New Name: Art Pays

The Young Creatives Programme is being re-named. We have chosen the name Art Pays.

The concept of art paying is a positive one for artists and for consumers of the arts. Many people, artists especially, have an idea that in order to produce art you have to suffer in some way. ‘That you have to pay for your art.’ My idea is that art pats you. It pays you to make art and to have art.

People also believe that art is not a necessity and therefore it should be free. But every society needs the healing and building and social commentary that art provides. The positive impact of art cannot be underestimated, and that if we want to make art for society we need to make sure that art is treated as an investment. A personal, financial investment for a buyer, a social investment for a creator, or an investment in yourself as a creator.

Naming our collective Art Pays is a positive act. We are putting a positive concept out into the world and making ourselves and others think of art in a positive way.