We are thrilled to announce that New Art Exchange has been featured in The Guardian in an insightful article titled “The art of the possible: the Nottingham art gallery being run by citizens’ assembly”
The piece highlights how our gallery is believed to be the first cultural institution in the world to hand permanent leadership to a citizens’ assembly with a group of 40 Hyson Green residents who decided everything from exhibitions and budgets to artistic strategy and our physical space.
It shares powerful voices from participants: “I used to see this place on the street, but I didn’t know what was here, I didn’t even know it was an art gallery,” says one assembly member. And it quotes our CEO, Saad Eddine Said: “Without citizens and community around the table shaping the direction and showing the horizon, we would quickly become an average organisation.”
As the article explains, the impact has been measurable: engagement at NAE is up by 22%, and the number of visitors from global ethnic-majority backgrounds has grown by 48%.
This milestone demonstrates what is possible when a cultural institution shifts from doing something for a community to doing something with a community. We’re proud of this recognition, but we’re even more excited about what comes next.
👉 Read the full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/nov/04/new-art-exchange-nottingham-community-run-art-gallery