Death of a Mentor

LOL: Jenny Harris has a lot to answer for!

 She was my first boss and she set a standard that NONE of the people for whom I subsequently worked achieved. I went to work at The Albany Empire, (now called The Deptford Albany) on December 19th 1984 as the Drama Animateur, for the Basement Youth Arts Project. I'd graduated from Bristol 'Old Vic' Theatre School with naive ideas about "giving something back" before charging off to carve my career and end up directing at the National... ahem.

 Jenny was Artistic Director of The Combination Ltd which I think started in Brighton, but had come to Deptford to work in the old Albany Empire that had been burned down, rebuilt and then demolished for a road-widening scheme before the new building was built in about 1981. By the time I got there, Jenny was a veteran of community development. She could be abrupt and abrasive to some. I saw this as someone who knew what they were doing and didn't need short-cuts or to pussy-foot around things. I used to have maybe one hour long meeting with her every three months and got more than I needed from that encounter to fire me up till the next top up.

 Jenny taught me about value for public money in the arts and armed me for subsequent fights to justify arts funding in the face of economic collapse and government cuts- the mid 1980s was Thatcher time, community centres and arts organisations lost their funding at alarming rates, the Albany survived for a lot of reasons but I think most people in Deptford felt it belonged to them and it did as much to protect them as they did to keep it.

 I learned today that she has died. I only found out that she was ill a week ago. I am glad that I have told her in the past how much my own management style had been influenced by her and how much I learned about community development and about how art and culture could contribute positively to individual life skills. Jenny left the Albany to become head of education at the National Theatre for many years. She stepped in and helped to revitalise the Albany after it had 'slid' considerably in the mid 1990s by devising  the only arts based "SRB" project "The Art of Regeneration" that paved the way for the building's renaissance as The Deptford Albany- and got me some fund-raising work!

 I really have not known anyone who has left a bigger legacy. I will never forget her

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bon Voyage, Mon Enfant!

Image
It's hard dealing with the lack of communication let alone discussion of my Godson's immediate future. Its hard not to view my part in his recent past as a failure. The point is that it is over and I need to move on whilst there is still some relationship left between us. I'm getting quite 'Zen' in covering my frustrations with calm.  My Godson has always been unwaveringly CERTAIN of any decision concerning his learning that was opposed to mine. He was SURE that the scant attention he gave to his studies would at least yield passes. He dismissed my protestations that higher grades offered greater prospects as irrelevant. In exasperation I finally  reminded him and his father that he was here to go to school and that when that ended he would leave my home. His school career recently ended when he did not secure the grades to enrol into the final year.  My Godson is and always has been capable of cruising through a standard UK education, but it wasn't impo...
Read more

Waiting!

Image
I love working with other people and I absolutely hate it too! I love it when I get people together who agree to do stuff but I get twitchy when they're late and I remember that everyone's doing everything "at risk" unless I'm fortunate-enough to have cash with which to bribe them! Yesterday I completed my proposal for our new proposed Main Project- I'm really pleased with it and very excited to submit it, but it would be a mistake not to share it with my colleagues- they're a great bunch when I can get their attention! I have always to remember that they're not as committed to the company as I am: they joined as a favour to me initially and though they've all benefited from it at some time in the last five years... except Wayne who we all forgot was on the Board -including him lol I can't expect anything from them really. So, I get into waiting for responses and starting other things and forgetting that I'm waiting (I'd get annoyed...
Read more

Laurieston Arrival

Image
I doubt I'll be able to express my true feelings at actually arriving at Laurieston Hall for an Edward Carpenter Community, Gay Men's Week. I'm one of MANY people who regard Laurieston as my "Spirtual Home"- a palpable feeling hits me when I turn off the road onto the drive to the Hall. I was all the more keen to come this year when I discovered that this MIGHT be the last 'Season' that the Lauriestonians welcome visitors- at least for a while, Edward Carpenter Community have been coming here for 31 years. Despite a 12 year gap that ended last year, this is my 15th ECC event and almost all of them have been at Laurieston. There are over 60 gay men here from all over UK. So, getting here was a doddle from Newcastle- apart from taking a wrong turning off the M6 and refusing to trust the Sat Nav when I got to Laurieston (from a new direction) and going 4 miles AWAY from the house until I realised... Oh, and I spun off the road on a country road approching...
Read more