It's not my agenda to reduce the range of activities which are regarded as Art. But whether something can be regarded as Art, I believe, depends on the quality of the experience. I like to be entertained but the quality of that experience is of a lower quality than the experience of listening to a late Beethoven Quartet or reading a poem by T S Eliot. The wonder of great Art is that it enables us to experience a range of feelings and emotions which without that catalyst might remain forever dormant. It heightens our sense of humanity. It can induce a feeling of ecstasy. The limitation of popular Art is that it often demands little and gives little and rarely reveals anything we don't already know. I feel the need to make this clear because I am concerned that the Arts have come to encompass a vast range of activities regardless of the quality of the experience. In our consumer society we may want to package Art in a way which deflects its purpose and conceals its power. It may be unpalatable in its undiluted form. Creativity is not a genteel thing. It is not tiptoeing through the tulips. It is awesomely powerful and it is that power which makes it so relevant to the needs of our society.

But we live in a free market economy and economically sustainable arguments are important to maintain support for the Arts. There are many of them and I mention some of the obvious.

• The Arts as a successful industry. The performing and contemporary visual arts have an annual turnover of over £1 billion.
• The arts as a source of civic pride and social cohesiveness.
• The arts as a means of gaining national and international recognition.
• The arts as a major employer directly and indirectly.
• The arts as a promoter and booster of tourism.
• The arts as the motivation often enabling individuals to gain practical skills leading to employment.
• The arts as the best creator of the 'feel good' factor so often needed in coping with the rigors of a changing economy.

These arguments and many more support investment in the Arts and I am sure will be elaborated on during the course of this seminar. However I intend for the short time at my disposal to explain why I believe the Arts and Artists are profoundly important to the continuation of our Society.

In what way am I qualified to offer some thoughts. Well there have, so far, been three distinct phases in my life, and I'm moving into my fourth. My understanding and interest in Arts and Enterprise have grown out of my experience first as an artist, then as entrepreneur, and latterly out of my efforts to combine Art and Enterprise in building a 'practical utopia'. UsualIy, when people describe themselves as artists and entrepreneurs, one imagines one role dominating with the other interest peripheral. In my case the roles have alternated; first the artist, then the entrepreneur, and over the past decade the artist entrepreneur which has resulted in my most exciting commercial success and a renewal of my artistic aspirations.

Before I come to the substance of my contribution, let me quickly describe this personal odyssey.

The artist came first. 1946 was the year I left school and prepared to enter the place of my dreams, as a pianist and composer. I was leaving a world in which I had felt fear, unhappiness and injustice but on one occasion I had been inspired and it was enough. It was an experience I had been prepared for by my childhood addiction to fairy stories of wonder and beauty, of miraculous transformations from scullery maid to princess, from poverty to untold riches, from ugly duckling to white swan. I was about 8 or 9 years old in St. George's Primary School in Bolton. One day a stranger came into the classroom with a gramophone and some records and I still remember the excitement I felt as he described the music 'ghostly dancers mysteriously appearing and disappearing' and then he put on a record. The sound which emerged was beautiful beyond anything I had experienced. Hildegard of Bingen best described the experience I had; 'Great flashing poured down from the open sky setting on fire my entire head'. It thrilled and excited some inner recesses of my mind which had until then been dormant. It was the first experience of the power of Art to reveal reality. Even though I was in public, it felt as though I had made a unique and secret discovery which would change my life. From the moment of that discovery I had an insatiable appetite to listen to more and more music. At about the same age of 9, I discovered a piano on a visit to some relatives and my obsession and delight in playing it persuaded my parents to buy one. We lived in one small room in which everyone ate, talked, listened to the radio and my younger brothers played, but no one ever complained about the hours I spent practicing every day in preparation for what I had decided would be my career. No sound I made could match the quality of the music to which I listened, but the more beautiful it was and the more remote in miraculous facility from my own technique, the harder I worked. My passion to play was nourished by the inspiration I experienced in listening to more and more wonderful music. It was Blake who illuminated the connection between listening and playing for me.

'Prayer is the study of Art. Praise is the practice of Art'

When I entered the Royal Manchester College of Music, it was like entering Valhalla. We were nourished on inspiration and encouraged to dream of achieving beautiful things in our lives. The Industrial Revolution had dominated the culture of my background, and my family could not comprehend work as passion, purpose and pleasure. They would constantly tell me that when I came to making a living I would have to play dance music. This was because they knew I hated it and how could work be otherwise. All of this only strengthened my determination that whatever else, I would never betray the music to which I owed so much. This feeling that I needed to protect what had become so precious led me to think of making a living outside music.

I looked around for alternative ways of making a living and I found one in a small textile mill in Yorkshire. This fear of compromising my ambitions and ideals as a pianist and composer led to the birth of the entrepreneur. From the moment I started working in a textile factory, I sensed a new excitement. I had believed that commerce was ugly. I was born in the shadow of a great multistoried cotton mill in Bolton. My parents had been half timers in the mill at the age of 11. My mother was one of 13 children; all of them worked in the mill. Their work in the mill had seemed so drab compared with the exciting world of music I had discovered, but I was wrong. I found something deeply satisfying and intensely exciting about manufacturing. I looked at my family with more respectful eyes. I understood their skill in spinning and weaving. I realised that the process of designing fabrics and running a business was a creative process similar to composing music or writing poetry and satisfyingly productive. The two roles seemed to fuse and I sometimes dreamt of weaving sheds at night always dramatically lit, but full of grand pianos and not weaving looms.

I started my own business in 1961 powered by enthusiasm and ambition and during the next 20 years, my business prospered. To be a successful entrepreneur, one needs a vision of greatness for one's work. If we dream extravagantly, we will be motivated to forge a reality beyond the straitjacket of practicalities. This is perhaps the profoundest connection between Art and Enterprise. A true work of imagination reflects not failure and ignorance but a perfection to which we are drawn. Enterprise sees possibilities and not problems. The eye of the artists and the eye of the entrepreneur see not a sordid actuality but an image of perfection to which we can aspire. The power to see beyond the limitations of reality demands not education but a level of consciousness. Indeed education divorced from the learning of the imagination may result in an impoverishment of vision. It's happening in nearly every business school. A successful American once said 'Stay ignorant, once you get smart you know it can't be done'.

Whatever discoveries we make come with a desperate desire to share them. First I had discovered the awesome power of the creative arts which transformed my life and then the excitement of enterprise. I was soon to find a way of sharing both of these discoveries.

Whilst I was enjoying a growing sense of confidence in realising my dreams, I became increasingly aware that the fortunes of many communities in the North were declining as traditional industries closed and unemployment increased. I sensed the growing pessimism and despondency among people who increasingly spoke pityingly of the future they believed their children would have. Instead of seeing unique human beings with limitless power able to create a more beautiful world they saw their children as victims of Society. It is always tempting to become a victim. We are encouraged to believe in our innocence and our helplessness. No courage is needed, no effort on our part, but ultimately it can lead to despair, and St. Thomas Aquinas observed "Despair is the most dangerous of all sins - all kinds of wickedness follow". It seems as if our Society is persuading increasing numbers of people to be victims. Even artists and arts organisations may succumb to this disease. This trend can only lead to failure, and I know from experience that prosperity only returns when pessimism is replaced by optimism and people become heroic not helpless. Despite the menace of this insidious temptation to be the victim, I believe that fundamentally, people crave to be heroic and to live in a beautiful world. Our civilisation depends on them realising these aspirations.

In an area in decline there are two main objectives. The first is to restore the belief that one can live in an area and succeed. The second is to restore confidence in the communityís ability to create the future. Any area in decline with a great past creates a feeling that the future has been inherited. The failed achievements of the past can be a daunting legacy and in those circumstances it requires a leap of courage to believe that the future can be created.

It was one such failed achievement which attracted me in 1983. I had for some time been attracted to the idea of putting together enterprise, the arts, and education. Dean Clough Mills which were built between 1840 and 1870 by the Crossley family to house one of the world's largest carpet factories closed in 1982. It is a magnificent complex of 16 19th century mills which consists of approximately 100,000 sq. metres and is 1 km from one end of the site to the other. It was instinct which attracted me to the buildings and to the idea that nothing could better demonstrate the power of creating the future than in the failed remains of a once great industry. My intention was to create something which would be commercially successful but which would also support a wide range of activities in arts and education. In just over 12 years, it has grown from a derelict site to a community with around 100 companies and organisations employing more than 3,000 people working alongside 20 professional painters, sculptors and printmakers. We have a network of 6 galleries which show a range of contemporary art and design and the galleries have an ongoing programme of talks and workshops alongside the exhibitions. We have built up a permanent art collection of more than 600 pieces, much of it hanging in corridors and offices throughout the site.

We are also home to the internationally renowned Henry Moore Studio where in 1994 Britain's best known living sculptor, Sir Anthony Caro, in his 70th year, engaged in installation art for the first time. Italian Guiseppe Penone, and British sculptors, Alison Wilding and Richard Long - who won the Turner Prize while exhibiting at Dean Clough have also worked in the Studio. At the moment we have an exhibition, The Cauldron, by 6 of the most highly regarded young artists in the country even if controversial.

There are several theatre companies including IOU, Open Hand and Northern Broadsides. We have also developed a theatre space, The Viaduct, which has been singled out for praise by the Civic Trust. The productions in our theatre have been highly praised by national theatre critics. We have several arts charities including Yorkshire and Humberside Business in the Arts, Yorkshire Youth and Music, The Art House, an organisation which works to support disabled as well as able bodied artists, and ABSA North.

On the education front we have an Enterprise Campus and a national education Trust, Design Dimension, which aims to raise design awareness, particularly in schools. In February 1995 the RSA, (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) opened its very first regional centre at Dean Clough.

We are home to a professional orchestra, the Northern Ballet Concert Orchestra, and to the National Brass Band Federation. Sir Anthony Caro was so attracted to the location that he is now developing a major showplace for his work in one of our buildings as well as a resource for teaching.

In 1987 the Prince of Wales came as President of Business in the Community to launch Community Partnership. As a direct result of that Vivien Duffield was persuaded to come to Halifax with the Children's Museum she was already committed to supporting. The result is a unique development in the centre of the town which has not only brought many visitors to Halifax but has stimulated a great deal of local pride. That development promises to continue to be one of the leading attractions in the country for children and families. Another important building in the centre of the town is the 18th century brick building, the Square Chapel. This was in a dangerous condition for years and restoration was believed to be impossible by most people. It is now restored and an important arts venue. It has also pioneered the first Chamber Music Festival in this country for aspirant professional musicians who are still students at the Colleges and Conservatories in this country. We hope to make this event international, opening it up to students from all over the world.

It is perhaps ironic that this flowering of creativity is taking place in the shell of one of the remarkable examples of the Industrial Revolution.

There are two shadows from the Industrial Revolution which still blight our society in education and in work.

"Art degraded, imagination denied war governed nations." With these words William Blake cried out against the increasing violence and injustice of industrial society 200 years ago. The Industrial Revolution, in Blake's view, was an expression of materialist ideology in which matter triumphed over the mind and spirit, the machine over man, cruelty and exploitation over love and compassion and worst of all a revolution which resulted in the 'banishment of the soul'.

The 'dark satanic mills', not a description of our Industrial landscape but of a Newtonian Universe in which only the quantifiable was deemed to be real, contained increasing numbers of machines which were replacing an older culture. The Industrial Revolution created a world in which a few dominated the lives of the many and which established a concept of work as servility, obedience, conformity, loyalty, and mindlessness. Those qualities are today readily available in technological robots. The human robot so essential to 19th century industry is gradually becoming redundant. Today there are around one billion people unemployed worldwide. I believe that we have inherited a legacy which is proving more intractable than redundant industrial buildings. I believe that we have inherited a system of education which grew out of the need to limit ambitions and crush individuality. It is a system profoundly unsuited to our present needs. Governments still talk about Education as if its role is unchanged from its servitude of 19th century Industry. But the only reason to employ people will be to benefit from the qualities which raise them above machines, the qualities of inspiration, creativity, imagination, commitment, enterprise and ambition. These qualities will enable people not only to meet the modern needs of Industry and Commerce but to see the inevitable changes of employment in their lives as great opportunities. Instead of thousands of people continually being made redundant from their job to their despair, we must create a world in which people become independent, dividing their lives between different and complementary roles so that vulnerability is replaced by fulfillment.

It is only by touching the artist in each of us that we can achieve this result. As an artist it has always seemed extraordinary to me that education has placed so much importance on the quantifiable. That shadow of the industrial revolution remains over education, When will we begin to recognise that the qualities which really empower are not quantifiable; passion, enthusiasm, inspiration, creativity, tenacity and ambition are the qualities which shape our lives.

The other shadow of the Industrial Revolution which remains, is over our concept of work. It seems to me that the future now depends on our restoring the concept of work to its rightful place and redeeming it as the realisation and expression of our unique being in a sacred purpose. The 12th century Abbess Hildegard of Bingen said Good Work is like a flowering orchid, permeating the universe and making the cosmic web go round.

In place of 1 billion people without self-esteem, without purpose, isolated and often hostile to the Society which is discarding them, we could have 1 billion poets, painters, musicians, gardeners, tree planters, beautifying the world. Unemployment will only be eliminated if we elevate the definition of work above servitude to a higher level of fulfillment and purpose. This is a difficult transition to make because of our concept of 'real work'. We need to begin to recognise that happiness can't be bought. Our needs are more profound than the luxuries a materialist economy can bring. We must recognise that happiness is the natural consequence of finding our place and purpose in the cosmos.

This change in Society can only come about when we change Education. Picasso said that Art was the lie that revealed the truth. I think that Education is the lie that hides the Truth that every human being is endowed with divine power. We must begin by respecting the uniqueness and genius of every individual. listen to the profound wisdom of a musician. The great cellist Pablo Casals wrote:

"When will we teach our children in school what they are. We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all of the world there is no other child exactly like you. In the millions of years that have passed there has never been another child like you - look at your body. What a wonder it is, your legs, your arms, your cunning fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up can you then harm another who is like you a marvel.î

We must begin to respect the vulnerability of every child. Genius is a tender plant and will wither with the coldness of destructive criticism. We all desperately need approval, to believe in ourselves.

We must remove failure from Education and put in its place an understanding that ability is a shadow thrown by the bright lights of inspiration, motivation and confidence. Without that illumination, measuring ability indicates nothing more than the absence of them. We must change our obsession with cleverness and the development of the left hand side of the brain in Education, and recognise that without a union with the creative and spiritual side of our brain, there is no wisdom and in the Arts no Beauty. In an industrial society conscious effort to develop mystical senses. We must begin to understand that the development of imagination, inspiration and ambition are more crucial to the future lives of children than their 'ability' to work when they are bored. The Arts are central to this role. The Arts as inspiration, not Arts disfigured by the limited understanding of the intellect. The chemist can no doubt make a chemical analysis of the greatest painting, but what does that reveal about the mystical experience of looking at it? To discover the Beautiful needs a level of consciousness not Education. Education cannot transform Art, it is Art which can transform Education. It can be transformed by restoring mind above matter, inspiration over intellect, and recognising that motivation and confidence will ensure success for everyone.

Through inspired Education we can reconnect Art with all people. If we look back to Ancient Greece, the audience was not solely an audience of the privileged and the intellectual but contained, and I quote W B Stamford, "Farmers, craftsmen, shopkeepers, manual labourers in far greater numbers than the priests, poets, philosophers and sophists."

Democracy in the Arts is not the reduction of Art to its lowest level in order to raise people in their own estimation, to encourage people to believe that their enjoyment of the Beatles is interchangeable with the experience of listening to a Bartok concerto.

It is not the elevation of participation in the Arts above the Arts as prayer and meditation. Our most moving artistic experiences are selfless, they occur when we are transported by spiritual experience unsullied by ego, by self doubt, by self aggrandisement. I believe that this experience is the highest form of Participation.

It is not social realism in the Arts. We learn nothing from our own reflection and we are rarely satisfied by it. It is not vanity which encourages us to create a better reflection; it is the striving after a reality which we believe lies beyond what we see.

Democracy of the Arts is the ennoblement of the Human Race and the key to creating a more beautiful world. We must discourage Art which reflects back the pessimism and despair it observes and encourage Art which creates a reality to which we can all aspire. The power of Creativity is awesome, it can create a symphony or a nuclear bomb, and Dag Hammarskjld asked the question, 'Do you create or do you destroy?'. Only Great Art can ensure that the answer is the continuation of Civilisation and the Human Race.

As a student at the Royal Manchester College of Music, I dreamed of a life of music and could imagine nothing satisfying me but a career as composer and pianist. However, when I faced the prospect of earning a living in my early 20s, I had already begun to have doubts. The number of talented fellow students all in pursuit of a career made me feel insecure about my own future. I decided to dodge the issue by getting a job in a textile mill.

When I heard that John Ogden, who was a pupil of my own teacher, Claud Biggs, was playing the 3 Bartok piano concertos at the Edinburgh Festival, any misgivings I had had about giving up music as a career disappeared. His achievement seemed so far beyond anything I had done that it confirmed what a wise choice I had made. My life in business seemed so comparatively simple and I became increasingly successful, but my dream to be a composer and pianist was still alive and my success in business only served to renew my determination to realise that dream.

If John Ogden playing the 3 Bartok Concertos was enough to convince me that I wasn't made to be a pianist when I was 25, could I prove to myself that I was a pianist at 65 by playing and recording the 3 Bartok Concertos? It was a daunting challenge probably never attempted by anyone before.

What now fascinates me is the accidental way in which I discovered that what was unthinkable at 25 became possible at 65. I believe that this discovery is important for everyone. We need to dream extravagantly and we need to believe in our dreams. If we achieve this we can attempt anything.

The building of a successful economy is not something in which only material needs are measured. Material and spiritual needs cannot be separated. But there is one profound difference between our material and spiritual needs. Ghandi said 'There is enough for everyone's need but not everyone's greed'. If a sum of money or land is shared, the amount each receives is less as the number sharing increases. But the riches of the imagination are not diminished by the numbers participating but multiplied. If 2000 people listen to Beethoven's music, each received the whole without diminution. The building of the civilised city is not only its building but painting, music and poetry, three ways in which Blake said mankind can converse with paradise. The ancient cities of Athens, Florence, Jerusalem were loved and revered by their inhabitants, and banishment from the city was considered the worst of punishments. What has happened to our society that so many inner city areas are now places of crime and suffering.

The restoration of civilisation requires the restoration of the creative arts at the heart of our society. When the great industrial empires we now see are worm casts on the face of the earth, those achievements of artists which remain will continue to inspire and be revered by our descendants. Blake said 'Let it no more be said that Empires encourage Arts, for it is Arts that encourage Empires'.

Perhaps the ending of the Industrial Revolution can lead us on to a new and more beautiful age. An age in which humanity can rediscover its creativity and place in the cosmos and realise its dream of creating the civilised city. Perhaps we can unite humanity in saying with Bernad Shaw 'I dream what might be and ask myself why not'.

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