Wednesday 6 February 2008, 10.00–18.00

Join Grayson Perry, Richard Wentworth, Iwona Blazwick, Julia Peyton Jones, Ed Vaizey MP, Margaret Hodge MP, Louisa Buck and Vicente Todoli, amongst others, in a fascinating conference exploring the art of giving from an artist-centred perspective. This one day event brings together artists, MPs, critics and leading gallery directors to talk about philanthropy from a viewpoint that is often overlooked in discussion of the relationship between public and private funding of the arts.

This event is particularly timely as the debate on charitable giving and the arts has intensified in recent months, as the so-called ‘Golden Age’ of arts funding during the past decade has been followed by a period of uncertainty around public funding for the arts.

Accordingly, the conference will provide a unique platform for artists to discuss their role within the new economies of arts funding with arts policy makers, representatives of Trusts and Foundations, individual benefactors of the arts and gallery directors. It will also foster discussion on the motivation for philanthropic giving in the arts, and ask whether philanthropic giving offers an alternative to a culture of arts funding driven by economic and social targets. This event will be of particular interest to artists, art professionals, those involved in fundraising, students and policy formers.

The conference will draw on research undertaken at Wimbledon College of Art, University of the Arts London (WCA/UAL), between 2005 and 2007 on the role and practice of the artist in relation to charitable giving and will also launch the book of the research Good Foundations. The research was funded by the Rootstein Hopkins Foundation.

10.00          

Welcome – Victoria Walsh, Head of Public Programmes,  Tate Britain

10.05           

Introduction –Anita Taylor, Head, Wimbledon College of Art

10.25-11.30   

Panel One: The Artist’s Viewpoint 

This panel will identify the key issues surrounding funding for artists and their practice during the last decade for both current and previous generations. It will be introduced by Paul Glinkowski, WCA/ UAL author and researcher for Good Foundations, who will outline the major findings and issues raised by his research. 

Chair: Louisa Buck, Independent writer and critic

Paul Glinkowski, Researcher

Respondents: 

Grayson Perry, artist and critic

11.10

Discussion

11.30

Coffee

12.00 – 13.15

Panel Two: Locating the artist in public funding

This panel will review the shifts in policy and funding criteria for the visual arts over the last decade and the impact this has had on the artist in terms of both practice and working relationships with funding bodies and exhibiting venues. Has the instrumentalisation of arts funding altered the artist's practice? It will also ask and consider what the funding criteria may be for the next ten years for the artist to access funding.

Chair: Robert Hewison

Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism

Rt. Hon. Ed Vaizey MP, Shadow Minister for Culture

Richard Wentworth, Artist and Master of Ruskin College of Oxford,

Louisa Buck, independent art critic

12.55       

Discussion

13. 15.

Lunch

14. 15 - 15.30

Panel Three: Supporting artists: The Trust View

This panel will discuss the motivation to give that drives some of the leading Trusts funding the visual arts in the UK today. It will ask whether the role of Trusts is changing due to the changing nature of public funding and whether Trust funding nurtures a different type of artistic practice and if so, to whose benefit and why? Are more Trusts needed in the visual arts?

Chair: Claire Fox   

David Barrie –  Director, The Art Fund 

Eileen Hogan - Rootstein Hopkins

Roanne Dods - Director of the Jerwood Charitable Foundation

15.15-15.40      

Discussion

15.40-16.00      

Tea

16.00-17.00

Panel Four: Supporting artists: The Cultural Sector view

This panel will discuss the relationship with Philanthropy from the cultural sector and institutional point of view. What is the scale and value of philanthropic giving in the sector? What role does it play? Does it bring different types of opportunities and constraints from government funding, and if so what are these? Does philanthropic giving ensure greater independence from public sector funding? What can be done to encourage it further if it is desirable?

Chair:  Sacha Craddock 

Jude Kelly – Artistic Director, South Bank Centre

Vicente Todoli –  Director, Tate Modern 

Iwona Blazwick –  Director, Whitechapel Art Gallery 

Julia Peyton Jones – Director, Serpentine Gallery

16.50

Discussion

17.30-18.00

Plenary session

Chair: Malcolm Quinn

18.00-19.00

Reception and Book launch of Good Foundations, published by Lawrence King

The conference reception and book launch will now take place in the Turner Galleries between 6pm and 8pm.

In partnership with Wimbledon College of Art, University of the Arts London
Supported by the Rootstein Hopkins Foundation

Tate Britain  Auditorium
£30 (£25 concessions), booking required
Price includes drinks afterwards

For tickets book online
or call 020 7887 8888

Tate Britain  Auditorium
£30 (£25 concessions), booking required
Price includes drinks afterwards