Museum of London Director at 'Art and Cities'

Sharon Ament, Director of the Museum of London is returning to Future Cities Forum to talk about the much anticipated museum's move to West Smithfield and the introduction to new surroundings and community. She will be speaking at our 8th April 'Art and Cities' forum at Goldsmiths' Hall, City of London with Paul Williams, Co-founder of Stanton Williams, the architects in charge of the design of the new museum.

The museum will be at the heart of a new cultural hub in the City of London and aims to be one of the capital's top five most visited museums. The museum will sit within 'The Culture Mile' , centred on the Barbican complex and this runs from Farringdon to Moorgate on its east-west axis and from the London Symphony Orchestra at St Luke's to St Paul's Cathedral on its north-south axis.

Culture Mile will be the newest cultural destination in London. It will be the creative heart of the Square Mile - an internationally renowned, distinctive, vibrant and welcoming centre for the arts, heritage, learning and entertainment. Culture Mile will comprise comprehensive highways, streetscapes, and open public spaces.

Direct access to Culture Mile will be possible from all of London's mainline stations plus its five major airports. When Crossrail opens in 2018 the Culture Mile will be one of the most accessible cultural areas in London. With the further developments in transport links an estimated 1 million visitors are expected from 2018 onwards.

Sharon joined The Museum of London in September 2012 to steer the museum through the next phase of development. Her career started in Liverpool with a number of social causes, followed by work in wildlife conservation, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, the Zoological Society of London and The Natural History Museum. Sharon sits on the International Panel of the ArtScience Museum in Singapore and is a member of the Arts Council England's London Area Council, the Mayor's Cultural Strategy Group and chaired the City of London Corporation's planning board to create an impactful Great Fire 350 anniversary event in 2016.