The Line Art Walk is London’s first dedicated public art walk. It connects the natural and built environments of East London through an outdoor exhibition programme that allows everyone to explore art, nature and heritage for free. The Line’s route runs between Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and The O2 and connects three of London’s most disadvantaged boroughs – Newham, Tower Hamlets and Greenwich – which have some of the capital’s poorest health outcomes and lowest levels of cultural engagement, and whose communities have suffered disproportionately from the impacts of Covid-19. There is an urgent need for The Line’s programmes that support local communities to recover from the pandemic – connecting local people with culture in the urban landscape.

The charity was established by Megan Piper and the late regeneration expert Clive Dutton OBE. Local support and engagement with other grassroots organisations were key to the development of The Line and continue to be fundamental to its success. The Line currently includes works by sixteen artists. The majority of these are loans from artists, galleries and private collections but the programme also highlights a number of pre-existing works along the route, including Antony Gormley’s Quantum Cloud.

The Line offers a journey along the waterways, through a dynamic landscape that combines cultural activity with education, health and wellbeing activities, and community support – believing in the role of art in engaging audiences for wider social benefit.

In 2020, The Line celebrated its fifth anniversary with the extension of its route into Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the launch of a new website and, for the first time, site-specific projects, commissions and cultural collaborations. The Line was awarded a Special Mention in the 2020 ULI Europe Awards for Excellence and has recently been listed in Condé Nast Traveller’s Best Walks in London. The Line has a digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

The Charity's fundraising and programming focuses around the following five strands:

• Learning & Participation – building new arts education programmes in three of the poorest boroughs in the UK to strengthen connections with schools and the local community.
• The Line Online – to enhance visitor experience, offering a key opportunity to raise the profile of The Line , attract new audiences and, importantly, build interest and confidence for future partners and supporters.
• Health & Wellbeing – new initiatives and trails to promote the health and wellbeing benefits of walking, running and cycling The Line.
• Projects & Commissions – temporary and permanent site-specific projects and commissions to complement The Line’s ongoing programme of exhibition loans.
• Capacity, Growth & Organisational Stability – investment in the organisation will build capacity and support its growth and long-term sustainability.

Becoming a Trustee for The Line is an exciting and fulfilling role. Trustees have overall control of the charity and are responsible for making sure it is doing what it was set up to do. Trustees are the people who lead the charity and decide how it is run. Previous board or Trustee experience is not necessary for this role as training will be provided and applications are welcome from people of all ages and backgrounds.

As a Board member, you will be expected to carry out the following duties:

• Make sure that The Line complies with its governing document (pursuing the objects as defined in it) and relevant legislation and regulations
• Scrutinise and approve accounts with the Board of Trustees to make sure that The Line remains financially viable
• Contribute to the Board’s role in giving firm strategic direction and setting overall policy
• Make sure that the Board is defining goals and setting targets for the organisation, and that performance is evaluated against these targets
• Observe all policies / procedures agreed by the board in day-to-day and strategic matters
• Actively participate in promoting the work and image of The Line to the wider community
• Comply with the charity's code of conduct, conflict of interest policy and professional standards by behaving in a professional manner at all times and promoting the charity’s policies including equality and diversity
• Make sure that operational, management and administrative processes are effective and efficient

The Line is looking for four new Trustees from a variety of different backgrounds, including finance, education, health and wellbeing, or community engagement. The Line would also like to encourage applications from individuals who live or work locally to the route of The Line as it is its wish for the expanded Board to include community representation. 

Finance: The ideal candidate must be financially qualified as they will be overseeing, approving and presenting budgets, accounts and financial statements to the Board. Experience of charity finance would be welcome.

Education: The ideal candidate will have an understanding of the specific needs facing families and schools in the boroughs along The Line. This may be from experience teaching or operating at a managerial level within a primary or secondary school / college in East London.

Health and wellbeing: As The Line is involved with social prescribing programmes between local residents and GPs, it is looking for a local GP / NHS staff member who serves East London and understands the needs and issues facing residents in these boroughs.

Community engagement: The Line is seeking someone who has experience of active involvement in their community and / or working in a local organisation that runs initiatives to support people locally. The ideal candidate will be a local resident.

This role is unremunerated, and reasonable, pre-agreed domestic travel expenses – as well as childcare costs, if applicable – will be reimbursed to cover meeting times. There are four Board meetings per year, which generally last from 4-6pm on Tuesdays, and will be a hybrid of in-person and virtual meetings. If this time is inconvenient for incoming Trustees, the Board will work to find a new meeting time that works for all members. Ad hoc events include one away day, plus additional meetings, training sessions and workshops as necessary. The appointment is for a three-year term, which can be renewed twice at the discretion of the Board.