Making a Difference with The Arts Society

From working with vulnerable adults to supporting emerging artists, funding from The Arts Society – and individual Arts Societies – has a huge impact on communities and creatives around the country. 

The Routes drama project, supported by The Arts Society Clapham Common. Photo Richard Eaton

At a time when arts funding is in crisis, The Arts Society is determined to increase access to the arts. Since 2000, £1.5m in funding has been donated to local Arts Societies and external charity organisations – money used to help transform lives in the UK and beyond. The practice of grant-giving began in 1980 with the establishment of the Patricia Fay Memorial Fund, in honour of our founder, Patricia Fay, the Chairman of the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies.

Grants were awarded to support volunteering and Young Arts projects, museum and gallery initiatives, and conservation students and apprentices. ‘It started because part of the vision of The Arts Society is to give back, and we wanted to help the arts as much as possible,’ says Alison Galvin-Wright, Chair of the grants committee. 

Today, the grants programme has expanded to cover The Arts Society’s wider remit across the arts, with funds being awarded to organisations including the Central School of Ballet, Attic Theatre Company and the Bath Philharmonia. Society applications centre on local projects that need funding, ranging from running workshops with young carers to funding the costs of university art shows. ‘We’re passionate about our grants programme,’ says Alison, ‘and it must keep evolving to fit in with modern and future times.’ Here, we share the stories of just some of the people and projects that have benefited from financial support from The Arts Society. 

SUPPORTING TALENT 

Described by Anne as an ‘extraordinary and brilliant artist’, Colin won the British Safety Council’s 2018 poster competition. Aimed at school students, his poster highlights mental health issues. ‘As soon as I saw it, I thought: that’s quite a statement,’ Anne explains. Thanks to the funding, Colin has been able to launch new graphic design projects and take part in collaborative opportunities. ‘The bursary enabled me to create a charity zine, which followed a conversation I had with transgender people in Exeter,’ he says.

He hopes to extend this project, and is in conversation with a friend about creating an app for school-aged transgender people. ‘There’s an isolating element to being trans, especially if you’re school-aged and don’t know other trans people, which can have a negative impact on your mental health,’ he says. ‘As a designer, you realise the impact you can have on people and how you can do things for good.’

The award has also helped Colin to fund the cost of art materials. ‘When I was applying to university, I was mostly working digitally because I didn’t have any supplies. I couldn’t afford to buy paints and sketchbooks, which limited what I was able to do. Support from organisations like EDFAS increases the opportunities available to those who may not be as well off.’ 

TIME FOR ART 

The Art in Mind project proves that a diagnosis of dementia is no barrier to the joy that making art can bring

When Cherry-Anne Russell, Head of Young Arts and former Chair of The Arts Society Guildford, heard about an extraordinary art project taking place at The Lightbox in Woking, she knew the Arts Societies in the region had to get involved. 

Since 2013, The Lightbox has been running monthly art workshops known as Art in Mind for people living with dementia and their caregivers. Led by a professional artist, the sessions begin with coffee and a catch-up, before the participants turn their hands to art, creating pieces inspired by work from the gallery and museum’s collections. ‘People have fun,’ explains Heather Thomas, learning and engagement manager at The Lightbox. ‘It’s a safe space where the person living with dementia and their caregivers can spend two hours away from their normal lives.’ 

For Russell and The Arts Society teams across Surrey, the initiative has resonated with Members. Societies from West Surrey funded a workshop each, covering the cost of the initiative for a year. The project has also received a grant from The Patricia Fay Memorial Fund, and Arts Societies in Guildford and Mayford have given funds to keep the programme up and running. ‘Everybody knows somebody affected by dementia,’ says Cherry-Anne. ‘Art in Mind is something joyful – everybody is celebrated, whatever their ability.’ 

It’s no surprise that participants and caregivers describe their visits to The Lightbox as one of their highlights of the month. ‘We get amazing feedback,’ Heather says. ‘After one session, an activity coordinator at a local care home told us that one of the residents said, “I don’t know what I’ve done, but I’ve had a really lovely day.”’ 

TAKING THE STAGE 

Giving children access to the arts – and much-needed meals – has helped them to thrive in a theatrical setting

In 2018, The Arts Society Clapham Common embarked on a project that continues to make a difference to the lives of local primary school children. Each school holiday (with the exception of Christmas), it funds the Omnibus Theatre’s Routes programme, which provides a week of drama workshops to children receiving free school meals. Led by Ellen Wilson, youth and participation producer at the Omnibus Theatre, the children develop a play on a theme of their choice, working together to write the script, design the set and costumes, and stage a production at the end of the week. ‘They arrive on the Monday quiet and shy but by Friday they’re slightly different!’ says Gena Gilbert from The Arts Society Clapham Common. ‘The creativity gives them confidence.’ 

Photo Richard Eaton

As part of Routes, the children receive breakfast, a snack and a two-course lunch organised by Gena, who is also a professional chef, and Members of The Arts Society. The project began in 2017, when a local MP told Marie McCarthy, artistic director of the Omnibus Theatre, about children in the area who were going hungry in the school holidays. Eager to assist, the Omnibus team put together a workshop package to run outside of term time, and The Arts Society Clapham Common stepped in to help. 

‘The kids have the biggest smiles on their faces... It’s amazing to watch them grow in confidence and self-belief'

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Comments such as ‘This is the best thing that ever happened to me’ and ‘It was the most fun and creative week I’ve ever had’ reveal the difference Routes has made to the children. 

‘The kids have the biggest smiles on their faces,’ says Flo Daniells from The Arts Society Clapham Common. ‘It’s amazing to watch them grow in confidence and self-belief.’ At the end of each programme, The Arts Society arranges for one of the participants to receive a fully funded place on the Omnibus Young Company’s Saturday youth theatre programme. 

In addition to funds from The Arts Society Clapham Common, Routes has also received a grant from The Patricia Fay Memorial Fund. ‘As an organisation with no source of guaranteed funding, every donation we receive makes a huge difference to our capacity to provide participation opportunities to our local young people,’ Ellen says. 

Elizabeth Oliver is a freelance writer

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