Meet Ren Renwick, RWA Director

Ren Renwick sits on a grey sofa underneath a series of portraits of elderly Black women from the Evergreen Elders club in Bristol.

Welcome, Ren! Can you tell us a bit about yourself? 

I've been involved in the arts since I was a teenager when I got involved in the backstage of professional theatre – and it was just fantastic! It was a real turning point- I'd found what I really loved and wanted to be involved in. 

Since then, and with a degree under my belt, I’ve worked across the creative industries - from touring theatre, to the BBC, festivals, and art galleries. I've worked in a very wonderful arts centre in Melbourne in Australia and in a central London local authority, and in both instances built relationships with communities who both love art and wouldn’t normally engage with art.  

I am driven by the belief that great art should be accessible and enriching for everyone to enjoy and create, as this, really simply, makes our world a better place. 

 

What has life been like since moving to Bristol? 

I moved to Bristol about 5 or 6 years ago with my family, completed a Masters at Bristol Uni, and in the process really fell in love with the city (and all its hills). 

Most recently I was CEO at a health charity in Bristol, which feels a little bit leftfield but in fact was a real honour. It was the same as I had been doing before but in a different context - working with brilliant teams of people and volunteers and making impossible budgets work.  

That role taught me so many things, but one very important one - what really drives me is my love of the arts, and, 20-something years on from starting out, I still passionately believe in the importance of art and creativity in our lives and in our cities. 

 

What attracted you to the RWA? 

I've long been an admirer of the RWA - the grandeur of the building and sense of history is very elegant, and that's balanced by the very human and friendly welcome that you get from everyone. As I learnt more about the RWA I realised the fact that it has such a long history of art making (and of strong women!) is something very special.   

 

How to you plan spend your first month at the RWA? 

My plan is to really get to understand the RWA, to understand what's brilliant and what's not so brilliant so that we can make the organisation the best it can possibly be. 
 

 

What are you looking forward to the most this year? 

Meeting people!  I'm really looking forward to getting to know the RWA community - staff, volunteers, Academicians, Artist Network members, Friends, workshop attendees, Drawing School tutors and students - there are so many people who make up what the RWA is and I have already been inspired by so many of the stories and artworks I've seen.