Victoria Pomery

Victoria Pomery was appointed Director of Turner Contemporary in 2002 to develop an arts organisation in Margate, Kent, as part of a strategy of cultural led regeneration. Working with a small team and with funding from Kent County Council and Arts Council England, Victoria developed a programme of audience development work which included exhibitions, commissions and events. In summer 2006 she was part of the selection panel which appointed David Chipperfield Architects to design a gallery building with a budget of £17.4m. Victoria worked closely with David and his team on the design development. After significant fund raising, the gallery went on site in 2009 and opened to huge critical acclaim in April 2011.
Since opening the gallery has welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors including HM The Queen and the Prime Minister and now employs 50 FTEs. The gallery runs an ambitious programme of temporary exhibitions of historical and contemporary art, an exemplary Learning Programme and a dynamic Public Programme. The gallery also operates a café, shop and venue hire business. Turner Contemporary is an active member of the Plus Tate network enabling key loans to be made from Tate Collection including works by JMW Turner.
In 2012, Victoria was awarded an OBE for services to the arts. In 2013 she was made a Kent Ambassador, received an Honorary Masters Degree from the University for the Creative Arts and judged the BP Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery.
Victoria is Chair of the Contemporary Visual Arts Network (South East) and is a board member of the Area Council for Arts Council England South East.