Culture& and Sotheby’s Institute of Art in collaboration with Gallery OCA present Together We Thrive - a fundraising exhibition for the Cultural Leaders Program. As it looks ahead to its 2nd year, the Cultural Leaders Program continues its mission to diversify the future leadership of the art world through education.
Culture& and Sotheby’s Institute of Art, in collaboration with Gallery OCA, announce Together We Thrive, a fundraising exhibition for the Cultural Leaders Program. Running from February 20 – 25, 2024, at Venue Partner Cromwell Place, Together We Thrive will feature new works donated by leading and emerging artists to raise funds for the London Living Wage Bursary provided for scholars selected onto the Program. Established in 2022, the Cultural Leaders Program is the first of its kind in the contemporary art world in the UK, designed to empower and nurture the next generation of diverse leaders.
Together We Thrive will feature new works created especially for the fundraiser in response to its title by artists including: Adelaide Damoah, Anthony Daley, Boo Saville, Caitlin Flood-Molyneux, Candida Powell Williams, Charlotte Colbert, Errol Francis, Elena Njoabuzia Onwochei-Garcia, Gareth Cadwallader, Gordon Cheung, Hassan Aliyu, Hester Finch, Hurvin Anderson, Jane Hayes Greenwood, Julianknxx, Katasha Rose, Leo Crane, Lucia Pizzani, Lynn Parotti, Martin O’Brien & David MacDiarmid, Miranda Forrester, Nina Bombina, Peter Liversidge, Philip Colbert, Sandy McInnes, Simon Bejer, Sola Olulode, Xavier Laurent Leopold, and Yvadney Davis.
Visitors and supporters are invited to enter a prize draw for a chance to win one of the new artworks by donating to the Cultural Leaders Program. Donations start at £25, and all contributions received will go towards the London Living Wage Bursary for the 2024/25 cohort of scholars, designed to alleviate the cost of living in London. By eliminating the burden of loans or employment, the bursary makes the Program accessible to the widest possible range of bright and promising individuals from historically underrepresented backgrounds and enables them to take full advantage of the opportunities that the MA and Program provide.
Dr. Errol Francis, CEO and Artistic Director at Culture& comments: “We are delighted to collaborate with Sotheby’s Institute of Art and Gallery OCA on this exhibition to raise vital funds to support the 2nd year of the Cultural Leaders Program. We are acutely aware of the talent that often lies untapped due to financial barriers, which we aim to address by providing a London Living Wage Bursary for our 2024 scholars. We are grateful to the exhibiting artists and invite the community to invest in this initiative as we seek to empower the next generation of diverse leaders in the art world.”
The Cultural Leaders Program offers three fully funded scholarships per year from 2023/24 to 2025/26 to pursue one of the Institute’s prestigious one-year, full-time Masters programs: the MA in Contemporary Art; the MA in Art Business; or the MA in Fine and Decorative Art and Design. The program allows promising young professionals from diverse backgrounds with leadership potential to study full-time and receive a London Living Wage bursary for their living expenses.
Dr. Jonathan Woolfson, Director at Sotheby’s Institute of Art comments: “We are pleased to continue our partnership with Culture& in the 2nd year of the Cultural Leaders Program. The continued success of this initiative depends on the participation of a community of like-minded, generous collaborators who believe in investing in the impact it will have, both on the individuals themselves and on the broader art world landscape. We extend our thanks to Gallery OCA and the participating artists for their support in this fundraiser.”
Sotheby’s Institute of Art has committed to waiving 100% of the tuition fees for the students selected for the Cultural Leaders Program for the next three years, including the cost of the national and international Field Study trips programmed during the MA. Cultural Leaders Scholars have access to the full range of Sotheby’s Institute of Art services to support student learning and wellbeing, including high levels of teaching time, personal tutors, specialist library and research facilities, expert career service support and counselling. Additionally, students receive tailored mentoring and networking opportunities, drawing on both Culture&’s and Sotheby’s Institute’s networks of professional and social support.
Sherece Rainford, Founder at Gallery OCA comments: “As someone who believes deeply in the need to diversify the arts and culture sector, I find this to be a hugely important initiative - the first of its kind in the UK. I am delighted to support Culture& and Sotheby’s Institute of Art on Together We Thrive. Together, we aim to not only raise essential funds for the Living Wage Bursary for the Cultural Leaders Program, but also foster a vibrant, diverse community in the art world.”
Further information about the Cultural Leaders Program can be found at here. The exhibition and formal fundraising campaign will launch on February 19, and donations can be made at any time.
Together We Thrive: A Fundraising Exhibition for the Cultural Leaders Program
February 20 – 25, 2024
Cromwell Place, 4 Cromwell Pl, South Kensington, London SW7 2JE
Opening Hours: February 20 – 25, 10am – 6pm
Press contact Culture&: Samuel Pontin, Program Manager samuel.pontin@cultureand.org
Image: Yvadney Davis, One Finger Cyaa Catch Louse, 2024, Mixed Media. Courtesy of the artist.