Mr. Poots (Photo courtesy of Antony Crook/The Guardian)

The Park Avenue Armory has named Alex Poots, who runs the Manchester International Festival, its artistic director. He will begin work in 2012.

"Alex has distinguished himself at the Manchester International Festival with bold and brilliant commissions, and he has developed groundbreaking productions in unconventional spaces," said Park Avenue President Rebecca Robertson. "With his artistic vision and sensibility, he is the perfect person to help the Armory realize its vision. We are also looking forward to developing collaborative projects with the highly acclaimed Manchester International Festival.”

The New York Times reports that the Armory plans to triple its artistic budget to $5 million by 2013.