Stephen Snoddy is Director of The New Art Gallery Walsall. His previous positions include being Director at Baltic, Southampton City Art Gallery and Milton Keynes Gallery.
Is there an object or work of art that has inspired you, encouraged you to work in a different way or given you a great idea?
There is a great Morris Louis ‘veil’ painting in the Ulster Museum, Belfast which made me look at how the process of the making of a painting is important in the meaning of the final work. It made me change the way I looked at art.
pic - veil painting - from Ulster Museum
Can you name a person who has inspired you?
Declan McGonagle previous Director of Orchard Gallery, Derry and IMMA, Dublin was inspirational because he managed to keep the interest of artists as a top priority and combine this with programmes of social relevance and context.
Declan McGonagle. Courtesy Decland McGonagle
McGonagle is the only person to be shortlisted for the Turner Prize for curating. He was shortlisted in 1987 for his work at the Orchard Gallery. He was also the first director of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, opened 1991.
Which ideas or creations in your work, are you most proud of? This can be something really significant or quite minor.
I am most proud of being the Founder Director of Milton Keynes Gallery (opened 1989) and having got it designed, built and up and running within 18 months and having the inaugural exhibition with Gilbert & George and to see that it has gone from strength to strength as it approaches its 10th year.
Can you think of any current innovations (in science, technology, art etc.), which have had an impact on your life?
I was just wondering the other day how we managed to organise exhibitions without emails. When I started at Arnolfini, Bristol in 1987 we didn’t even have a fax machine and I had to walk over to Watershed to use the fax machine there.
Computer technology has made a big difference but it also has its drawbacks – ie with a BlackBerry there is no escape!
Tell us what you think. We would like you to use our simple Storymaker editing tool to tell us what you'd put in a museum of me. We will be selecting some of the most interesting examples and publishing them next to the expert’s views during MGM 2008.
