The Royal West of England Academy of Arts is, as far as the general public can see, on an inexorably upwards curve, going from success to success. Gaining museum status, becoming more accessible all day every day, putting on the occasional blockbuster and publishing the hefty Art magazine to replace the Friends’ Newsletter.
There can be no doubt that this all good for business; and the RWA is a business - at least as far as having to make a profit rather than a loss. But behind this rise out of the red there is a strange tale of internal politics that would be more in place in the Papal Rome of the Medicis and Borgias than this quiet unprovoking little world of ageing artists and volunteers in the twenty-first century.
Just for the sake of chronology, I date the period of change back to the day the Friends of the RWA (FRWA) voted in a new chairman, Simon Baker. In the following year, on 15 March 2009, I found myself being gently persuaded to stand down from the committee to make room for a new member; shortly later, Roland Harmer, editor of the Friends Newsletter, known to be close to me, began losing editorial and executive control of the Newsletter to the Chair, who as Chair would automatically be on the newsletter subcommittee.
The new Chairman did not stay for long, though: he left the FRWA Committee to form the new Board of Trustees, which, it was trumpeted, would be better placed to manage the quotidian business side of keeping the Academy running and out of the red, while leaving all the creative work, the exhibitions, in the hands of the Academicians - but it wasn’t long before the Trustees took over the exhibitions too. A new chair, Roger Manthorp, told me he had been ‘fingered’ by the outgoing Chair as his replacement. He was quite pleased at the time, although he had one word of caution - the academicians had been persuaded to hand most of their executive powers to the Trustees and agree that this would be irrevocable.
Six months later Manthorp angrily told me he had resigned, as the outgoing Chair had insisted on keeping his seat.
Next on the calendar: Derek Balmer, President of the RWA, abruptly left his post. Two witnesses told me that there had been a vote of no confidence; one of them had been asked to leave the room during the vote and returned in time to see the President leave, “an angry look on his face.”
The President was replaced in the same manner as had the position of Friends’ Chair. When I asked the new man if the President had jumped or was pushed, he protested that there had been no vote of no-confidence;he appeared to believe this himself. But within the year he, too, had resigned after finding he was not being allowed to make his own decisions without pressure or interference.
As I write, I understand that the FRWA, although it has not, as a charity separate from the RWA, been wound up, has been incorporated into the RWA (which would put the Friends under the control of the Trustees) - slightly dodgy in book-keeping terms as the RWA is the FRWA’s customer; and word is that the Trustees are making moves to wrest whatever powers the Academicians still hold, from them.
In the end, the RWA remains in business despite the recession, and despite the power games you may find echoed in many offices and companies. At the same time one of our protagonists has made a good few enemies and may well make more. Such is life. No explanation!
There can be no doubt that this all good for business; and the RWA is a business - at least as far as having to make a profit rather than a loss. But behind this rise out of the red there is a strange tale of internal politics that would be more in place in the Papal Rome of the Medicis and Borgias than this quiet unprovoking little world of ageing artists and volunteers in the twenty-first century.
Just for the sake of chronology, I date the period of change back to the day the Friends of the RWA (FRWA) voted in a new chairman, Simon Baker. In the following year, on 15 March 2009, I found myself being gently persuaded to stand down from the committee to make room for a new member; shortly later, Roland Harmer, editor of the Friends Newsletter, known to be close to me, began losing editorial and executive control of the Newsletter to the Chair, who as Chair would automatically be on the newsletter subcommittee.
The new Chairman did not stay for long, though: he left the FRWA Committee to form the new Board of Trustees, which, it was trumpeted, would be better placed to manage the quotidian business side of keeping the Academy running and out of the red, while leaving all the creative work, the exhibitions, in the hands of the Academicians - but it wasn’t long before the Trustees took over the exhibitions too. A new chair, Roger Manthorp, told me he had been ‘fingered’ by the outgoing Chair as his replacement. He was quite pleased at the time, although he had one word of caution - the academicians had been persuaded to hand most of their executive powers to the Trustees and agree that this would be irrevocable.
Six months later Manthorp angrily told me he had resigned, as the outgoing Chair had insisted on keeping his seat.
Next on the calendar: Derek Balmer, President of the RWA, abruptly left his post. Two witnesses told me that there had been a vote of no confidence; one of them had been asked to leave the room during the vote and returned in time to see the President leave, “an angry look on his face.”
The President was replaced in the same manner as had the position of Friends’ Chair. When I asked the new man if the President had jumped or was pushed, he protested that there had been no vote of no-confidence;he appeared to believe this himself. But within the year he, too, had resigned after finding he was not being allowed to make his own decisions without pressure or interference.
As I write, I understand that the FRWA, although it has not, as a charity separate from the RWA, been wound up, has been incorporated into the RWA (which would put the Friends under the control of the Trustees) - slightly dodgy in book-keeping terms as the RWA is the FRWA’s customer; and word is that the Trustees are making moves to wrest whatever powers the Academicians still hold, from them.
In the end, the RWA remains in business despite the recession, and despite the power games you may find echoed in many offices and companies. At the same time one of our protagonists has made a good few enemies and may well make more. Such is life. No explanation!
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