Earlyarts Patron - Sir Ken Robinson
When he accepted the role of Earlyats Patron, early in 2010, Sir Ken Robinson praised the track record of Earlyarts and endorsed wholeheartedly Earlyarts’ values and aspirations for children and families across the country.
Sir Ken is particularly supportive of the Earlyarts' social enterprise model building up longer term support for the sector in times of increasing uncertainty, observing: “Earlyarts has established an impressive track record in a relatively short time and are clearly meeting an important need among practitioners of all sorts. I especially approve of Earlyarts’ values, and also of the ways in which Earlyarts are proposing to develop the work and impact of early arts.”
Ruth Churchill Dower, Director of Earlyarts says: “We are delighted to have Sir Ken as our patron, we consider him to be one of the top gurus in arts education and a pioneer of creative learning on an international scale. His values of unlocking and nurturing children’s creative potential resonate strongly with the Earlyarts ethos, which promotes a creative play-based, co-constructed approach to learning, supporting each child in finding their element.”
In November 2010 Sir Ken addressed the Earlyarts International UnConference from his home in California, he said "I really believe that the work that will be celebrated and debated at the UnConference is fundamental, not just for the future of our children, but of all the communities that they are part of. Children are naturally creative, that they are born with bustling imaginations, and imagination and creativity, as I see it, are the most distinctive features of human life and culture. They are vital assets for everyone in our communities, and especially it’s important to develop and cultivate them in our children." You can see the whole of Sir Ken's video for Earlyarts UnConference Delegates here.
Sir Ken Robinson has worked with governments in Europe, Asia and the USA, with international agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and some of the world’s leading cultural organizations. In 1998, he led a national commission on creativity, education and the economy for the UK Government. ‘All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education’ (The Robinson Report) was published to wide acclaim in 1999. In 2003, he received a knighthood for his services to the arts. He speaks to audiences throughout the world on the creative challenges facing business and education in the new global economies.
Visit Sir Ken Robinson's website here.