Message from Grayson Perry, Patron of NALN

I am proud to be a patron of the National Arts Learning Network. Its aim is to help students from under-represented groups into higher education in the arts. It helps students take advantage of opportunities that can lead to a fulfilling career in the arts.

My decision to go to art school, though I did not know it at the time, was to have more impact on my life than any other choice I have made. Education is the principle driver of social mobility and my art degree has propelled me into a marvellous world I did not know existed when I was seventeen. If I had known the social and economic hurdles I would face I might not have chosen the path I did, but equipped with a mixture of naivety and an old fashioned work ethic it has turned out well.

NALN is made up of the people who can help students make a similar difficult, but life changing, decision. When I applied for a degree course we were discouraged from applying to London colleges; they were seen as too difficult to get into. Perhaps the subtext was “too difficult for the likes of us”. NALN aims to help every student fulfil their promise by not selling themselves short because of their lack of confidence. For many years I struggled with the feeling that I was an imposter in the art world. I always expected a tap on the shoulder and someone telling me this world of galleries and museums was not for people like me. NALN helps students gain a sense of entitlement, it tells them they can play an important part in our culture.

Simply put, NALN stops talent going to waste, and that has got to be good for all of us.