BNP Paribas AccessArt25: giving young people access to art

Making culture and art accessible to the young

BNP Paribas has been supporting art and culture worldwide for more than 30 years. Launched in collaboration with Tate and the Turner Prize in 2018, BNP Paribas AccessArt25 aims to make art accessible to 17-25-year-olds in the United Kingdom. The programme wants to promote access to art, reduce the obstacles that some young people encounter, and encourage the discovery of major art venues and places. On the occasion of the Turner Prize exhibition in 2018, the programme gave 5,700 young people free tickets to Tate.

This year, BNP Paribas UK is supporting the Antony Gormley exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. As part of this partnership the AccessArt25 programme will enable 3,000 young people up to age 25 to discover the Royal Academy of Arts during three special evening events.

Anne Marie Verstraeten, UK Country Head, BNP Paribas, said: “As we approach our 20th year of support for the Royal Academy of Arts, we believe it is more important than ever that great contemporary art should be accessible for all. That is why we launched the BNP Paribas AccessArt25 programme. We look forward to welcoming thousands of young people through the doors of this incredible institution, free of charge, to experience an exhibition by one of Britain’s foremost contemporary artists.”

3 special dates to see the Antony Gormley exhibition and discover his work

Young people up to the age of 25 will be invited to explore the installations of the world-renowned English sculptor Antony Gormley whose exhibition is on at the Royal Academy of Arts in London from 21 September to 3 December 2019.

In the scope of BNP Paribas AccessArt25, the young people are invited to three special evenings on 14 October, 18 and 25 November 2019, from 6.30 to 9.30 pm. Throughout all three evenings they will get involved in zine making, clay workshops and iPad drawing classes, as well as listen in on a series of talks from arts professionals, offering insight and advice to those looking for a career in the arts.

BNP Paribas devised the event in collaboration with community representatives, charity organizations, schools, colleges and other partners.

On the first evening (Monday 14 October), 67% of the audience was first time visitors and 35% BAME and 97% said they would recommend attending an AccessArt25 event to their friends.

Ambassadors for the programme include Antony Gormley himself, Kwame Kwei-Armah (Artistic Director of the Young Vic), Basma Khalifa (Filmmaker and stylist), Sir David Adjaye (British Architect), Bob and Roberta Smith (British Artist), and Susie Wakoma (British Actress).

“ I am delighted that BNP Paribas is partnering with the Royal Academy for my exhibition so that young people can visit for free as part of the AccessArt25 programme. I’m grateful that this initiative will particularly target those who may not have ready access to art exhibitions. We are all of us artists, and I hope seeing my work will inspire young peoples’ own reflections on themselves and the world around them. ”

Antony Gormley, Royal Academician

Discover the programme

www.royalacademy.org.uk

If you’re aged 17 – 25, you could see Antony Gormley exhibition for free at one of three special evenings, part of BNP Paribas’ AccessArt25 programme.