Art History Link-Up expert panel, including Michael Craig-Martin and alumni, discuss why access to the arts is so vital
By Rose Aidin
Founder and CEO, Art History Link-Up
On Thursday 5 December, I had the pleasure of chairing a panel of eminent speakers to discuss the importance of access to the arts. With Art History Link-Up alumni present to put questions to the panel, and our current students able to watch on Zoom, it was a wonderful way of opening up the discussion and providing another, meaningful, dimension to our Art History teaching.
We are extremely grateful to our partner Christie’s for hosting the event and to our panel of speakers for joining us - artist Sir Michael Craig-Martin RA, art advisor and former President of Christie’s Jussi Pylkkanen, entrepreneur and creative leader Katy Wickremesinghe and Founder and CEO of Papier, and AHLU trustee, Taymoor Atighetchi.
The wide-ranging discussion touched on so many important issues for us. Michael Craig-Martin believes that art is the most important way in which a person learns about themselves however that the arts are also profoundly social and don’t make sense unless they are shared. The benefits of using your eyes, not your mind, to go on your own journey of self-discovery was highlighted by Jussi Pylkkanen who also pointed out that arts organisations need to create opportunities for access, such as paid internships. Taymoor Atighetchi highlighted what a visual world we live in and how we are exposed to some 10,000 visuals a day, and that therefore studying the arts should be perceived as a practical as well as academic endeavour. For Katy Wickremesinghe, art has helped her make sense of east-meets-west and of living in a multicultural city and she is passionate about the healing potential of art.
Our alumni asked fascinating and practical questions of our panel exploring how new policies and new technologies might change the art world; the impact of including art into the Education’s STEM format (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths); how community and culture intertwine, and how we can encourage creativity to survive throughout our lives.
Inspired by the discussion, our audience stayed to continue discussions informally. We hope you too will find the discussion interesting and I’m happy to share the following YouTube link.
Art History Link-Up 5 December panel discussion
If it inspires you to find out more or get involved, we would love to hear from you.
Art History is under threat
We believe art history should be for everyone, however fewer than 1% of state supported secondary schools offer Art History A Level. As a result, there is a lack of diversity in the arts sector and an increasing skills shortage. We are the only charity offering formal Art History teaching to school-aged students from all backgrounds. Your financial support will ensure that everyone has an opportunity to study art history: together we can transform the future of the arts.
