ART & CULTURE


this course is its flexibility. You can sign up to complete their year-long course which ultimately requires two essays in order to receive a certificate, or you can choose to forgo the certificate and simply attend the lectures and afternoon museum visits on a full year or term-by-term basis. Delivered on an equally esteemed plat- form, Sotheby’s Institute of Art (www.sothebysinstitute.com) offers a num- ber of degree and short courses. Short courses are conducted during the day or evening and usually as two-hour classes which run once a week for two months. Each of their courses include complimen- tary museum and gallery visits. Finally, the V&A (www.vam.ac.uk) offers short-term and year-long courses relating to their own collections, past and present. A most notable recently offered course was: Frida Kahlo: Her Art, Life and Times. If your availability is more limited, then


London Art Studies (LAS) (www.lon- donartstudies.com) could be an interesting alternative for you. Conceived in 2011, Kate Gordon, its founder and CEO, de- veloped a program which gathered small groups of art enthusiasts for lunch and a lecture. In response to their popularity, LAS has since augmented its local offering with a curated digital hub that reaches a global audience. Tey have launched what they describe as the world’s first online arts subscription platform, which allows participants to have access to their inform- ative art lectures from wherever they are in the world. Although they’ve gone high- tech, LAS continues to offer intimate, two-hour sessions with their well-regarded lecturers at the Bulgari Hotel, 171 Knightsbridge, London, SW7 1DW. Supporting a charity or a London mu-


seum as a patron is another way to get in- volved. Patrons of Te Contemporary Art Society


(www.contemporaryartsociety.org) support a charity that purchases important works of art in order to place them in public collec- tions across the UK. Alternatively, patrons of the Royal Academy of Art (RA) (www.royalacademy.org.uk) play an impor- tant role in this institution’s ability to function as an independent, charitable or- ganisation. Teir patronage supports the RA’s world-class exhibition programme, maintains their historic library collection, and helps to provide free tuition for tal- ented students who wish to attend RA schools. Similarly at the Tate (www.tate.org.uk), patrons support key ac- quisitions, help conserve existing art and enable learning opportunities. As a patron of any of these organisations, you will re- ceive a range of bespoke benefits includ- ing, but not limited to, exclusive access to contemporary artists, curators and collec- tions in the UK and internationally. From a personal perspective, participa-


tion in many of these programs over the years has truly helped me to acclimatise to life in London. Not only have they pro- vided me with opportunities to make many new friends from around the world, but they have also given me numerous op- portunities to travel throughout the UK as well as to countless European destinations. Tey have helped me to better understand British and European cultures and histo- ries through a visual medium, and to re- ceive that knowledge from a variety of perspectives. Importantly to me, there is lasting evidence to my journey into the


world of art, as I am now proudly an avid collector… mostly British artists, of course!


Lillian McNeila is an expat who has recently moved back to New York after 14 years in London. Lillian is a lower school teacher, reading specialist and art enthusiast and can be contacted by email at lillian.mcneila@gmail.com


www.focus-info.org FOCUS The Magazine 15


Sotheby’s


Royal Academy of Art


Royal Academy


The Contemporary Arts Society


Christie’s


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