We are delighted that one of our trustees, Maria Bota, has been made an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours last Saturday for services to the arts.
Maria was Festival Director of the Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival from 2008 to 2013, during which time the company produced Cie Carabosse‘s Fire Garden at Stonehenge for London 2012.
Prior to that, Maria lived in Yorkshire for 10 years, working as General Manager of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and going on to work as Marketing Director and Deputy CEO at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall for seven years, before winning a fellowship on the Clore Leadership Programme and undertaking secondments with producers of major festivals and events, including Artangel (working on the Margate Exodus), Artichoke (working on the Sultan’s Elephant) and the culture10 team in Newcastle-Gateshead (working on their World Arts Summit in 2006).
Now living in Manchester, Maria develops creative visions, and curates and produces programmes across England.
“I am honoured to be receiving an OBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours 2019,” she says. “I take my hat off with gratitude to all the artists, makers, team members, supporters, volunteers and audiences with whom I have been fortunate to collaborate. Thank you all.”