Lynne: Everyone an Artist?

I took a scenic train journey with Georgia to Bexhill on Sea and to the very smart, art deco De La Warr Pavillion in October.

The topic of debate?

Everyone an Artist?

A chance to listen to several speakers, including researchers and artists explore practice and impacts of creativity and health and wellbeing. And look around the splendid venue that overlooks the sea; who wouldn’t feel better in this setting?

The gist of this seems to lie in the fact that if the Arts receives public funding, it has to ensure it addresses a wider agenda than arts for arts sake.

But this doesn’t mean a compromise or decline on quality and excellent experiences. It is not about elitism, far from it.

It is about embracing the best of artistic endeavour while also evidencing or rather challenging arts organisations to start showing if and how people, in general, feel better and are more healthy following an encounter / and experience in the arts.

My feeling is that there is plenty of excellent work happening that is made, seen, experienced, understood and enjoyed on micro and local levels as well as in grand venues and large audience attending events.

I was very struck by Stella Duffy’s energised talk about the value of localised “fun palaces’; a belief that everyone is an arts genius.   “…everyone an artist, everyone a scientist…”

I felt it is more about everyone’s creative potential; and about an evolving, accessible, diverse and inclusive way of devising, making, presenting and interpreting work.

Generating more questions….