Teesside University Chancellor’s support for the arts

The importance of the arts and its ability to change lives has been highlighted by Teesside University Chancellor Lord Sawyer of Darlington.

Speaking in the House of Lords, Lord Sawyer said: 'We battle for the survival of space for the arts because we cannot do without them; because without them, we slam the doors not just on aspiration, but also on knowledge, confidence, communication and language and we are just not prepared to see those doors slammed.

'We should always work to protect these spaces and we need to work much harder to understand the benefits they bring to all of us - to our nation’s education, our nation’s health and our nation’s well-being.'

Lord Sawyer describes the 'transforming power of art' which has the 'power to change lives'. He said successful public art is 'where communities and people fight against adversity, using the power of art to achieve things'.

He added: 'It is incumbent on all of us who care about future generations to keep fighting for our arts.'

And he cited the popular fictional story of coal miner’s son turned ballet dancer Billy Elliot - and the many ‘real life Billy Elliots’ whose lives have been transformed through involvement in the arts.

Lord Sawyer said: 'Billy Elliot was part of a voyage of artistic discovery of the north of England from the Angel of the North, to the Sage music and arts centre on the banks of the Tyne, to Sir Anish Kapoor’s Temenos on Teesside, to hundreds of small organisations who open intellectual, emotional and physical space including galleries, libraries, and theatres where people can go time and time again.'

And he describes mima, Middlesbrough’s Institute of Modern Art as 'an outstanding example of the contribution to the arts to our nation’s education, health and emotional well-being'.

Lord Sawyer said: 'On my last visit to mima I was hugely impressed to see 7,000 drawings on display from every primary school in Middlesbrough. The gallery is free to all, and contributes to the social framework of Middlesbrough and the wider Tees Valley.

'mima has attracted over £4million in external funding for arts provision in Middlesbrough and has welcomed 900,000 visitors since opening. It is a gallery that, on my recent visits, has shown work by Sir Anish Kapoor, David Hockney, Picasso, Francis Bacon and Andy Warhol.

He added: 'It is supported by the Arts Council and by the forward-looking Middlesbrough Council. It is a partner to my own Teesside University and I applaud those organisations for their contribution to the arts and to the wider contribution they make.'

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