Mrs Elizabeth Conran OBE

The distinguished Honorary Vice-President of the Arts Society North Yorkshire and South Durham, Elizabeth Conran, stepped down at our recent AGM after many years of highly valued support.  Elizabeth has been a prominent figure in the Arts in northern England.  Curator of the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle for 22 years from 1979 to 2001, she introduced a programme of modern art exhibitions there.  She promoted the lending of paintings and artefacts between major galleries, raising the profile of the Bowes nationally and internationally, and led successful fund-raising campaigns for new acquisitions.  She organised centenary celebrations in 1992, helping to cement the Bowes in its local community, and was awarded the OBE in 1994.  With the Museum at one stage facing closure during the winter months, Elizabeth was involved in the challenging transition of this major regional gallery from local authority asset to oversight by a Charitable Trust and successful re-launch in 1998.   On her retirement 25 years, Elizabeth described herself as an art junkie; that devotion to the arts has been clearly evident in her sustained contribution to the Arts Society in our region since then, and we are very grateful to her for all she has done.