He was referring to the wartime Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (Cema), which would become the Arts Council of Great Britain. This week Dawn Airey, the former head of Channel 5, took over as chair of Arts Council England (ACE) from Sir Nicholas Serota. View image in fullscreen Dawn Airey, the new chair of Arts Council England. “The Arts Council is not altogether on our side,” John Gilhooly, the director of the Wigmore Hall, told the BBC. There is much to be done before the Arts Council celebrates its 100th birthday.