The Arts Society at 50: the Chief Executive’s story

As our organisation marks its golden jubilee, it is time for us to be recognised for who we are, says Chief Executive Florian Schweizer.

Photo: John Millar 

I first became aware of The Arts Society while I was still director of the Charles Dickens Museum. Within its book collection, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of incredibly useful condition reports, all done by NADFAS volunteers in the 1980s. Years later, we are still benefiting from their hard work.
 
That story is typical of our Society. For 50 years, it has been giving time and support, raising funds, awarding grants, carrying out church recording; work that’s had real impact on the arts sector, as well as on individuals – but we haven’t been talking about it. It’s time for us to be recognised for who we are: a dynamic and forward-looking organisation.
 
Through our unique network of national and local Societies, we have the power to make arts accessible to all. We bring arts to localities, along with something else: a sense of community. The Society continues to evolve, but we never forget our core value: that we bring people together.
 
I’m spreading the message of what we do – and how our Societies work at grass-roots level – by completing 50 individual 10km runs this year. It’s about doing something different, showing that we are repositioning – and I hope to raise £50,000 for our charitable projects. With each run, I get the chance to discover more about the diversity of our local Societies’ current work and activities. Each run will also draw attention to local art, from landmark projects such as Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North to the beauty of historic places and green spaces, such as Sutton Park near Birmingham.
 
As The Arts Society celebrates its anniversary, our key message is about access to the arts. Everyone’s life, knowingly or otherwise, is influenced by art. Our Members have believed and lived this for 50 years. As governments remove funding, we will stand up and remind them that art is all-important. Every country must invest in what makes it human. We need more arts. The more we engage in them, the better our communities will be.
 
For our Members and Supporters, joining The Arts Society isn’t purely about the enrichment of their own lives, but also about that of their children and grandchildren. We want to create a sense of how open the arts are. Art, as a medium, doesn’t differentiate between age, gender or background; it’s people who do that. We, as a Society, don’t differentiate, either – we believe that at every point of our journey, art can improve the quality of our lives.
 
As told to Sue Herdman for The Arts Society Magazine spring 2018 – find more on our golden jubilee in this special anniversary issue, and find out more about Florian’s fundraising mission here.