It’s with great sadness that on Tuesday 15th October, our wonderful Chair, Marc Crank sadly passed away.
I first met Marc back in the early 2000’s when he was the CEO of Disability Solutions. He first became Chair of FRONTLINEdance from 15 April 2004 to 13 October 2008. He rejoined the board again as Chair and Director in September 2023.
Marc led with great care, compassion and humour. He was a committed, knowledgeable, and experienced, Chair, whom we were very lucky to have on our board. He was enthusiastic about the work that we do here at FRONTLINEdance, and very supportive of me as the Artistic Director/CEO.
Marc’s job as CEO at several charities, meant that he could share his knowledge and experience with me and the rest of the team. He understood and acted on the importance of his role from both sides. He ensured that we met monthly, and always thanked me for the work I was doing. He also always ended by reminding me to take care and not to forget to look after myself.
His advice, words of wisdom and compassion prominently whirl around in my head. They will offer me support and strength as we plough through the many plans and activities, we have for FRONTLINEdance.
Our thoughts and condolences are with Marc’s wife Fiona, his family, friends and colleagues.
Rachael Lines, Artistic Director / CEO, FRONTLINEdance
(Marc Crank, June 1969- October 2024).
VD: A portrait painting image of Marc. He is wearing a blue shirt and green chinos. One leg is lifted and tucked behind the other. He is smiling whilst siting on an antique red and mahogany stool, in front of a fire place
Image Copyright: © the artist. Image credit: Girton College, University of Cambridge. Alastair Christian Adams (b.1969)
The painting was created whilst Marc was Chief Executive for Henshaws North West. Marc regularly spoke about his experience of living with a facial disfigurement. Alastair Adams first approached him about sitting for a portrait in order to enable him to further his research into the reflective values of the portrait painting process. Before, during and after his sittings with Marc, Alastair gathered video footage and recorded interviews with him and his immediate family, and used the process of the production of the painting as a method to gather information on the impact of facial disfigurement. The final painting was exhibited at the 2009 Royal Society of Portrait Painters Exhibition.
The painting then went on to the National Portrait Gallery and was exhibited between June and September, 2009.
