The Prince of Wales Medal for Arts Philanthropy celebrates the impact of givers to the arts.

On December 18^th 2012, HRH The Prince of Wales will present five medals for Arts Philanthropy. The medal will celebrate those who support the arts in its widest forms and recognise the contribution of the most inspiring supporters throughout society.

The Honourees for The Prince of Wales Medal for Arts Philanthropy 2012 are:

• Sir Terence Conran
• Sir Peter Moores CBE, DL
• Mr Mathew Prichard, CBE, DL
• Sir Gerald Elliot & Lady Elliot – see citation below
• The Lady Rayne
• Dame Theresa Sackler (2011 Honouree)

Arts & Business invited nominations from arts bodies the length and breadth of the UK to collate a first wave of potential recipients. The recipients, who could be UK or foreign nationals, will receive their medal in recognition of their philanthropic support of cultural activities in the United Kingdom or of UK artists or organisations presented overseas.

From the nominations received, a group predominantly made up of the Prince of Wales’ “Arts Cluster Group” drew up a shortlist of twenty philanthropists to go forward to a final judging panel of artists, who selected the five recipients.  This panel includes Sir Ronald Harwood (writer), Dame Monica Mason (The Royal Ballet Director) and Christopher Le Brun (Artist) and Colin Tweedy (Vice-President Arts & Business).

Profiles of the honourees Sir Gerald Elliot & Lady Elliot

“Cultural life in Scotland would be much poorer without the generosity and passion of Sir Gerald and Lady Elliot,” says Roy McEwan of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. And who can doubt it? As loyal donors to almost every major arts body in the country, and many minor ones, the Elliots have given people more than just the pleasures of great art. They have protected and enhanced the country’s national pride.

Yet if they themselves feel proud of what they’ve done – as they should – then they keep quiet about it. Time and again among the nominations that poured in for them, there are mentions of their humility, the emphasis they always place on being helpful, and not on being thanked. “They even insist on buying their own tickets,” says Penny Lewis at Scottish Opera. “You phone them up and they say, ‘Oh don’t worry, we’ve already booked.’”

At the heart of it is trust. Artists sometimes struggle to produce their best work when they feel the scrutiny of a benefactor, and the Elliots have always given without secretly attaching any strings. “They are, I suppose, old-fashioned philanthropists,” says Robyn Marsack, director of the Scottish Poetry Library. “They judge an art form or organisation to be worth supporting, and year on year they give support, with no requirement for extensive application forms, reports or innovations, which are such a burden for small organisations in particular.”

In part, this liberal spirit comes from how much the Elliots themselves enjoy the arts. The range of different groups they give to is immense – from the Edinburgh International Festival to Sistema Scotland, which develops childrens’ symphony orchestras; from National Galleries Scotland to the Traverse theatre. And they are frequent visitors at everything they give to, still as keen to try new things as they are to enjoy the classics. At home, Sir Gerald is a keen amateur violinist, and Lady Elliot has been awarded an MBE for voluntary work at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

In just the last four years, their Binks trust has given more than £7.5m to humanitarian charities and to the arts in Scotland. Yet it wasn’t only the amounts that mattered, but also the promptness they were given with – often vital to get the ball rolling on a new appeal. When National Galleries Scotland announced a campaign to refurbish the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, for instance, the Elliots were the first to make a major donation, which in turn helped to win further grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other private donors. Last year, the gallery reopened to great acclaim.

Inspiring others is another key element to their philanthropy.  During his five years as Chairman of Scottish Opera, Sir Gerald was instrumental in helping them to set up their patrons scheme. As Alex Reedijk of Scottish Opera says; “Sir Gerald has always recognised the importance of private philanthropy for arts organisations”
From listening to their beneficiaries, what stands out about the Elliots is not just the gratitude they’ve generated, but the affection. The principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, John Wallace, spoke for everybody when he said, “We hold the Elliots dear, as both donors and long-standing friends.”