentieth anniversary leading Fuel, this research and series of events provide a unique opportunity to reflect on the past, look ahead, and explore the evolving opportunities and challenges of cultural leadership today.
Each conversation will also be recorded and released as a podcast, available on Fuel Digital and other digital platforms, ensuring these discussions reach an even wider audience.
Co-produced by the Cultural Programme at Oxford University and Fuel. In partnership with Story Museum, Old Fire Station, and Oxford Playhouse.
Tickets
Please see important booking information below.
Booking information
Ticket prices:
Free event
Dates & times:
Tuesday 10 June 2025 at 5.30pm
Running time:
90 minutes with Q&A
About The Old Fire Station
The Old Fire Station in Oxford is an arts centre with a unique social mission, combining creativity with community impact. Located in the city centre, it hosts a vibrant programme of theatre, exhibitions, music, comedy, and workshops.
It shares its space with the homelessness charity Crisis Skylight Oxford, supporting people experiencing homelessness through training and opportunities in the arts. By bringing artists, audiences, and vulnerable communities together, The Old Fire Station aims to challenge inequality and inspire positive change.
Discover more about The Old Fire Station, including travel, access and venue information.