Patricia Lankester

Biography
I work independently in the areas of grant making, education, heritage and the arts. By profession I am a teacher: I taught humanities subjects in North London comprehensive schools for 8 years and for 2 years in an American community college. In America I also worked in the heritage world. After that I moved to the National Trust tasked to establish and run its education department across the UK. Thereafter I became Director of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation for 7 years- a major grant making trust with an emphasis on working to combat disadvantage through arts and education projects and partnerships. I have been a trustee of various charitable organisations, been a member of government and arts advisory groups, and was a trustee of the Heritage Lottery Fund for six years. I am Chair of the Tate Liverpool Council and also serve on the National Gallery Board of Trustees as the Tate Liaison Trustee.
Why I wanted to become a Tate Trustee
A central strand running through my life in education has been working to de-mystify culture and cultural institutions so as to enable children and young people, whatever their own cultural heartland, to enjoy visiting and participating in arts events in an easy and creative way. As a teacher I was hugely influenced by the Schools Council History Project which used the historic environment as a curriculum focus - meaning that teachers and students were frequently away from the classroom exploring extraordinary buildings and developing scenarios about the past drawn from first hand observation. Since then, and through my work at the National Trust, and with arts organisations when I was at the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, I've come to love the world of museums and galleries, and have seen how electric their impact on all of us can be. As a child I never went to galleries, nor when I was at university, even though I was in the middle of London. I simply can't believe now that I was so unaware.
I have admired Tate's work with teachers and particularly the approach to education and learning at Tate Modern since its opening. The opportunities for learners of all ages to develop their own creativity and responses are tremendous. I wanted to be a trustee of Tate partly because of the vitality of the whole enterprise in bringing contemporary and historical visual art to so many people, and because I believe that my wide experience and involvement with arts and learning institutions can contribute an added perspective.
Appointment Information
Appointed by: Prime Minister
Appointment: 13 April 2005
Re-Appointment: 13 April 2009
Term expires: 12 April 2013
Other Membership:
- Tate Liverpool Council (Chair)
- Freedom Of Information Appeals Committee (Chair)
- Ethics Committee
Declaration of Members' Interests between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008
Employment1
The Balance Charitable Foundation Consultancy
The Heritage Lottery Fund Consultancy
The Clore Duffield Foundation Consultancy
The Young Foundation Consultancy
The Bowland Charitable Trust Consultancy
Directorships of companies2
Eureka! Children's Museum, Halifax
The Foundling Museum, London
Hanover Foundation
The Sage Gateshead (North Music Trust)
National Gallery
Membership of non-profit making organisations3
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
Shareholding4
nil
Connections between Trustees and others connected with Tate5
nil
Any other interests6
nil
Signed and Dated by Patricia Lankester on 2 April 2008.
Notes:
- Employment, remunerated trade, profession, public office or consultancy
- Directorships of companies, both public and private, both remunerated and unremunerated
- Membership of non-profit making organisations, clubs or associations and professional bodies which have significant dealings with Tate or whose activities could relate to Tate's work
- Names of companies and organisations in which the member or his/her family or associates has a controlling interest or shares or securities and which could be involved in the supply of goods or have business dealings with Tate
- This includes commercial interests with other Trustees, Tate's lawyers (Withers; Linklaters; Brachers) and Tate's auditors (National Audit Office; Baker Tilly; Grant Thornton; AHL Ltd. RSM Bentley and Grant Thornton will act as Tate's internal Auditors from 1 April 2008).
- Trustees are advised to declare anything which a member of the public, knowing the facts, might reasonably think is significant and relevant.
