The Arts Society at 50: The Young NADFAS alumnus’s story

From her early experiences at our youth events to collaborating with us on our spring 2018 exhibition, Mary Rose Gunn, now Chief Executive of the Bulldog Trust, shares how The Arts Society has inspired her involvement in the arts.

Photo: John Millar 

I’ve had a long personal association with The Arts Society and know how it can impact positively on someone’s life. Growing up in rural Somerset, I was a member of Young NADFAS, which played a key part in my cultural education.
 
I did things I wouldn’t have done, and went to places that I wouldn’t have had access to, without The Arts Society. I still remember the experiences of being introduced to the power of theatre as a teenager, transfixed by a performance of Hamlet at the Bristol Old Vic and visiting Goldsmiths’ Hall in London.
 
Today, I’m Chief Executive at The Bulldog Trust, which has provided funds and advice to charities for more than 30 years. This spring, we have partnered with The Arts Society on the exhibition Rhythm & Reaction: The Age of Jazz in Britain at our headquarters at Two Temple Place in London. It’s an inspiring project, exploring the impact that jazz has had on Britons from 1918.
 
The exhibition exemplifies our joint aims: we are institutions that face similar challenges. Rhythm & Reaction represents an open stage to both of us, revealing how our philanthropic aims are similar, how we love the arts and want them to be open to all and how we look to draw in new audiences. Through a conduit such as the show, and the lively events we are offering around it, more potential Members can be reached.
 
To us, The Arts Society is at an exciting point and is open to change. Some organisations ignore concerns that they are not keeping up with changing times, but the Society is alert to the need to keep fresh. Partnerships such as ours are a statement of intent. The same can be said for the rebranding that The Arts Society launched last year – the work on that is modern, but represents the past and the great history of the organisation.
 
There is so much in the world that is beautiful and has the potential to enrich our lives. The Arts Society, for me, is about offering more people this chance for enrichment.
 
Visit twotempleplace.org for more on our free exhibition Rhythm & Reaction: The Age of Jazz in Britain, showing until 22 April, and other events – and read about curator Professor Catherine Tackley’s favourite pieces here. As told to Sue Herdman for The Arts Society Magazine spring 2018.