Charleston director becomes Member of the Order of the British Empire: chief executive of Bloomsbury home near Lewes in King’s New Year Honours list 2024

Nathaniel Timothy Hepburn, 42, was awarded an MBE for services to the arts.

He said: “It’s a really special honour. I think it’s very important that our national honours system recognises the role that art, culture and heritage plays in our society and the role culture plays in improving people's lives.”

He continued: “I accept the honour with delight and surprise, but also on behalf of the whole team that makes Charleston so special. That’s an amazing team of volunteers: our board of volunteer trustees, our advisory groups and the staff team who all work tirelessly to bring this organisation to life and connect it with our communities.”

Nathaniel, who was previously director of Ditching Museum of Art + Craft, joined Charleston in 2017. Since then he has overseen the completion of the capital project, built the festival programme and opened Charleston’s second venue in Lewes in September 2023.

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Nathaniel said ‘Charleston in Lewes’ means Charleston has more space for ambitious exhibitions. He said: “The location in the heart of the town, adjacent to the railway station, means our programmes become more accessible to broader audiences. More than 30,000 people have been around Charleston in Lewes since it opened.”

He said: “It allows us to launch a community and learning programme, it allows us to bring more of our collection and open it out to the public and it allows us to provide space to work in partnership with creative industries in the area.”

The programme for Charleston Festival 2024 (May 16-27) has been announced. Visit www.charleston.org.uk/festival/charleston-festival-2024. Tickets go on general sale on February 29.

Nathaniel, who developed an expertise in 20th century British art and the Bloomsbury group artists, called Charleston a special place that he visited for years before joining.

He said he is proud of how it responded to the Covid-19 pandemic, saying that more than 2,500 people supported Charleston so it could come back stronger. He said: “I’m very proud of how the team and the board of trustees negotiated those real challenges that could have meant that Charleston stayed closed forever.”