Devyani Saltsman
The Barbican has announced that Devyani Saltzman has been appointed its new director for arts and participation. “Saltzman is a Canadian writer, curator, public thinker, and cultural leader with over fifteen years of experience in cultural institutions, at the intersection between art, ideas, and social change. She will take up her new role in early July,” according to the news release.
“Devyani Saltzman will develop an inspiring, distinctive, and forward-looking arts and participation programme. She will act as an enabler for the arts, championing the industry, and connecting within and outside the organization.”
Saltzman was the Art Gallery of Ontario's director of public programming and before that, she was the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity's director of literary arts. She is a founding curator of Luminato and is the vice chair of the Writers’ Trust of Canada and President of the Toronto Arts Council. She holds a degree in Human Sciences from Oxford University. In 2025, her new book, EXITING: Towards a Future of Work that Serves Us All, will be published by Random House.
“I really believe this generation of leadership can envision not only the best of creative practice and programming, but embody a healthier way of thinking and working, especially for the communities we serve and our own staff,” Saltzman said in the release.
“I’m honoured to be joining the extraordinary team at the Barbican. I can’t wait to work with them and London’s many communities, to create a space that is both international and deeply local: daring, trust-based, politically relevant, and at the forefront of artistic practice.”
Located in London, England, The Barbican focuses on all major art forms, including dance, film, music, theatre and visual arts.
Source: The Barbican