Hilary Gresty

Born 1954. Curator at Kettle’s Yard from 1983-89. Had worked at Windsor Castle and the Tate Gallery before then as a librarian. Had visited Kettle’s Yard in the late 1970s and was impressed with what she saw. Hilary was appointed Assistant Curator at Kettle’s Yard but within a few months, she took on the Curator post, following Jeremy Lewison’s departure for a post at the Tate Gallery (the Curator and Asst Curator posts were funded by an endowment from Jim Ede).

Hilary developed the cataloging of objects in the house and extended the programme of activities and exhibitions. Hilary regularly visited Jim Ede in Edinburgh. She is still unsure whether he appreciated the appointment of a woman to the post of Curator. In her interview, she describes the dilemmas of the house, particularly the inability to change and move objects around, but she has a lot of respect for Jim Ede’s vision.

At the time of interview she was a freelance curator and writer living in Cambridgeshire.