National Art Pass Video Series
Adjoa Andoh said it best: ‘Art is for the people’
In May 2024, we were approached by the UK’s national charity for art, Art Fund, to create a video series encouraging people to purchase a National Art Pass. The series would later be titled: In the Frame. A National Art Pass provides free or discounted entry to over 900 museums, galleries and historic places across the UK, plus 50% off major exhibitions.
Art Fund has been helping museums and art lovers share in great art and culture for 120 years. The charity raises millions of pounds every year, funding artists and enabling the UK’s museums to buy and share works, connect with their communities, and inspire the next generation.
The Brief
The brief was to find five famous ambassadors who could appeal to the wide variety of art lovers, producing an interview and ‘walk-around’ with them at a gallery of their choosing. It was important to us to find ambassadors who were from a variety of creative industries in the UK such as literature, film, music and journalism. We also wanted to make sure we assembled a group of people who could appeal to a broad range of demographics, were diverse, but who were all united in one thing: their love of art.
The Ambassadors
Securing and coordinating talent always has its hurdles, but once we completed that phase of the project, we then worked with the galleries chosen by the ambassadors. It was important that we captured the unique beauty of each place, as well as exploring why the Art Fund ambassador had a personal connection to it.
It was inspiring to see how our diverse range of talent also created a wide variety of locations in their choice of galleries:
Adjoa Andoh, Actor, chose The British Museum
Vick Hope, Radio 1 DJ, chose Handel Hendrix House
Rob Biddulph, children’s Author + Illustrator, chose the National Portrait Gallery
Bella Roberts, Filmmaker + Influencer, chose The Photographer's Gallery
Jeremy Vine, Broadcaster, chose Chiswick House & Gardens
Working with the talent, the amazing team at Art Fund and the incredibly generous staff at all five of the museums/galleries was a logistical and creative challenge, but the project became a very special piece of work to be involved in. The video series really did invigorate our appreciation of art and the incredible access to what we sometimes take for granted, especially in London.
↑ The five art-loving ambassadors we secured for the series
Adjoa Andoh at The British Museum
The first two videos to be published from the series features Actor Adjoa Andoh at The British Museum.
Adjoa loved the sheer scale of The British Museum, describing how the mix of old and new resonates with her. This is evident not only in the work on show but the unique architecture of the museum. It was by far the largest gallery in the series and we loved capturing the vast space it has to offer. On an average year The British Museum welcomes up to 6 million people, so to have the place all to ourselves while shooting Adjoa felt very special.
Adjoa particularly loved the work exhibited by Hew Lock, whose vibrant and abstract sculptures are dotted around the museum, juxtaposed with the permanent collection. She also mentioned her love of art she saw growing up, such as the The Music Lesson by Johannes Vermeer, which she used to love looking at (a reproduction of) as a child, bringing her to tears when she saw the real thing years later at Buckingham Palace.
She also mentioned how she would love to see more work exhibited by artists such as Archibald J Motley, Edward Burra, Robert Tavener and Sonia Boyce. It was great to hear how passionate Adjoa is about art being something that everyone should have access to, no matter what their background is.
We would like to say a huge thank you to Adjoa and her team, as well as all those we worked with at The British Museum for being so accommodating.
↑ In the Frame, with Andoh Adjoa
↑ Andoh Adjoa on The British Museum
Vick Hope at Handel Hendrix House
Radio 1 presenter Vick Hope chose Handel Hendrix House as the location for her Art Pass videos. She was particularly interested in exploring the rooms where Jimmy Hendrix once lived, describing him a someone much loved by her and her family.
Vick also talked about her love of painting landscapes, inspired by seeing the work of Turner when she was doing her Art GCSE at school: 'His art helped me see beauty.'
She said she will be making the most of her Art Pass this year as she would rather be in a museum or gallery than on her phone, taking a moment to immersive herself in the surroundings we are so lucky to have in London.
We would like to say a huge thank you to Vick and her team, as well as Handel Hendrix House for being so accommodating.
↑ In the Frame, with Vick Hope
↑ Vick Hope at Handel Hendrix House
Rob Biddulph at The National Portrait Gallery
Rob is a bestselling and multi award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books. He chose The National Portrait Gallery as the location of his interview, describing it as possibly his favourite gallery in the world. Rob's love of the gallery is such that his first middle-grade novel, Peanut Jones, is partly set there.
During the interview Rob describes how seeing the work of Stanley Spencer opened his eyes into how colour can be used in portraiture. He also talked about the painting Surprised! by Henri Rousseau, which directly influenced an illustration from one of Rob's books, years after seeing it. Rob talks passionately about how art re-sets his 'creative batteries' and continues to inspire him.
We would like to say a huge thank you to Rob, as well as all those we worked with at The National Portrait Gallery for being so accommodating.
↑ In the Frame, with Rob Biddulph
↑ Rob Biddulph on The National Portrait Gallery
Bella Roberts at The Photographer's Gallery
Bella Roberts is a film-maker and social media influencer with half a million followers on Instagram alone. She choose The Photographer's Gallery as she finds photography as huge source of inspiration for her video production work. Bella also mention her love of reading at The Photographer's Gallery and how music helps her get lost in an exhibition. She loves the work of Van Gogh and wishes he had an social media account!
↑ In the Frame, with Bella Roberts
↑ Bella Roberts on The Photographer's Gallery
Jeremy Vine at Chiswick House & Gardens
Jeremy Vine is one of the UK's most famous broadcasters with a radio and TV career spanning three decades. He chose Chiswick House & Gardens as his gallery due to the family ties he has with the place, bringing his family there for regular visits.
Jeremy has a deep passion for art, describing how his favourite painting, Christ of Saint John of the Cross by Salvador Dalí, inspired him to write the novel The Diver and the Lover.
↑ In the Frame, with Jeremy Vine
↑ Jeremy Vine on Chiswick House & Gardens
Watch this space for the rest of the series!
Creative Director: Tim Lane
Senior Producer: John Trevaskis
Make-up and Hair Design: Danielle Farrington
Camera Operator: Joe Moss
Social Media: Fiona Cameron
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