My Gurus: ‘Propaganda of the imagination’

Throughout my career, I’ve been inspired by people who understand how you can engage the seemingly unengaged – providing fun, accessible ways into art and culture by breaking down the perceived elitism of art and our engagement with it.

Chuck Close

There weren’t many opportunities to visit exhibitions when I was growing up. It’s not something we did as a family for leisure or fun. Despite loving to draw and paint, and being fairly good at it, the strange world of ‘art’ and what it represented was always slightly out of reach and ‘not for the likes of me’. Looking back, I realise the importance of being able to see and experience things at a young age – new viewpoints that surprise, enrage or just make you curious. 

One of the first exhibitions that had an impact on me was Chuck Close at the Hayward Gallery in 1999. As I was a striving painter at art college at the time, his collection blew my mind. In a decade when portrait painting was a bit unfashionable, here was an exhibition of extraordinary skill and scale, but which also possessed something profoundly moving in the informality of its everyday subjects. It has stayed with me.

Stephen Snoddy

Stephen gave me my first job in the arts at Milton Keynes Gallery (MK G). The new town is often derided as culturally devoid, only famous (or infamous) for its concrete cows. MK G was the first newly-built gallery to open in England for 20 years and, under Stephen’s direction, began its journey bringing the best contemporary art to new audiences. 

I respected his confident, unapologetic character – determined to change perceptions of Milton Keynes as a cultural destination. He fostered a very collegiate environment. There was no compromise on showing some of best and most challenging contemporary work from the likes of Gilbert and George, Sarah Lucas and Michael Craig Martin. I look back to that time with fond memories: the team, the long installs, the energy, the buzz – and the wild previews. 

Rosalind Stoddart

Ros was founder and Artistic Director of Fermynwoods Contemporary Art, a rural gallery and artist residency space in Northamptonshire, hosting exhibitions, commissioning interventions and providing meaningful ways for artists to engage with audiences. 

Back then, in 2000s, this was a small all-hands-on-deck venue. Ros taught me, as Manager, the value of taking calculated risks. Whether it was greening a redundant carpet shop in Corby with a with a wildflower meadow (by artist Jacques Nimki) or cladding the exterior of a remote lodge in Fermyn Woods (in a commission by Richard Woods), her passion and experimentation, continually pushing for what was possible within limited funding and budget was astounding. 

All this was underpinned by her driving passion to attract those who are underrepresented in engagement with the arts and with accessing nature. Seeing 30 students from Corby set foot in a forest for the first time to experience art is a powerful reminder of what culture can do.  

Jude Kelly

Joining Southbank Centre in 2011 was an extremely exciting and creative time for me. Built in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain, the history and ethos of the site permeated Jude’s festival programmes. Her artistic direction reasserted the idea of ‘propaganda of the imagination’ – an understanding of how the arts has the power to change, inspire and transform lives. 

The collective spirit she cultivated was inspiring. It provided a platform and gave permission to engage audiences in new ways. It was here I developed my own practice through commissioning and producing works, in the public realm, that were accessible and fun for thousands of visitors. From large-scale installations to archival exhibitions of cultural icons – all seemed possible but was grounded with a critical integrity.

Richard Deverell

People mostly think of Kew Gardens as a beautiful botanical collection, which it is. But it is also a scientific organisation, at the forefront of research into the power of plants and fungi. There are more than 300 scientists here, working with partners across the globe to help understand the natural world and find positive solutions for the challenges our planet faces. 

As Director, Richard’s determination to convey the planet’s struggle and the role plants can play has allowed my team to respond in creative ways, recognising art has an increasingly vital role in in addressing the climate and biodiversity crises. This includes commissioning international artists and creatives to explore these ideas in their own practice, using our invaluable collections and science to inform their work. 

Like many, I care deeply about the planet we share and working in an organisation which deeply understands the benefit arts can bring to the table is hugely inspiring and rewarding. 

Paul Denton is Head of Visitor Programmes and Exhibitions, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.