Pushkin House is looking for new trustees

Pushkin House is navigating a period of challenge and renewal, exploring how best to support our communities in the decades to come while continuing to develop knowledge about Russia in times which call for new enquiry and re-evaluation of Russian culture.

We are looking for up to three enthusiastic and pro-active Trustees who can join us on this journey and help steer Pushkin House through the dynamic years ahead, engaging further with our current communities and broadening our reach and understanding.

We welcome applications from people with experience in fundraising and cultural organisations’development, community outreach and public engagement, public relations and communications, and enhancement of historic buildings. We also particularly encourage applications from people who are under-represented on our Board, including women, young people (30 and under), and people from and/or with a special interest in Eastern and Central Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.

aBOUT pUSHKIN hOUSE

Since it first opened as a residential home for international students in Ladbroke Grove in 1954, established by a group of scholars with Russian roots, Pushkin House has been a meeting point for intellectuals and creatives: from Anna Akhmatova to Maria Stepanova, from Isaiah Berlin to Antony Beevor, from Alexander Kerensky to Alexei Navalny. Pushkin House is a registered charity and has always been independent of any government or State. We currently operate from a historic Georgian building in Bloomsbury with a small, young and efficient core team, led by a full-time Executive Director and supported by freelance staff and volunteers, and a board of seven Trustees.

In today’s complex multicultural landscape, we believe that it is more important than ever not only to provide an in-depth understanding of Russia’s nuanced culture but also to reassess it and address more universal concerns and ambitions that transcend national definitions of culture. We aim to ensure relevance, rigour and independence in all that we do, and to encourage productive ways to address the many urgent questions which arise.

Our programme currently consists of four strands:

● engagement and participation (creative workshops; YOUNG meet-up spaces; co-creation activities)

● discursive programme (talks, seminars, symposia; film screenings; Book Prize)

● community outreach (reading groups; social events)

● exhibitions and commissions

ABOUT THE TRUSTEES’ ROLE

The Trustees’ role is to support the strategic vision and leadership of the organisation and to ensure that Pushkin House remains true to its mission, relevant to our artistic and local communities, well managed, in good standing with the Charity Commission, and financially sustainable. Trustees are appointed for a three-year term, renewable for up to two further terms.

Trustees are expected to:

● attend four Trustee meetings a year – these normally take place on weekday evenings

● join one of the Board’s committees – Finance, Development, Building and Facilities

● assist with fundraising

● participate in a number of special events at Pushkin House during the year.

We estimate that the time commitment will amount to 12-16 hours per month.

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

If you are interested in becoming a Trustee of Pushkin House, we would very much like to hear from you. Please send your CV with a cover letter (or recorded voice and video file if you prefer), to newtrustees@pushkinhouse.org.uk by 29th January 2024. We look forward to hearing from you.