Celebrating Ten Years of Art History Link-Up

We launched AHLU’s tenth anniversary advocacy campaign with an event for supporters and partners at Spencer House, the 18th century London home of the Spencer family. The evening included the premiere of our tenth anniversary film, the launch of our anniversary brochure, and expert guided tours by our alumni of Spencer House's extraordinary art and architecture.

We were thrilled to start our anniversary year with many of those who have done so much to bring our charity to this milestone: funders, partners, team, trustees, other volunteers, and many colleagues and friends. We will share news of our anniversary campaign throughout the year, including details of our Art History Summit with AHLU's long-term partner, Christie's, in February.

For now, we'd like to share extracts from the evening's speeches. Our Chair, Maureen Hooft Graafland, welcomed guests. Dame Hannah Rothschild, founding AHLU supporter and Chair of the Rothschild Foundation, gave a powerful account of what AHLU means to her. Our founder and CEO, Rose Aidin, explained why Art History for everyone matters more than ever, in light of the Milburn Report and the challenges facing young people since the pandemic.

Maureen Hooft Graafland said, ‘This evening marks the launch of a new campaign to make Art History accessible to every schoolchild in the UK. Our mission is to provide the educational provision to students that could transform their relationship with the arts. For me personally, an education in the arts is a lifelong gift, one that deepens our cultural vocabulary and enriches every experience that follows.'

Dame Hannah Rothschild followed, 'The Rothschild Foundation supports many outstanding institutions, but few make me prouder than AHLU, not least because we've been with them since the very beginning... The arts are worth £124 billion a year to our economy. The only way the arts and the communities around them will thrive is by engaging and retaining as broad a coalition of talent as possible, and that breadth is exactly what AHLU encourages, inspires and develops. It's why I believe AHLU will make a material difference to the future of British arts, and why I have no doubt its alumni will be among the future makers, curators and museum directors, and in countless other roles across the arts sector. Let's celebrate what AHLU has achieved over the last ten years and, importantly, what's still to come.'

Rose Aidin responded, 'In May, Alan Milburn published his independent review for the government on young people. Nearly one million young people in this country, one in eight, are not in education, employment or training. This isn't a story about laziness or lack of ambition. Eighty-four per cent of these young people want to work, learn and train, but lack opportunity. This is the gap which AHLU exists to close. As our work proves, Art History is a remarkable vehicle for the confidence, curiosity and belonging which this generation has been denied.

'The results speak for themselves. We've reached students from more than 4% of UK state schools. Most important to me are the students who truly evidence the transformative power of Art History. One left sixth form with only one qualification, an Art History EPQ from AHLU. Another sat exams for the first time in years, taking an Art History A Level with AHLU because of their passion for the subject, and went on to study it at university.

'Our Art History Summit in February will make the case, backed by evidence, that access to Art History isn't a luxury but is increasingly essential. It is exactly the kind of opportunity this generation has been asking for, and with your help, it can contribute to a successful and prosperous future for us all.'

Please watch our anniversary film here, read our brochure here, and sign up to our mailing list, found at the bottom of our website, to hear more about our anniversary campaign throughout the academic year.