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Labour minister Lisa Nandy has said she is “absolutely determined” to ensure that access to the arts is a reality for every child in the UK.
The secretary of state for culture, media, and sport spoke at an event in Westminster on Tuesday (8 October), as she announced the winner of the Robson Orr TenTen Award 2024.
Grenada-born British artist Denzil Forrester was the recipient of the prize for his work, Altar, which depicts a scene from a reggae festival in Cornwall, where the artist lives and works.
The 10-year scheme was launched in 2018 and was presented by the Government Art Collection. It is sponsored by leading philanthropists Sybil Robson Orr and Matthew Orr.
Nandy praised Forrester as she hailed his story as an example of the importance of getting “great art works out of the basement and into communities where they belong”.
“We’re going to lead by example, with the Government Art Collection to make sure that people in every part of the country can see what it is,” she said.
“But while talent is everywhere in our country, we are aware that opportunity is not. It is down to people like Sybil today that that is beginning to change, because not only do they support emerging artists, but they also work tirelessly to take us back into our schools and into our classrooms where they move it along to a whole new generation of young people.”
Speaking about the impact of previous government rule, Nandy continued, “Over the last decade we have seen culture and creativity erased from our classrooms.”
She added that Labour would challenge this dynamic and she was “absolutely determined” to ensure everyone had access.
“That ability to live a richer, larger life belongs to every child in our country as part of their birth, and we are determined to ensure that that becomes a reality for them again.
“And who knows? Maybe one of them then goes on to share their gifts with all of us and with the world as today’s winner has already done.”
Forrester’s work is inspired by the 1970s and 1980s reggae and dub nightclubs of his youth. He said, “The print for the Government Art Collection celebrates Cornwall nightlife.
“I’ve shown how light and sound distort the space, and used an aerial view to watch the scene unfold from above. So it incorporates a lot of what I use in my paintings, as well as the brilliant light of Cornwall.”
