“Participation in the arts, particularly performing, creates moments you remember that sustain you throughout your life. It matters.”
View from the top James Clarke asks three people who have enjoyed successful careers in the arts, all of whom are from Watlington, to reflect on the importance of the arts in education. Watlington, on the borders of Oxfordshire in England, may be a familiar sight to viewers of British TV because its charmingly crooked streets and proximity to London mean it’s often used for filming. Perhaps less well known is that Watlington is also home to an extraordinary number of people who have carved out successful careers in the arts. From Oscar-winning actors and film company executives, to publishers, musicians and artists from all across the creative spectrum, this small town (it claims to be England’s smallest and certainly feels more like a village) in the Chiltern Hills punches above its weight in terms of its artistic credentials. It also happens to be the home town of Learniture. Where better for this magazine’s arts issue to find out the view from the top: what do successful people think about the arts in schools and how important was education to their career?
