Alex Poots

Alex Poots
Name	Alex Poots
Birth place	Glasgow, Scotland
Nationality	British
Occupation	Arts administrator, curator
Known for	Founding the Manchester International Festival, founding artistic director of The Shed
Education	Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

Alex Poots is a prominent British arts administrator and curator renowned for founding and leading several major international cultural institutions. He is the founding director of the Manchester International Festival and served as the inaugural artistic director and CEO of The Shed in New York City. Poots is celebrated for his visionary approach to commissioning and presenting ambitious, cross-disciplinary new work from leading global artists across music, visual arts, theatre, and dance.

Early life and education

He was born in Glasgow and developed an early interest in the arts. Poots pursued his formal training at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, where he studied contemporary dance. His early professional experiences included working with various dance companies and theatre groups across the United Kingdom, which laid the groundwork for his future curatorial career. This foundational period immersed him in the practical and creative processes of performance.

Career

His career began in earnest with roles at significant London-based arts organizations, where he developed a reputation for innovative programming. Poots served as the head of programming at the Barbican Centre, overseeing its diverse international arts calendar. He later became the director of the contemporary arts program at the English National Opera, further expanding his network and expertise in commissioning large-scale new works. These positions established him as a key figure within the European cultural landscape.

The Shed and The Factory

In 2015, he was appointed the founding artistic director and CEO of The Shed, a major new flexible arts center in Hudson Yards. Under his leadership, The Shed opened in 2019 with a program featuring commissions from artists like Steve McQueen, Björk, and Trisha Brown. Concurrently, Poots was also named the founding CEO of Factory International, the permanent home for the Manchester International Festival, a project closely tied to his earlier work in that city. He left The Shed in 2022 to focus fully on the development of Factory International.

Manchester International Festival

He conceived and launched the Manchester International Festival in 2007, serving as its artistic director and CEO until 2015. The biennial festival, the first of its kind in the UK to be dedicated entirely to original, commissioned work, quickly gained an international reputation. Landmark commissions under his tenure included Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's Monkey: Journey to the West, a Marina Abramović retrospective, and Björk's Biophilia project. The festival's success transformed Manchester into a leading destination for contemporary artistic production.

Other projects and roles

Beyond his institutional leadership, he has curated major exhibitions and projects worldwide, including the Armory Show in New York City. Poots has served on the boards and advisory committees of numerous arts organizations, such as the London Symphony Orchestra and the The Kitchen. He is a frequent speaker at global forums like the World Economic Forum in Davos and has contributed to publications on cultural policy. His influence extends into academia through guest lectureships at institutions including New York University.

Personal life

He maintains a private personal life, dividing his time between the United Kingdom and the United States. Poots is married to Geraldine Poots, a producer and former director of the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Arts. The couple are known to be supporters of various charitable arts and educational initiatives. His work has been recognized with several honorary doctorates from universities in recognition of his contributions to culture.

Category:British arts administrators Category:Scottish curators Category:People from Glasgow