Newcastle City Council has announced the appointment of a Director for the Newcastle Art Gallery and the Newcastle Museum, as part of its new organisational restructure.

Lauretta Morton is the new Director of the Art Gallery and Julie Baird will be the Director of the Museum. Both have been the managers of their respective cultural institutions. Lauretta Morton has overseen more than 30 exhibitions in her three years as Manager of the Newcastle Art Gallery. Julie Baird led the Museum’s transition from its former location in Newcastle West to one of Newcastle’s most popular visitor locations and has continued to the present day as its Manager.

Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Bath has made the appointments as part of a new organisational restructure endorsed by Council at a meeting held on Tuesday 27 of March.

“The organisation design will be shared in full with staff and the public next Tuesday. The new structure will ensure staff more clearly understand their role and purpose, and will deliver a better focus on servicing the community,” he said.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said that it was industry standard for cultural institutions of the calibre of the Newcastle Art Gallery and the Museum to title their leader as Director. “In their respective industry worlds, the title of Director better ensures quality collections, astute acquisitions and also helps attract donations. This change will further consolidate the importance of these facilities to our city,” said the Lord Mayor.

The new structure has resulted in some roles no longer existing in the organisation.

Mr Bath says that four senior staff have chosen to part ways with Council today – Regulatory Services Manager, Director Planning and Regulatory, Director Cultural Facilities and Civil Works Manager.

“I would like to thank these staff for their contributions to our city during their periods with Council,” he said.

The Lord Mayor said reinstating designated Gallery and Museum Directors is a positive step for both of these much loved community facilities. “When Council adopted the Cultural Strategy in 2015, we discussed restoring these roles as part of a future restructure so it is a great outcome to see this come to fruition. It highlights the importance of these two cultural institutions and their role in attracting visitors to the city”.