Barbican's Sir Nicholas Kenyon to Step Down Amid Criticism of Organization

The Guardian has reported that the Barbican's managing director for 14 years, Sir Nicholas Kenyon, will step down in September amid criticism from the staff that the organization is "institutionally racist".

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Kenyon released a statement sharing:

"It's now time to hand over the next stage in the life of this great institution to others, and for the Barbican to have fresh leadership for a new generation,"

The Barbican and the City of London Corporation denied that Kenyon's decision to step down had been prompted by the staff's criticism.

"This move had been planned for some time with the City Corporation, which was aware of Nick's desire to move on after 14 years in post," a City of London Corporation spokesperson said.

A statement from the Barbican addressing the claims of institutional racism was released:

"The Barbican has been made aware of allegations of racist behaviour towards some members of our current and former staff.

The Barbican has always strived to be an inclusive, welcoming and open organisation. We are shocked and saddened to hear about these allegations, and will immediately launch an independent review into them.

Although we have not received formal complaints, all staff will be able to contribute to the independent review so that their experiences can be heard and those impacted can get the support they need. We want everyone's voice to be listened to and respected.

We fully recognise the pain and hurt caused by these experiences. We are committed to pursuing the ongoing programme of action which we have laid out to advance anti-racism in the organisation, and to achieve necessary change."

Read the full story HERE.