Annual General Meeting
Art Fund warmly invites all members to our 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM). The AGM is our annual member meeting to share Art Fund’s Annual Report and update on fundraising activity and financial performance over the past 12 months. This year, members will also have a chance to hear from our retiring Chair, Lord Chris Smith, in an in-conversation hosted by award-winning journalist and broadcaster Martha Kearney.
When: Thursday 20 June at 5pm (meeting running time, approx. 75 minutes)
Where: Online & in-person (with limited availability for in-person attendance at 2 Granary Square, London).
Agenda: Download the meeting agenda here.
How to join: Register to attend here. Please indicate whether you will be joining online or in person. For those attending online, joining information will be emailed in advance of the meeting.
Asking questions: Members are encouraged to ask questions of our Board and Director on the annual report and accounts and to ask questions of Lord Chris Smith on his 10 years as Chair and the broader cultural landscape. Please submit questions in advance by 17 June 2024 to charter@artfund.org.*
*Questions will be answered at the meeting time permitting, with those questions submitted in advance prioritised. Any questions not answered at the meeting on the annual report and accounts will receive a response following the meeting.
An in-conversation with our chair, Lord Chris Smith
Join us this AGM for an in-conversation with our retiring chair, Lord Chris Smith, as he reflects on 10 years as Art Fund’s chair and his fascinating career in the wider cultural sector, including his role as the UK’s very first Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The Q&A will be hosted by award-winning journalist and broadcaster Martha Kearney, best known for her six-year tenure presenting BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Chris Smith has been Chair of Art Fund for 10 years, and during this time he has overseen the awarding of £58.5m in grants to help museums build their collections and reach audiences. During his time as the UK's first Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport he introduced free admission to national museums across the UK. He is currently Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge and President of the Wordsworth Trust.
Martha Kearney’s career spans almost four decades having presented several of the UKs longest-running political and current affairs programmes such as Today, Newsnight and Woman’s Hour. Beyond the newsroom, Martha has fronted documentaries about history, literature, nature, and art. Martha has won the Sony Radio Bronze Award and has been nominated for a BAFTA for her coverage of the Northern Ireland peace process.
Art Fund 2023/24 Annual Report
Our 2023/24 Annual Report can be downloaded here.
It includes our Trustees’ Annual Report and Art Fund’s financial statements for the year-ending December 2023.
At the AGM, you will have the chance to hear from Art Fund’s Chair, Treasurer and Director about Art Fund’s performance over the past year including some of the key highlights from our funding programme.