NSEAD awards ceremony at the National Gallery

Jun 22
3 min read

On Saturday 20th June the NSEAD held their annual Summer Conference at the National Gallery which included the prestigious annual NSEAD awards ceremony.

As the 103rd President I was able to give a closing address to the Art & Design educators from across the UK. See below:

Good afternoon everyone, wow, well that was great, wasn’t it – such inspiration stuff.

So as the NSEAD President it is a real privilege to be here tonight, celebrating the incredible work happening across our art and design education community. And I think that word community matters enormously right now.

Because I think it is fair to say that these are not easy times for those working in the art and design education community. There is uncertainty everywhere. Change is happening quickly. Schools, colleges, universities and institutions are under pressure. Funding remains limited. Expectations continue to grow. And increasingly, many colleagues are being asked to do more, with less support, less security, and often without the recognition they deserve.

And yet, despite all of this, what continues to inspire me about our community is that people keep showing up. They keep making. They keep teaching. They keep advocating for young people and their learners. They keep protecting spaces for creativity, curiosity, experimentation, criticality and imagination.

I have been thinking a lot recently about the importance of collaboration — about what it means to work together when things feel difficult. Not simply enduring these challenges individually, but recognising that the future of art and design education will not be built by isolated individuals working harder and harder on their own. It will be built collectively. Through generosity. Through empathy. Through sharing practice. Through listening carefully to one another. Through understanding that many colleagues are carrying enormous pressures that are often unseen.

As educators, we ask young people to think creatively, to solve problems, to imagine alternatives, to embrace uncertainty. Perhaps now more than ever, we need to model that ourselves. Be more like an artist and less like a bureaucrat. We need to think creatively about how we respond to the challenges facing our subject. We need to continue advocating for what high-quality art and design education looks like — not allowing others to define its value for us.

And this is why the work happening through the National Society for Education in Art and Design and the Big Landscape initiative is so important. The Big Landscape reminds us that curriculum, practice, and the future of our subject are not things simply handed down to us. They are things we shape together. Things we own collectively. Things we improve through dialogue, generosity, and shared commitment to better practice.

And that brings me to tonight’s award winners.

The people we are celebrating here are not simply doing excellent work in their own classrooms, schools, communities, and institutions. They are contributing to something bigger. They are helping all of us understand what quality in art and design education looks like. They are sharing practice. They are creating possibility for others. They are helping us collectively build a stronger future for the next generation of learners.

So tonight is not simply about recognising individual achievement. It is about recognising the power of collective contribution.

Because if we continue to work together, continue to share generously, continue to support one another with empathy and understanding, and continue to behave as creatively as we teach — then I genuinely believe we can build a better future for art and design education.

And most importantly, a better future for the young people and leaners we teach.

Congratulations to all of tonight’s winners — and thank you for helping shape the landscape we are all building together. And to everyone else here tonight – remember the NSEAD is here for you, so let’s design our future together