Yorkshire Sculpture Park has announced the appointment of Joe Hill as its new Director and Chief Executive. Hill will take up the role on 14th April, leading the organisation into a pivotal period ahead of its 50th anniversary in 2027.
“Yorkshire Sculpture Park is a place I have admired for a long time for its ambition, generosity and deep
Joe Hill
connection to artists and landscape. I am thrilled to be joining as Director and Chief Executive, and look
forward to working with the team to ensure YSP continues to grow as a truly global destination for
sculpture, while remaining deeply rooted in Yorkshire and the communities and landscape that make it so
distinctive. I’m excited to build on YSP’s remarkable artistic programme and to strengthen its long-term
resilience, ensuring it continues to support artists and welcome audiences in ever more inspiring ways.”
Set within 500 acres of historic parkland in West Bretton, YSP has built an international reputation for its ambitious approach to sculpture and site-responsive practice. Hill’s appointment reflects the Trustees’ ambition for the organisation’s next phase, recognising his track record of guiding cultural institutions through growth, transformation and increased national visibility.
Originally from Yorkshire and trained as an artist, Hill joins YSP from Towner Eastbourne, where he has served as Director and CEO for the past eight years. His tenure there was marked by a strong artistic vision, significant collection development and a deep commitment to community engagement, keeping artists and audiences at the centre of the organisation’s mission.
Under Hill’s leadership, Towner Eastbourne won Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2020, hosted the Turner Prize in 2023 and secured funding for a major capital project at Black Robin Farm on the South Downs, creating a new arts, environment and heritage centre. Audience numbers grew substantially during this period, alongside an ambitious redevelopment of the gallery’s Eastbourne building.
Hill was selected following a highly competitive international recruitment process, attracting applications from across three continents. As Director and Chief Executive, he will steer YSP’s artistic and strategic development, strengthening its role as a centre for commissioning, learning and research, while shaping a long-term vision across its outdoor landscape, indoor galleries and award-winning visitor facilities.
Alongside his institutional leadership, Hill is an active contributor to national cultural policy, including serving as a member of the Turner Prize 2026 jury and holding leadership roles within regional and sector-wide networks such as Culture East Sussex and the South East Creative Economy Network. His career reflects a sustained belief in contemporary art’s capacity to shape civic life and reimagine relationships between culture, place and landscape.
About
Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) is the leading international centre for modern and contemporary sculpture. Welcoming around 380,000 visitors each year, YSP is a registered charity and accredited museum situated within the 500-acre, 18th-century Bretton Hall estate in West and South Yorkshire.
YSP is the largest sculpture park in Europe. Founded in 1977 by Sir Peter Murray CBE, it is currently led by Interim Director Kevin Rodd. It is the only place in Europe to see Barbara Hepworth’s The Family of Man in its entirety, alongside a significant collection of sculpture. This includes bronzes by Henry Moore, important works by Roger Hiorns, Damien Hirst, Kimsooja, Marc Quinn, Hank Willis Thomas and Erwin Wurm, and site-specific installations by Hemali Bhuta, Andy Goldsworthy, Alfredo Jaar, David Nash, Sean Scully and James Turrell.
YSP presents a year-round programme of temporary exhibitions, featuring many of the world’s leading artists across three indoor galleries and the outdoor landscape. Highlights have included exhibitions by Fiona Banner, Anthony Caro, Tony Cragg, Leonardo Drew, Robert Indiana, Amar Kanwar, KAWS, William Kentridge, Bharti Kher, Joan Miró, Henry Moore, Lindsey Mendick, Annie Morris, Giuseppe Penone, Jaume Plensa, Ursula von Rydingsvard, Sean Scully, Chiharu Shiota, Yinka Shonibare CBE, David Smith, Joana Vasconcelos, Bill Viola and Erwin Wurm.
Over its 49-year history, YSP has worked with more than 1,000 artists from over 40 countries, supporting projects ranging from short-term residencies to major surveys. YSP is rare in offering on-site accommodation, workshops and specialist expertise that enable open-ended, experimental and risk-taking practice, giving artists the space, time and support to develop new ideas.
Throughout this period, YSP has sought to ignite, nurture and sustain interest in contemporary art and sculpture, particularly among those for whom art engagement is not habitual or familiar. The organisation champions open access to art, ideas and experiences, continually reassessing the role and relevance of art in society. Each year, 40,000 people engage with YSP’s learning programme, which aims to build confidence, skills and life aspiration through creative participation.
YSP’s core work is supported by investment from Arts Council England, Wakefield Council, Roger Evans, the Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation, The Garfield Weston Foundation and the Dunard Fund. YSP was named Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2014 and received the 2023 Visitor Attraction of the Year and Cultural Award at the Yorkshire Post Tourism Awards. @yspsculpture
