SAVE ART HISTORY

Why does art history matter? Today, more than ever, we are surrounded by images. They inform and persuade; they make us feel, persuade us to act; they glorify some, and exclude others. To understand their power, we must understand their history.

Yet art history is now under threat, perceived as the preserve of a privileged elite. Fewer than eight state schools offer the subject at A Level and it could vanish entirely. However, hundreds of students from under-represented backgrounds, from hundreds of state schools across the UK, have studied art history with us. They prove that art history is for everyone.

We need these young people to shape a rich and representative visual culture. We must act now to ensure they have access to the knowledge and qualifications to be the next arts leaders.

This is why we have set up the Save Art History fund. With your support, young people from all backgrounds can study art history in some of our finest galleries and online, gain qualifications, meet experts from the art world, and be supported into top universities and work placements.

Art History Link-Up is a registered charity with no public subsidy. Our work is only possible thanks to the generosity of our donors. Whether you make a donation to the Save Art History fund, join as a Patron or support one of our programmes, you can help save art history.

To donate, please visit our donations portal, fill in the form below or email [email protected] for more information. You can download our Case for Support here.

Thank you,

Rose Aidin
Founder and Chief Executive

TRANSFORMING YOUNG LIVES

PATRONS & BENEFACTORS

Join the heart of our community as Patron or Benefactor. Your gift will save art history by funding the core operations that make all our work possible.

As a Patron, you are invited to lectures, discussions, and events in association with Art History Link-Up’s partners, including Christie’s, Inigo, and other organisations. Principal Benefactors and Benefactors are also invited to the prestigious annual AHLU Chair’s event alongside our most significant funders and partners. If you are aged between 18 and 45, you may like to consider our Young Patrons programme with its dedicated committee and events.

“Art History Link-Up is a fundamental bridge in enabling talented individuals from diverse backgrounds to step into the art world. Christie’s is enormously proud of our close association — helping us all through education to fully understand the relevance of art in the modern world.”
– Orlando Rock, Chairman, Christie’s

Annual gifts

• Principal Benefactor £10,000
• Benefactor £5,000
• Patron £1,000 
• Young Patron (aged 18–45)  £250

ACCESS TO LEARNING

STUDENT SUPPORT

Our accredited courses are designed for state-supported students who cannot access art history at school or college. Although the courses are free, we want to eliminate all financial barriers to participation.

By donating to Art History Link-Up, you will not only support an individual student’s learning experience, but also help fund the tools they need, especially those restricted by disability or location.

With your support, a student can gain:

• an Art History A Level and / or an EPQ, UCAS points, as well as a strengthened application to a university course;
• professional development and CV-building opportunities for a wide range of exciting and varied careers;
• new analytical and communication skills with cross-curricular application;
• access to, familiarity with and understanding of works of art in the country’s great
  public collections.

Support access to learning:

• £10k helps fund laptops, online access, and live streaming from galleries for those unable to attend in person.
• £4k supports a student through two years of Art History A Level.
• £2k supports a student through a one-year Art History EPQ.
• A donation of any amount to the Save Art History fund will help all students by supporting our core operations.

“I was not aware of art history as a subject until I was 16, despite my great interest in art, history, and general culture. This was only due to my background, something Art History Link-Up allowed me to change.”
– AHLU student feedback

OPENING UP ART HISTORY

PROGRAMME SUPPORT

We want to open up art history to young people from all backgrounds. With fewer than eight state schools in the country offering history of art A Level, there is an urgent need for increased access, so that those who go on to define our visual culture are representative of our vibrant and diverse society. Since we were founded, the majority of our students have come from under-represented backgrounds.

Our 2022–23 cohort is based at the Courtauld Institute of Art: 48% of these students identify as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic; 34% are from Widening Participation backgrounds; and 10% have additional learning needs. As a programme supporter, you will bring art history to more young people of all backgrounds and, because our courses are hybrid and also taught online, to students across the UK.

“This experience has opened up a world our students were not aware existed at all before. I cannot stress enough how significant this project is for promoting social mobility.”
– Dr An Pancaldi, Lead Teacher of History, London Academy of Excellence

Principal Programme Sponsor: Art History 4 Everyone

Our flagship programme works in depth with 80 students per year through to A Level or an EPQ. As Principal Programme Sponsor, your annual contribution of £100,000 p.a. will fund their transformative journey.

Programme Supporter: Introduction to Art History

Following a successful pilot programme funded by The Band Trust, you can bring art history to 14–16 year olds with an annual gift of £40,000.

Support Inclusion

Creating a safe and inclusive learning environment is essential for widening participation. We need to raise £25,000 p.a. to fund a student welfare officer, safeguarding training, DBS checks, as well as holistic social and emotional support.

TRAIN OUR TEACHERS

Our programmes are led by a team of professional freelance teachers supported by volunteer visiting lecturers and EPQ supervisors. A gift of £10,000 p.a. funds training and leadership development to shape the experience of every student.

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

RESEARCH & INNOVATION

Art History Link-Up was founded in 2016. With every young life transformed by art history, the demand for our work grows. Your support can fuel this momentum and shape the future of visual culture.

Future Leaders’ Network

Our alumni go on to university degrees in Art History and work placements at some of the most prestigious arts and education institutions in the UK, including the Courtauld Institute of Art and the Universities

of Oxford and Cambridge. With a gift of £20,000 p.a., you will establish the AHLU Future Leaders’ Network, a programme of networking events, careers opportunities and peer-to-peer mentoring with some of the most inspirational young arts leaders in the sector.

AHLU Research Fellow

We would like to establish an AHLU Research Fellow with an HE partner to investigate the benefits of studying Art History and the importance of visual literacy today. Your gift of £25,000 p.a. for three years will fund a doctoral fellow supported by the AHLU team.

Regional Partnership Pilot

You can enable a pilot project with one of the UK’s leading public art collections outside London. Your gift of £50,000 will allow us to devise a curriculum and resources, as well as recruit and train a cohort of expert teachers.

EPQ Roll Out

We want our one-year Art History Extended Project Qualification programme to be available to every sixth- form teacher across the UK. Your donation of £25,000 p.a. will launch a pilot programme with a set of resources that can be rolled out nationwide with Edexcel Pearson.

“Before beginning the course I definitely felt like a career in the art world was off limits for me — as somebody with no previous connections to anybody in the art sector and no previous art-based education.”
– Student feedback